E.O. Wilson and the Encyclopedia of Life

Posted by Dr. James Canton on May 9, 2007 under Uncategorized | Be the First to Comment

At the last TED conference, E.O Wilson, the world class scientist and author, proposed building an Encyclopedia of Life. This would be a Wikipedia for cataloging the diversity of life on the planet. From insects, to fish, to animals. The idea is to raise our collective awareness of the diversity of life. A very cool idea.

Now the MacArthur Foundation is investing $50 Million to make it real. What is unique is that the outreach, the building of the encyclopedia, is based on individuals collaborating–social networking. Think mashups, maps, images in a super-hyperlinked online catalog. Keep an eye on the Encyclopedia of Life.