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Two agar plates next to each other. One is empty while the other is growing multiple different cultured organisms, colored white, beige, and green.
Most Archaea and Bacteria Are Nameless. SeqCode Could Change That
The Scientist spoke with microbiologist William Whitman about a new system of nomenclature for prokaryotic organisms that can’t be cultured.
Most Archaea and Bacteria Are Nameless. SeqCode Could Change That
Most Archaea and Bacteria Are Nameless. SeqCode Could Change That

The Scientist spoke with microbiologist William Whitman about a new system of nomenclature for prokaryotic organisms that can’t be cultured.

The Scientist spoke with microbiologist William Whitman about a new system of nomenclature for prokaryotic organisms that can’t be cultured.

taxonomy

A black and white photo of a man standing at a lab bench, holding up a glass jar
Reimagining Ecology, 1939
Lisa Winter | Apr 4, 2022 | 3 min read
Edward Ricketts built his laboratory just onshore from the swirling tidepools of Monterey Bay, California, an ideal backdrop against which he developed a new system for studying the ecology of any given habitat.
SLIDESHOW
Photo of a long-tongued fly
Researchers Identify Novel Long-Tongued Fly Species
Nick Dall | Feb 1, 2022 | 4 min read
The discovery that what was long believed to be one fly species is actually two deepens researchers’ understanding of plant-pollinator relationships in a unique habitat in southern Africa.
A notecard with outdated names of prokaryotic phyla crossed out and replaced with the newer names.
Newly Renamed Prokaryote Phyla Cause Uproar
Dan Robitzski | Jan 4, 2022 | 10+ min read
The International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes recently pulled the rank of phylum into its code of official nomenclature. Experts say the move will help standardize science in the long run but potentially disrupt research now.
The man-of-war fish (Nomeus gronovii), a species of medusafish, near the tentacles of a siphonophore.
Medusafishes Are Grouped by Shared, Odd Traits: Study
Devin A. Reese, PhD | Dec 1, 2021 | 2 min read
Shared features, such as thick, slimy skin and a throat filled with teeth, suggest that medusafishes are all related.
Newly named jellyfish Tima nigroannulata swimming in Japan’s Kamo Aquarium.
Aquarium Jellyfish Turns Out to Be Undescribed Species
Lisa Winter | Jun 18, 2021 | 2 min read
The newly characterized “elegant jellyfish,” roughly the size of a human hand, had been on display in two aquariums in Japan for more than a decade.
Sponge Names for Sale, Proceeds to go to Conservation Efforts
Asher Jones | May 1, 2021 | 5 min read
A tidy-up of a New Zealand storage room led to the sale of naming rights for three new-to-science Galápagos Islands species.
Astragalus nitidiflorus inaturalist extinct plant conservation taxonomy
Seventeen “Extinct” European Plant Species Found Alive
Katarina Zimmer | Mar 11, 2021 | 6 min read
Plant species officially reported to be lost are in fact persevering in the wild, in seed banks or botanical gardens, or as other species now recognized to be taxonomic synonyms.
Researchers Propose Automating the Naming of Novel Microbes
Jef Akst | Mar 1, 2021 | 5 min read
With modern technologies unearthing novel bacterial and archaeal species by the dozens, hundreds, or even thousands, manually naming them all is no longer practical, scientists say.
Why Fish Don’t Exist TS Book Club Discussion
The Scientist | Jan 28, 2021 | 1 min read
Join The Scientist on March 19 to discuss Lulu Miller’s book about a determined taxonomist whose life and work constitute a fable illustrating the hazards of categorization.
Contributors
The Scientist | Sep 1, 2020 | 4 min read
Meet some of the people featured in the September 2020 issue of The Scientist.
lynika strozier field museum chicago dna species liverwort madagascar covid-19 coronavirus pandemic
Biologist Lynika Strozier Dies
Claire Jarvis | Jun 18, 2020 | 3 min read
The Field Museum researcher and biology instructor, who died of complications associated with COVID-19, used DNA sequencing to identify new species of plants and birds.
The Hidden World of Millipede Sex
Yao-Hua Law | Jun 1, 2020 | 4 min read
Researchers use advanced imaging techniques to see what happens when a male and a female mate.
john jack randall fish ichthyologist marine taxonomist obituary
Ichthyologist Jack Randall Dies
Kerry Grens | May 7, 2020 | 2 min read
The taxonomist described more than 800 species of fish.
two pages of the En Tibi herbarium, showing two dried plants
A Smiling Garden, 1558
Ashley Yeager | Mar 1, 2020 | 3 min read
An analysis of the En Tibi herbarium’s plants and handwriting has given clues to the identity of its maker.
Opinion: Crafting a Cure for Plant Blindness
M. Timothy Rabanus-Wallace | Mar 1, 2020 | 5 min read
The plant awareness revolution will be led by poets, philosophers, and hipsters; not just scientists.
Proposed Deep-Sea Mining Zone Harbors Previously Unknown Species
Catherine Offord | Oct 17, 2019 | 5 min read
The discovery of ancient clades of brittle stars at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean adds to concerns that commercial exploitation of the area could destroy numerous taxa before they’ve even been identified.
Electrophorus voltai electric eel amazon fish electrogenesis
Newly Described Electric Eel Has Strongest Voltage Yet Measured
Kerry Grens | Sep 10, 2019 | 2 min read
The same study also finds there are three species of Electrophorus, rather than one.
What Was Lost in the Fire that Destroyed Brazil’s Largest Museum
Marcia Triunfol | Sep 4, 2018 | 2 min read
Scientists work to help relocate colleagues who lost everything.
President of SUNY’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry Resigns
Kerry Grens | Mar 22, 2018 | 1 min read
Quentin Wheeler’s firing of department chairs earlier this year didn’t sit well with university faculty members.  
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