EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY:

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LIFE PORTAL NOW OPEN:

After over a year in development the Encyclopedia of Life portal is now open for your enjoyment. What is it ? It is the beginning of a journey to document all species of life on Earth in a single accessible website. Its goals are...

* To create a constantly evolving encyclopedia that lives on the internet, with contributions from scientists and amateurs alike.

*To transform the science of biology, and inspire a new generation of scientists, by aggregating virtually all known data about every living species.

*To engage a wide audience of schoolchildren, educators, citizen scientists, academics and those who are just curious about Earth's species.

*To increase our collective understanding of life on Earth, and safeguard the richest possible spectrum of biodiversity.

In the first edition of the portal you will find:

*About 25 exemplar species pages. These pages show the kind of rich environment, with extensive information, to which all the species pages will eventually grow. These pages have been authenticated by practicing scientists.

*Tens of thousands of additional species pages. These pages are authenticated but do not contain the rich array of information found on the exemplar pages.

*About one million minimal species pages contain the scientific and common names for a species and often have a distribution map, but lack other authenticated information.

A fascinating and growing resource. Drop on over to the Encyclopedia of Life and watch it grow. Sign up for their quarterly newsletter. take the online questionnaire. View videos and participate in the blogs. There is also an online forum, and profiles of the research institutions and scientists participating.