Online Web of life
http://www.eol.org/
Five major universities in the us are on a mission to create the Earth's book of life. According to the researchers, over the next 10 years, information about the planet's 1.8 million species will be available for free on web.
This project has been initiated by the Harvard University, the Field Museum, the Marine Biological Laboratory, the Smithsonian Institution and the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Scientific institutes like The Natural History Museum and Royal Botanic Garden in England are also likely to make their historic records available through the online encyclopedia: www.eol.org.
"It's a tremendous resource for people who study biology professionally. And it will be a real help to anyone who will need information in a hurry,' says James Hanken head of the Harvard team.
Experts on species and software will contribute, creating individual web pages for every species. The web will feature a searchable, annotated database with a brief overview, photographs of each species with links to references. Users can use a side menu to know on the species' genetics, habitat and ecosystem roles.
The multimedia catalogue featuring data on organisms on the Earth was first conceived by biologist eo Wilson in 2003. "This will inspire a new generation of scientists, by aggregating all known data about every living species,' say the researchers.
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