A very interesting article, David. Thanks for sharing. This excerpt really stood out for me as quite thought-provoking:

“Recent genetic analysis has highlighted, to a degree that is impossible to ignore, the fact that the barriers between species have never been impermeable. As Brendan Kelly, the chief scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, told me: “The dirty secret of biology is that the fundamental unit of science — i.e., species — in fact can’t be adequately defined.” Clearly, there are powerful forces that drive life-forms to differentiate, to speciate. If not, sameness would prevail on earth. But just as clearly, evolutionary pressures push not only toward fission, as Peter and Rosemary Grant put it, but also sometimes toward fusion.

That realization is more than one of scientific clarity; it goes to the heart of conservation efforts, offering new ways to think about what we’re trying to conserve…”