Carl Linnaeus, 1707-1778  Read more

"In ten years, the complete 'Tree of Life' will be finished and we'll have a complete map of life's family history. Then we can begin to understand why certain life forms died out while others went on evolving."  Read more

"We'll soon be able to combine this information with data at molecular level. And then, who knows? Perhaps we'll be able to identify exactly which genes make the flycatcher a... flycatcher!"  Read more

"In fact Linnaeus did something quite amazing for a priest's son over a hundred years before Darwin: he classified man among the animals. It was he who called man Homo sapiens."  Read more

"I'll never forget when I first saw the small poplars flowering in my lab. What takes decades in nature we'd managed in a few weeks. I remember my first thought was 'This just can't be true!'."  Read more

As scientists successively reveal the genetic makeup of plants, they are also creating sharper tools for altering parts of the genetic code. What implications does this have? Advances are taking us further and further from what is 'natural'. Can we keep up?  Read more

Wetlands are much more important than we used to think. They deserve a much better reputation! In the west, more than half of some kinds of wetland were destroyed in the 20th century, and countless species have died out. Who really cares about the swamps?  Read more

What is it that makes you resemble your parents? How does the bear know when it's time to hibernate? What makes flowers of the same species bloom at the same time? Modern evolutionary biology is an exciting research field which will eventually help us answer many of the questions that puzzle us.  Read more

If a well-functioning wetland is important for a region, can you calculate its value? If a virgin forest is insurance for the future, how does it appear in the country's GDP? If our planet is to survive, economists and biologists will have to collaborate in developing a whole new kind of balance sheet.  Read more

There are no simple answers to questions about the meaning of life. We are – but we know not why. The issue has always fascinated us, and the answers you get depend entirely on who you ask. Why are we so eager to find meaning? Why is it so hard for us just to take life for what it is?  Read more

All living things are related – some more closely than others. You are actually closer to the mushrooms on your plate than to the lettuce! You can see this if you study the amount of difference and similarity in our genes. Just now, biologists are mapping a common family tree for all life on Earth.  Read more

"Life is a flame as long as the oil lasts" said Carl Linnaeus. The quotation seems more relevant than ever today, especially if you read life as 'all life on Earth'. We are living beyond our means and oil isn't the only thing that's running out...  Read more

Which jumper would you prefer today – one treated with nano particles so it never gets dirty or smelly, so it glows in the dark, changes colour according to your mood – or a traditional woollen one like grandma used to knit?  Read more

Botany was Carl Linnaeus's most important source of inspiration and knowledge as a physician. In sharp contrast, the pharmaceuticals industry of our own age relies more on the laboratory than on the field trip. However, a growing interest in natural products has led to something of a renaissance for the subject of pharmacognosy, the study of medicines from natural sources.  Read more

The 18th century was characterised by its utility approach to scientific research, with Linnaeus himself in the vanguard. Botany yielded benefits in medicine and for public health, new underground machinery was designed to streamline the mining industry... How do things look today? How acceptable is it to adopt a user perspective in research?  Read more

Conifers are the oldest of all the plants that spread by seed. Pine and spruce have been around on Earth much longer than fruit like redcurrants and blackberries. These ancient inhabitants of the planet may well take on a whole new significance in the future. Forest genetics are today becoming a hotter subject than ever before.  Read more