According to The Washington Post, scientists are finally loosening the reigns on the Latin naming of new plant species. “Scientists say plants will keep their double-barreled Latin names, but they have decided to drop the requirement that new species be described in the classical language.” The scientists agree that allowing botanists to use English in their scientific papers is fine, but the Latin names can still be used if desired.
For quite some time now Latin has been a dead language, but now the new scientific chatter will be in terms of chemicals and molecules says Laurence Dorr, a Latinist in the Smithsonian Institution’s botany department. The change officially took affect on January 1, 2012 and reaches beyond just academia. “Globally, scientists discover 2,000 new species per annum. As many as one in five of the world’s plant species have yet to be identified, and not until they are named and known to the scientific community can they can be protected and studied further.”
Quite an interesting development, isn’t it?
For more information, read “Botanists agree to loosen Latin’s grip”.
Photo via edenmakersblog.com