BIOL 117 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Species Problem, Carl Linnaeus, Binomial Nomenclature
28 Apr 2016
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Biol 117 spring 2016: history of taxonomy and nomenclature. Throughout time, people have been interested in understanding the diversity of life around us: how the different forms were created, why they were created, how they should be organized, etc. Up until the 18th century, scientists were frequently confused by the several names that existed for individual plant specimens. Local scientists would have their own names for common plants, and would use those names when talking with others from different areas. Additionally, the scientific names given to plants consisted of very long strings of latin words that could be changed at the will of the person studying them. Frequently, when a scientist would discover a name used in a different locale for a plant he already knew, he would just add the new name to the existing one. He eventually classified and named over 12,000 plants and animals!
