The Encyclopedia of Life: The Importance of Species Being Documented

By: Anahi Mendieta

The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) is a free, online collaborative encyclopedia intended to document all the species known to science. The Encyclopedia of Life is based on the contributions of existing databases and also from the contribution of experts throughout the world. Species must be further researched and studied by experts because the species we know today are poorly studied. The goal of the EOL is to document the species that have some information about. This includes species we have known about for many years, as well as newly discovered species. However, one major problem still remains: as new species are discovered, ones are in danger of extinction. Dr. Marie Studor, the Learning and Education Director, of EOL says, “We are currently experiencing the sixth mass extinction, meaning we are losing species faster than we could catalog!” This is a challenge for the EOL, who are putting their efforts into documenting all the life that has ever existed and at the same, documenting life that has ever existed and at the same time documenting new species that are being discovered by the minute. “Each year there are about ten to twenty thousand new species discovered,” according to Dr. Studor. “It is really exciting to discover new species.” Although Dr. Studor’s job is a hard one, she has had many great adventures along the EOL journey. The Encyclopedia of Life welcomes the public around the world to participate in this toil to create and build up the EOL, by discovering alongside them. For example, people can take pictures of a certain creature to benefit our global community. According to Dr. Studor, “People who make observations on EOL and adding images, help to build EOL."

The Encyclopedia of Life is free and accessible to anyone in the world. The EOL provides global access to knowledge about life on Earth through pictures and detailed information. However, when will this new form of intelligent and useful source be finished? Dr. Studor said, “The Encyclopedia of Life has a long to go; therefore, the answer to that is never.” Despite that, this is also a new opportunity for many around the world to contribute with this new program being developed that will certainly be used and remembered by new and older generations. The very fact that this project is endless is captivating and intriguing. Encyclopedia of Life is making discoveries not only about animal life, but also about the multiple other important factors that make up our world, which include plants, fungi, bacteria, and viruses, among many others. Dr. Studor said, “The Encyclopedia of Life is definitely the place to go if you are curious about species information and learning about the biodiversity of all life that exists today and has existed in the past.” By all means, the Encyclopedia of Life is a promising new way of learning about the different species that surround us.