Molecules et al

[Kristina Lemson]

How long will it be until I can have a cheap, dust-proof, hand-held,
battery operated DNA analyser with vast library that can give me a plant ID
(family, genus, species)in 10 minutes when I'm surveying plants 1000km SW
of Alice Springs (central Australian desert)?. Believe it or not, there are
still places on earth with large numbers of undescribed species and genera
wherethere is still plenty of need and space for that fossil of "alpha"
taxonomy- just that there is a pretty big shortage of money, and "when
resources are tight, the biota fight" (with apologies to my undergrad
ecology teacher). The issue goes straight to a pretty contentious issue
really- what are systematics and taxonomy FOR?