1.8 Million Species, 1 Site

I have a lot of web projects going on at work right now that range in scope and scale. All of it, however, pales in comparison to an upcoming undertaking called the Encyclopedia of Life.

Over the course of the next decade, the Encyclopedia of Life will be loaded with all known information about every species on the planet- all 1.8 million of them. Rather than appealing to a niche audience, it is aiming to be accessible by the masses. Information will be accessible at a level for scientists and six-year-old children, educators and those that are simply curious. According to their website, EOL’s goal “is to create a constantly evolving encyclopedia that lives on the Internet, with contributions from scientists and amateurs alike.”

We’ve changed a lot since the days of the door-to-door encyclopedia salesman. Here’s a video to whet your appetite.