Archive of
Positive Commentaries
May 2007
Archived Positive Commentaries
Monday, May 7th 2007
The Associated Press reports on a project being undertaken by world scientists: the Encyclopedia of Life. The project will be a compilation of the current knowledge of the planet's 1.8 million known species and will be available on one website. According the article's author, Seth Borenstein, the project "...will include species descriptions, pictures, maps, videos, sound, sightings by amateurs, and links to entire genomes and scientific journal papers." Borenstein also explains that the pages will be "adjustable" in that they will be able to "provide useful information for both a schoolchild and a research biologist alike, with an emphasis on encouraging 'citizen-scientists' to add their sightings. While amateurs can contribute in clearly marked side pages, the key detail and science parts of the encyclopedia will be compiled and reviewed by experts." Contributors to the massive project include the Smithsonian, Harvard University, Chicago's Field Museum, the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts, the Biodiversity Heritage Library Consortium, the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Atlas of Living Australia. Besides acknowledging the "hugeness" and extreme importance of the project, Jorge Soberon, a professor at the University of Kansas, added that in this project, "The public can contribute, and that makes a big difference. It's one thing to be a passive spectator and another when the public can contribute." Truly knowing each species and understanding how they fit in the whole fabric of creation can help bring a greater awareness of our responsibility to all life on this world. "Only facts and truth court the full light of comprehension and rejoice in the illumination and enlightenment of scientific research." (The URANTIA Book, p. 992)