For Immediate Release www.eol.org Media contacts: Terry Collins 416-538-8712 or 416/878-8712 terrycollins@rogers.com Breen Byrnes 202-633-8730 byrnesb@si.edu Initiated last spring, EOL’s infrastructure now includes placeholder pages for 1 million species, of which 30,000 have been populated with detailed information derived from comprehensive, authoritative compilations available for some taxonomic groups (e.g., FishBase, AmphibiaWeb). In addition, about two dozen highly developed multimedia pages are presented as examples of what to expect in time throughout the EOL. Feedback on the first 30,000 pages will shape the ultimate design and functionality of all 1.8 million pages, scheduled for completion by 2017. It will also help inform priorities for content development. The rapid progress to date was congratulated by Harvard’s E.O. Wilson, University Professor Emeritus, who articulated the need for a dynamic modern portrait of biodiversity in a widely read essay in 2003. His letter in 2005 to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation resulted in a $10 million seed grant to start the EOL, soon complemented by a further $2.5 million from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “The launch of the Encyclopedia of Life will have a profound and creative effect in science,” says Prof. Wilson. “It aims not only to summarize all that we know of Earth’s life forms, but also to accelerate the discovery of the vast array that remain unknown. This great effort promises to lay out new directions for research in every branch of biology.” The basic design of the EOL species pages that were launched today also owes its genesis to the TED Conference and to Professor Wilson. In March 2007 Wilson was one of the recipients of a coveted TED prize for his work in documenting and understanding the world's biodiversity. In his acceptance speech, Wilson asked TED attendees to help him develop an encyclopedia of life. Avenue A | Razorfish, an innovative web design firm, took up the challenge and helped to create an award winning video and the basic template for EOL species pages. The pages launched today include: Two dozen exemplar pages, illustrating the kinds of rich multi-media information to be provided for all well-known species. Content on these pages has been verified by relevant experts; 30,000 species pages, covering a small number of taxonomic groups. These pages contain authenticated content but are not as fully developed as the exemplars; 1 million minimal pages, in most cases providing the species' scientific and common names, limited information about its taxonomic position and distribution, and links to other sources of information. These pages are, in effect, placeholders to be populated with information validated by specialist content editors. Content will also be generated via the Biodiversity Heritage Library, other web-based resources, and by professional and "citizen scientists"; Several thousand linking pages to help users traverse the taxonomic hierarchy. Continue >>