Vouchered Specimens
DNA sequence databases like GenBank contain many sequences that are not tied to vouchered specimens (for example, herbarium specimens, cultured cell lines, or sometimes images). This is problematic in the face of taxonomic issues such as whether several species should be split or combined, or whether past identifications were sound. Therefore, best practice for DNA barcoding is to sequence vouchered specimens.
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Famous quotes containing the word specimens:
“In every age the vilest specimens of human nature are to be found among demagogues.”
—Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800–1859)