10 October 2013 0 3K Report

I don't know whether someone else have observed, domains and kingdoms of Tree of Life are so much messed-up with prejudicial judgments of taxa based on one's own specialization. My proof:

1. Thomas Cavalier-Smith's 1998 Six Kingdom model (most recent model, if not current standard) have six kingdoms, out of which 3 kingdoms are of protists (Excavata, Rhizaria and Chromalveolata). Now the catch: Cavalier-Smith is a protozoologist!

2. Celebrated American Carl Woese's (he left the world on this year's new year's day!) 3 domains of life had 2 domains bacteria. He, for the first time, elevated Archebacteria to the top "domain". Now the catch: Woese was a bacteriologist, and most of his papers were on archebacterial systematics!

Decisions of erecting kingdoms and domains seems to have surely been biased, having been influenced by ones' own specialization, and how could a consensus ever emerge in this cavalier landscape.

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