Ever since Swedish naturalist and explorer Carolus Linnaeus developed the uniform system for defining and naming species of organisms, known as binomial nomenclature (e.g. Homo sapiens for human beings), scientists have wondered if they will ever be able to predict the total number of species with whom we share the planet. At current count, there are about 54,000 known vertebrate animals, which are those having a backbone or spinal column, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fishes. Research professor Bruce Wilkinson and professor Linda Ivany, both from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, explored whether or not the scientific community will ever be able to settle on a ‘total number’ of species of living vertebrates, which could help with species preservation. By knowing what’s out there, researchers argue that they can prioritize places and groups on which to concentrate conservation efforts. Read more.