[Taxacom] Global biodiversity databases

[Geoff Read]

Here's another quote to think about.

"It [the comprehensive tree] may profoundly accelerate the pace of species
discovery by providing a common framework in which to place new taxa."
(project summary says)

I know how I discover new taxa - collect & examine. Pretty simple.

Putting all molecular data into a big hat and pulling out a one tree does
sound fabulous though. In one year ... gosh!

Geoff

On Fri, August 10, 2012 9:04 am, Stephen Thorpe wrote:
> Actually, no, I don't think it would be helpful in the present context. Of
> course the fine print will spell out a much more modest goal than the
> "sales pitch", but it is the latter that I was commenting on. It's kind of
> like McDonalds advertising, where the burgers always look much more
> impressive than what you actually get. If this project isn't going to
> produce a meaningful phylogeny of all named species, then it shouldn't
> claim to be going to do so, not even in tweets ...
>  
> But, looking at the link you posted:
>  
> Build and make publicly available the first complete draft tree of life,
> capturing the depth of knowledge about biodiversity on Earth
>  
> I still have a problem with the use of the term "complete" in this context
> ...