Taksonomi og systematik

A Best Book of 2020: The Washington Post * NPR * Chicago Tribune * Smithsonian A “remarkable” (Los Angeles Times), “seductive” (The Wall Street Journal) debut from the new cohost of Radiolab, Why Fish Don’t Exist is a dark and astonishing tale of love, chaos, scientific obsession, and—possibly—even murder.​ “At one point, Miller dives into the ocean into a school of fish…comes up for air, and realizes she’s in love. That’s how I felt: Her book took me to strange depths I never imagined, and I was smitten.” —The New York Times Book ReviewDavid Starr Jordan was a taxonomist, a man possessed with bringing order to the natural world. In time, he would be credited with discovering nearly a fifth of the fish known to humans in his day. But the more of the hidden blueprint of life he uncovered, the harder the universe seemed to try to thwart him. His specimen collections were demolished by lightning, by fire, and eventually by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake—which sent more than a thousand discoveries, housed in fragile glass jars, plummeting to the floor. In an instant, his life’s work was shattered. Many might have given up, given in to despair. But Jordan? He surveyed the wreckage at his feet, found the first fish that he recognized, and confidently began to rebuild his collection. And this time, he introduced one clever innovation that he believed would at last protect his work against the chaos of the world. When NPR reporter Lulu Miller first heard this anecdote in passing, she took Jordan for a fool—a cautionary tale in hubris, or denial. But as her own life slowly unraveled, she began to wonder about him. Perhaps instead he was a model for how to go on when all seemed lost. What she would unearth about his life would transform her understanding of history, morality, and the world beneath her feet. Part biography, part memoir, part scientific adventure, Why Fish Don’t Exist is a wondrous fable about how to persevere in a world where chaos will always prevail.

Scientists cannot devise theories, construct models, propose explanations, make predictions, or even carry out observations, without first classifying their subject matter. The goal of scientific taxonomy is to come up with classification schemes that conform to nature's own. Another way of putting this is that science aims to devise categories that correspond to 'natural kinds.' The interest in ascertaining the real kinds of things in nature is as old as philosophy itself, but it takes on a different guise when one adopts a naturalist stance in philosophy, that is when one looks closely at scientific practice and takes it as a guide for identifying natural kinds and investigating their general features. This Element surveys existing philosophical accounts of natural kinds, defends a naturalist alternative, and applies it to case studies in a diverse set of sciences. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Using an anthropologist's holistic approach, Thicker Than Water traces the evolution of iron metabolism from the beginnings of the Earth to current human populations, focusing on the benefits and dangers of iron to women and their reproduction. Looking at sexism, racism, and poverty, this work demonstrates the intricate connections between the body and society, showing how inequalities in iron deficiency are created amongst women of the world.

Many politicians, industry leaders, and even some scientists advocate replacing carbon-based energy carriers with other elements and mineral-based solutions. But in The Decarbonization Delusion, Andrew Moore argues that we should instead look to the biological Earth as a model for how humans can use carbon sustainably. Moore challenges the idea that the race to decarbonize is good for the planet. In fact, he argues that doing so could lead us further down the road to environmental disaster. Heavily researched, The Decarbonization Delusion uses sound reasoning and solid data to demonstrate why carbon should continue to play a critical role in our energy economies.

"All aspects of the life of the Green Woodpecker are covered in great detail in this book. Information on its origins, taxonomy, anatomy, appearance, moult, calls, distribution, conservation status, habitats, movements, breeding, diet and relationships are presented comprehensively and illustrated with superb colour images"--

This book offers a fresh approach to difficult plants that will make you become a more confident botanist. Unlike other wildflower guides, it will help you understand why some plants are trickier to identify than others.

"The Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) is the known as the father of modern biological taxonomy. One of the greatest scientists in history, he formalized and popularized the system of binomial nomenclature and classified thousands of species of plants and animals. In his field, he is so well known that he is often referred to simply as "L." In this comprehensive biography, Linnaeus scholar Gunnar Broberg, draws on a wide range of new research to paint a vivid and intimate portrait of the man. Delving deep into Linnaeus's correspondence and other contemporary sources, Broberg introduces reader's to Linnaeus's family and takes them along on his famous expedition to Lapland. He also investigates the scientist's private thoughts on subjects such as evolution and religion, which often yielded eccentric results. Despite, or perhaps because, of his great achievement, Linnaeus could be moody and egotistical, and this nuanced biography does not shy away from presenting both his scientific achievements and human failings"--

This beautifully illustrated and updated guide to the spider families and genera north of Mexico is an indispensable reference for both amateur naturalists and professional arachnologists. It provides keys to over 600 genera in 71 different families.

Transcriptome Profiling: Progress and Prospects assists readers in assessing and interpreting a large number of genes, up to and including an entire genome. It provides key insights into the latest tools and techniques used in transcriptomics and its relevant topics which can reveal a global snapshot of the complete RNA component of a cell at a given time. This snapshot, in turn, enables the distinction between different cell types, different disease states, and different time points during development. Transcriptome analysis has been a key area of biological inquiry for decades. The next-generation sequencing technologies have revolutionized transcriptomics by providing opportunities for multidimensional examinations of cellular transcriptomes in which high-throughput expression data are obtained at a single-base resolution. Transcriptome analysis has evolved from the detection of single RNA molecules to large-scale gene expression profiling and genome annotation initiatives. Written by a team of global experts, key topics in Transcriptome Profiling include transcriptome characterization, expression analysis of transcripts, transcriptome and gene regulation, transcriptome profiling and human health, medicinal plants transcriptomics, transcriptomics and genetic engineering, transcriptomics in agriculture, and phylotranscriptomics.

Since Latin became the standard language for plant naming in the eighteenth century, it has been intrinsically linked with botany. And while mastery of the classical language may not be a prerequisite for tending perennials, all gardeners stand to benefit from learning a bit of Latin and its conventions in the field. Without it, they might buy a Hellebores foetidus and be unprepared for its fetid smell, or a Potentilla reptans with the expectation that it will stand straight as a sentinel rather than creep along the ground. An essential addition to the gardener's library, this colorful, fully illustrated book details the history of naming plants, provides an overview of Latin naming conventions, and offers guidelines for pronunciation. Readers will learn to identify Latin terms that indicate the provenance of a given plant and provide clues to its color, shape, fragrance, taste, behavior, functions, and more. Full of expert instruction and practical guidance, Latin for Gardeners will allow novices and green thumbs alike to better appreciate the seemingly esoteric names behind the plants they work with, and to expertly converse with fellow enthusiasts. Soon they will realize that having a basic understanding of Latin before trips to the nursery or botanic garden is like possessing some knowledge of French before traveling to Paris; it enriches the whole experience.

Dieses Bestimmungsbuch ermöglicht Urlaubern und Pflanzenfreunden eine einfache und schnelle Bestimmung der Wildpflanzen in Deutschland. Mittels eines neu entwickelten Bestimmungsschlüssels wird in einer Tabelle die Buchseite ermittelt, auf der eine Art in wenigen Folgeschritten einfach und schnell bestimmt werden kann. Über 300 Beispielfotos und Kurzbeschreibungen der Arten erleichtern das eindeutige Identifizieren der Wildpflanzen. Zusätzliche Angaben zu typischen Standorten und der Blütezeit ermöglichen eine schnelle Überprüfung der Ergebnisse. Die Kriterien zur Bestimmung sind so gewählt, dass nicht nur Wissenschaftler, sondern auch Pflanzenliebhaber ohne botanische Fachkenntnisse das Buch benutzen können. Das kleine, kompakte Format ermöglicht die Mitnahme auch auf größere Wanderungen. Der AutorHort Mehlhorn ist in seiner Freizeit begeisterter Botaniker und Fotograf.

Dieses Bestimmungsbuch ermöglicht Urlaubern und Pflanzenfreunden eine einfache und schnelle Bestimmung der Wildpflanzen auf Mallorca, Menorca und Ibiza und kleineren Inseln der Balearen. Mittels eines neu entwickelten Bestimmungsschlüssels wird in einer Tabelle die Buchseite ermittelt, auf der eine Art in wenigen Folgeschritten einfach und schnell bestimmt werden kann. Über 250 Beispielfotos und Kurzbeschreibungen der Arten erleichtern das eindeutige Identifizieren der balearischen Wildpflanzen. Zusätzliche Angaben zu typischen Standorten und der Blütezeit ermöglichen eine schnelle Überprüfung der Ergebnisse. Die Kriterien zur Bestimmung sind so gewählt, dass nicht nur Wissenschaftler, sondern auch Pflanzenliebhaber ohne botanische Fachkenntnisse das Buch benutzen können. Das kleine, kompakte Format ermöglicht die Mitnahme auch auf größere Wanderungen.

Many approaches have already been proposed for classification and modeling in the literature. These approaches are usually based on mathematical mod­ els. Computer systems can easily handle mathematical models even when they are complicated and nonlinear (e.g., neural networks). On the other hand, it is not always easy for human users to intuitively understand mathe­ matical models even when they are simple and linear. This is because human information processing is based mainly on linguistic knowledge while com­ puter systems are designed to handle symbolic and numerical information. A large part of our daily communication is based on words. We learn from various media such as books, newspapers, magazines, TV, and the Inter­ net through words. We also communicate with others through words. While words play a central role in human information processing, linguistic models are not often used in the fields of classification and modeling. If there is no goal other than the maximization of accuracy in classification and model­ ing, mathematical models may always be preferred to linguistic models. On the other hand, linguistic models may be chosen if emphasis is placed on interpretability.