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Article: We've come a long way from the four elements.(EDITOR'S ROUNDTABLE)(Editorial)
- Article from:
- Science Scope
- Article date:
- February 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 National Science Teachers Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Throughout the ages, people have sought to bring order to an otherwise overwhelming natural world by sorting, naming, and labeling. As our technology advanced, so has the sophistication of our classification systems. Over time, we've moved from the ancient Greeks' four elements to the periodic table, and from classifying animals by the way they move to comparisons of their DNA sequences.
Classification systems are an essential tool in all branches of science, but also help bring order to our everyday lives in the form of phone directories, library catalogs, bus schedules, supermarket aisles, and countless other ways. You can even join the Classification Society, ...