A Few Bad Scientists Are Threatening To Topple Taxonomy (smithsonianmag.com)

From a report: To study life on Earth, you need a system. Ours is Linnaean taxonomy, the model started by Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus in 1735. Linnaeus's two-part species names, often Latin-based, consist of both a genus name and a species name, i.e. Homo sapiens. Like a library's Dewey Decimal system for books, this biological classification system has allowed scientists around the world to study organisms without confusion or overlap for nearly 300 years. But, like any library, taxonomy is only as good as its librarians -- and now a few rogue taxonomists are threatening to expose the flaws within the system. Taxonomic vandals, as they're referred to within the field, are those who name scores of new taxa without presenting sufficient evidence for their finds. Like plagiarists trying to pass off others' work as their own, these glory-seeking scientists use others' original research in order to justify their so-called "discoveries." "It's unethical name creation based on other people's work," says Mark Scherz, a herpetologist who recently named a new species of fish-scaled gecko. "It's that lack of ethical sensibility that creates that problem." The goal of taxonomic vandalism is often self-aggrandizement. Even in such an unglamorous field, there is prestige and reward -- and with them, the temptation to misbehave. "If you name a new species, there's some notoriety to it," Thomson says. "You get these people that decide that they just want to name everything, so they can go down in history as having named hundreds and hundreds of species." The problem may be getting worse, thanks to the advent of online publishing and loopholes in the species naming code. With vandals at large, some researchers are less inclined to publish or present their work publicly for fear of being scooped, taxonomists told me. "Now there's a hesitation to present our data publically, and that's how scientists communicate," Thomson says. "The problem that causes is that you don't know who is working on what, and then the scientists start stepping on each other's toes."

Comments

The Smithsonian Are Bigoted Haters

[Anonymous Coward]

From the article:

Linnaeus's two-part species names, often Latin-based, consist of both a genus name and a species name, i.e. Homo sapiens.

Why Homo sapiens? The fact that they chose a species that includes white male christians should not go unchallenged. Very problematic. How convenient that they left out Homo erectus, a much more wholesome species.

hidden agenda

[micahraleigh]

The current taxonomy exists to instill a feeling of intellectual superiority among Darwinists.

Since Darwinism has been around so long and only 42% of Americans buy into it, I think we should keep this framework.

And in general I have no strategy suggestions for how agnostics and secularists could improve on their ability to shoot themselves in the foot. I remain captivated in anticipation for how they will out do themselves next.

Such brilliance! Such magnificent genius!

Or

[HBI]

Parent poster, i.e. a Leftist asshole.