Interesting read and sad to see. While we have marvelous
   databases that have collected _existing knowledge_ of
   biodiversity and an amazing amount of money put into genetics
   research... apparently we haven't been looking into the future
   to search for new species. Rather, we seem contented with what
   we have now, as if "it's all been discovered" and we just have
   to pool it together. Well, what then? Is all of life just
   variation on a theme?
   How can we have new discoveries in plants and animal and
   bacterial life if they're not being funded to be studied? We'll
   just keep working with what we have... but if something new
   comes along, will we know how to classify it? The sciences are
   varied: there's not just "Science". We often hear that Science
   is just one thing; quantum physics to electronics to chemistry
   to life to brains to computers to study quantum physics with.
   But it's not that simple. We're far from discovering all there
   is to be discovered. It's sad watching one of the sciences
   slowly disappear.
   http://www.wired.com/2011/01/extinction-of-taxonomists/