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Nature 455, 1040-1041 (23 October 2008) | doi:10.1038/4551040a; Published online 22 October 2008

Open Innovation Challenges

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A question of class

Jeffrey Parsons1 & Yair Wand1

  1. Jeffrey Parsons and Yair Wand are professors of information systems at, respectively, Memorial University of Newfoundland and the University of British Columbia.
    Email: jeffreyp@mun.ca
    Email: yair.wand@ubc.ca

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Fundamental misunderstandings about classification can lead scientists down unproductive or dangerous paths, argue Jeffrey Parsons and Yair Wand.

Consider this list of scientific controversies: the decision by the International Astronomical Union to define 'planet' in such a way as to exclude Pluto; the ongoing debate over what 'species' means for bacteria; and the discovery, initially controversial, that the most common cause for peptic ulcers is an infection by the Helicobacter pylori bacterium. What do these diverse issues have in common?

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