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Global environmental problems have dictated the need that next week's conference at Rio should be as much concerned with development as with global warming. Both deserve more than a couple of weeks.
Taxonomy does not deserve its reputation as an arcane science. As the following examples from ungulate taxonomy show, classification has important implications for conservation legislation.
Contention over the fate of a dozen endangered crows in Hawaii seems to have been dispelled (for the time being) by sweep reason and a US National Academy of Sciences inquiry.
New products in the spectroscopic arena include an advanced spectral library system for infrared spectroscopy and a fast-scanning UV/visible spectrophotometer that features reverse optics.