[Taxacom] New paper: Ruggiero et al. "A Higher Level Classification of All Living Organisms"

Sun Jul 12 00:06:54 CDT 2015

That can be read to imply that I have whacky views on the relationships of taxa, which I don't. What you said does however highlight that ultimately it is more about "persuasion" than about "science". When politics enters the picture, it can be hard to distinguish between "consensus" and "mob rule". Anyway, I have more urgent matters to attend to, like trying to ID a scale insect I have just discovered all over planted kauri trees in downtown Auckland (see http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/1747260) - I can find nothing relating to such scale insects on kauri (and CoL is unlikely to be of any help!)

Stephen

--------------------------------------------
On Sun, 12/7/15, Karen Wilson <Karen.Wilson at rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au> wrote:

 Subject: RE: [Taxacom] New paper: Ruggiero et al. "A Higher Level Classification of All Living Organisms"
 To: "Stephen Thorpe" <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>
 Cc: "Taxacom" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
 Received: Sunday, 12 July, 2015, 4:57 PM

 It certainly wasn't
 so when I was involved with the CoL some years ago, Stephen,
 and I don't expect it has changed.
 The
 only caveat is, as Rich said, that this is a consensus (or
 rather, majority) view and therefore any researcher with
 hypotheses on taxon relationships widely different from most
 other workers in that particular field would have to
 persuade people that his/her hypothesis/view is more
 explanatory /believable and, most importantly, useful in
 this context than that/those of the other workers

 Karen W

 ________________________________________________________________________________________________
 Karen L. Wilson AM
 Senior
 Research Scientist, National Herbarium of New South Wales

 Adjunct Associate Professor,
 University of New England, Armidale, NSW  
 Secretary, General Committee, International
 Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi & Plants    

 Botanic Gardens &
 Centennial Parklands
 T +61 (02) 9231 8137 |
 E karen.wilson at rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au
 Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Mrs
 Macquaries Road, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

 -----Original Message-----
 From: Stephen Thorpe [mailto:stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz]

 Sent: Sunday, 12 July 2015 1:41 PM
 To: Richard Jensen; Wilson Karen
 Cc: Taxacom
 Subject: Re:
 [Taxacom] New paper: Ruggiero et al. "A Higher Level
 Classification of All Living Organisms"

 >you could help to improve
 future versions by getting involved with the 
 >project and contributing your
 expertise<

 I think it is
 by "invitation only" ...

 --------------------------------------------
 On Sun, 12/7/15, Karen Wilson <Karen.Wilson at rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au>
 wrote:

  Subject: Re:
 [Taxacom] New paper: Ruggiero et al. "A Higher Level
 Classification of All Living Organisms"
  To: "Richard Jensen" <rjensen at saintmarys.edu>
  Cc: "Taxacom" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
  Received: Sunday, 12 July, 2015, 3:02 PM

  Exactly, Dick.  This is
 intended
  as a pragmatic way to arrange/link
 information about all  organisms so that the information
 can be made available  electronically, no more nor less
 than that.

  It is
 unrealistic to think that such a classification can 
 reflect all of the most up-to-date research findings - or 
 that it can be changed very frequently, given the 
 intellectual and keyboard effort needed to make such
 changes  carefully to avoid losing links to the
 information.

 Congratulations to my former colleagues at Species 2000
 and  ITIS for producing this updated classification for
 the  Catalogue of Life (and for use by any other digital
 system  that needs one).

 For those picking holes in certain areas of it: you could 
 help to improve future versions by getting involved with
 the  project and contributing your expertise.
  Just a thought.

  Karen Wilson

 ________________________________________________________________________________________________
  Karen L. Wilson AM
  Senior
 Research Scientist, National Herbarium of New South 
 Wales

  Adjunct Associate
 Professor, University of New England,  Armidale, NSW 
 Secretary, General Committee, International Code of 
 Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi & Plants    

  Botanic Gardens &
 Centennial Parklands
  T +61 (02) 9231 8137 |
 E karen.wilson at rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au 
 Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Mrs Macquaries 
 Road, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

  -----Original Message-----

 From: Taxacom [mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu]
  On Behalf Of Richard Jensen

 Sent: Saturday, 11 July 2015 11:57 PM
  To:
 Stephen Thorpe
  Cc: Taxacom

 Subject: Re: [Taxacom] New paper: Ruggiero et al. "A
 Higher  Level Classification of All Living
 Organisms"

  Hi
 all,

  ... Based on what
 I've read here, the new classification  attempts to
 provide a useful consensus.

  Cheers,

 Dick J

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