Natural-born talent is something of a rare occurrence, with athletes like Mantle or Gretzky, or composers like Beethoven or Bach only coming along once or twice a generation. But does natural-born talent apply to a field like taxonomy? Are some people more adept at recognizing the differences and similarities between species, perhaps better connected to the “natural order”? In her book, “Naming Nature; the clash between instinct and science”, Carol Kaesuk Yoon examines not only this idea but also provides an historical account of how taxonomy has been done, from early hunter-gatherers to today.
Image from www.carolyoon.com