h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A588936

Let me know if you think this is well balanced. I want to put in more, but I feel that it would soon become too long.

While on the whole, I find nothing wrong, I think that the conclusions at the end could do with some revision. While I have no doubt that both systems (cladistics and linnean) will continue, there is a marvelous possibility opened up for any professional body willing to take the risk. It is now possibly, using the web, to use linnean classification to make creatures easy to refer too, while at the same time having both the linnean and the cladistic systems availably as an online resource that can be navigated to provide additional information about familial and ancestral groupings.

In addition to this, it is now possible to use genetic sequencing to provide incontrovertable proof as to where on the cladistic sequence the new entry must reside. This then makes it easier to add other entries on the basis of partial dna evidence, or total lack of dna evidence to this improved sequence.

Further more, when you apply cladistics to the divergence in the races of man, and back up the genetics with historical linguistics, you end up with 2 trees that mutually support each other.

Given this, I think that the conclusion should be a little more optimistic as regards the possibility of reconsiling the two systems, although I do agree with you about the difficulty of shiftingthe positions of some scientists.

Added a sentence to mitigate the downer at the end. I would rather not get too much into Cladistics as there is an entry for it already. I was not trying to give the impression of NO advance, but rather SLOW advance.

I went and posted this in Peer Review... I hope I didn't jump the gun...

No, I think with the explicit mentioning of cladistics, and the mentioning of using the net to tie it all together, you have now solved the problem I had with it. (although polishing that last paragraph for improved readability might help). keep up the good work, and good luck in peer review.

Editorial Note: This conversation has been moved from 'The h2g2 Writing Workshop' to 'Taxonomy'.

This Conversation has been moved because this entry has already been accepted for the Edited Guide from Peer Review.