title: From writing to reading the encyclopedia of life.
abstract: Prologue 'As the study of natural science advances, the language of scientific description may be greatly simplified and abridged. This has already been done by Linneaus and may be carried still further by other invention. The descriptions of natural orders and genera may be reduced to short definitions, and employment of signs, somewhat in the manner of algebra, instead of long descriptions. It is more easy to conceive this, than it is to conceive with what facility, and in how short a time, a knowledge of all the objects of natural history may ultimately be acquired; and that which is now considered learning and science, and confined to a few specially devoted to it, may at length be universally possessed in every civilized country and in every rank of life'. J. C. Louden 1829. Magazine of natural history, vol. 1: This article is part of the themed issue 'From DNA barcodes to biomes'.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 phebert@uoguelph.ca.
authors.forename: Paul D N
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3081-6700
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Hebert
authors.affiliation: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, UK.
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0602-0654
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Hollingsworth
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1.
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8859-7977
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hajibabaei
mesh_terms: D001105:Archaea / Q000235:genetics; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics; D044822:Biodiversity; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000235:genetics
keywords: DNA barcoding; biodiversity; genomics; species