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Maybe these guys are partaking in "taxonomic vandalism" for the wrong reasons, but I think there might be a place for a reminder that genetic variation, while n
by __MatrixMan__ 9y ago
Maybe these guys are partaking in "taxonomic vandalism" for the wrong reasons, but I think there might be a place for a reminder that genetic variation, while not continuous, is far more fine grained than our taxonomies, and that relying on those taxonomies too heavily might lead to mistakes.
The article points out that:
> this biological classification system has allowed scientists around the world to study organisms without confusion or overlap for nearly 300 years.
You have to wonder how the system would look now if 300 years ago they had had the understanding and techniques (e.g. bioinformatics) that we have today.
- Obi_Juan_Kenobi 9y agoTaxonomies certainly do change with genetic data. The big debates are focused on reconstructing ancestry (phylogenies) but this applies to species definitions as well. This issue of vandalism is orthogonal to the science of taxonomy.