Linnaeus and Cuvier essays

Linnaeus and Cuvier essays Carl Linnaeus was a scientific mastermind, still driven by his religious beliefs but intelligent enough not to let them stand in the way of what his findings were showing. Linnaeus was a botanist, a physician, and most importantly the founder of taxonomy. Throughout the course of his life he would change many aspects of the current classification system, and his dedicated work is still used today and considered the foundation of modern classification. Linnaeus realized that species of organisms were real entities, which could be grouped into higher categories of genera. He furthered this innovation by grouping genera into higher taxa that were also based on shared similarities. In his original system, Linnaeus grouped genera into orders, orders into classes, and classes into kingdoms, but later biologists added additional ranks to express additional levels of similarity. The need for a workable naming system at this time was made even greater by the huge number of plants and animals that were being brought back to Europe during world wide exploration travels. To simplify this, Linnaeus designed one Latin name to indicate the genus, and one as a shorthand name for the species. It is the combination of these two names that was to make up the binomial species name. Carl Linnaeus was the father of modern plant and animal classification. He did not invent binomials, but he was the first to use it consistently and provided a concise, useable survey of all the worlds plants and animals at that time. What has survived of his system is a method of hierarchical classification and binomial nomenclature. Linnaeus gave classification consistency and precision and his Systema Naturae (Tenth Edition 1978) has been accepted by international agreement as the official starting point for zoological nomenclature. His impact will be felt forever within the biological sciences. Georges Cuvier possessed one of the...

Using Broach and Brooch Correctly

Using Broach and Brooch Correctly The words broach and brooch are homophones: theyre pronounced the same but have different meanings.   Definitions As a verb, broach means to pierce, break into, or open up. The verb broach also means to introduce (a topic) for discussion or make (something) known for the first time. As a noun, broach refers to a tapered cutting tool or a hole made by such a tool. The noun brooch refers to an ornamental pin thats usually worn at the neck. The two words are pronounced alike: brÃ… ch (rhymes with coach). Examples The best time to broach the topic of a raise is on a slow day at work.The broach has a series of cutting teeth along the axis of the tool.Humphrey Pump plunged down again into the sunken nest and began to  broach the cask  of rum in his own secret style, saying We can get something else somehow tomorrow. For tonight we can eat cheese and drink rum, especially as theres water on tap, so to speak.(G.K. Chesterton,  The Flying Inn, 1914)The princess wore a diamond brooch the size of a silver dollar. Usage Notes A brooch, a decorative pin or clip, is nothing like a broach. But since theyre often pronounced alike, and because ignorance never rests, some dictionaries accept broach as an alternative spelling of brooch.(Jane Straus,  et al.,  The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, 11th ed. Jossey-Bass, 2014)If you broach something, you are suggesting that it is a valid topic for possible further discussion. If you wear a brooch on your dress, you hope that it will attract attention because of its beauty, and therefore, of course, attract attention to you who are wearing the brooch.(David Rothwell, Dictionary of Homonyms. Wordsworth, 2007 ) Practice (a) Because Ms. Widmark said she was there on business, the lawyer felt he should _____ the matter of his fees. (b) Marie wore the emerald _____ that she had inherited from her grandmother. Answers Answers to Practice Exercises:  Broach and Brooch (a) Because Ms. Widmark said she was there on business, the lawyer felt he should  broach  the matter of his fees.(b) Marie wore the emerald  brooch  that she had inherited from her grandmother.