Linnaeus, Ashburner, Pokémon

Lincoln D. Stein

Gotta Catch ’em All!

Pokémon, year 2000– $492 million Pokémon bubble gum & trading cards

– 10 million Pokémon video games sold ($3 billion)

– $3 billion in toys & other merchandise

– Pokémon movie tops cartoon movie of all time ($85 million gross first week)

– 13,000 ft2 retail palace in Rockefeller Center

– Weekly “Pokémon Market Report” on Market Place radio broadcast

Source: The Internet

Pokémon Characteristics

Source: Pokemon Database (http://www.edbydesign.com/pokemon/pokedata.html)

249 characters in Pokémon DatabaseName Element Weight Height Techniques Good

AgainstBad Against

Evolution

Pikachu Electric 13 lb 1’4” Thunder Shock, Growel

Water, Flying

Electric, Grass, Dragon

Thunder Stone

Bulbasaur Poison, Grass

20 lb 3’4” Tackel, Growel

Water Fire, Poison, Flying, Dragon

Normal

Jigglypuff Normal 12 lb 1’ 8” Sing Rock Moon Stone

Venomoth Bug, Poison

28 lb 4’ 11” Tackle, Disable, Leech Life

Grass, Psychic, Bug

Ground, Ghost, Flying

Normal

Pokémon Phylogeny

Small size,SingsGood vs none Bad vs rockMoonstone evolution

Large size, Tackles, GrowelsGood vs waterBad vs flying, poison, dragonNormal evolution

Large sizeTackles, DisablesGood vs grass, psychic, bugBad vs ground, ghost, flyingNormal evolution

Small sizeElectricGood vs water, flyingBad vs electric, grass, dragonThunderstone evolution

Why was Pokémon so Popular?

Similar to previous collectibles fads– Beany babies– Cabbage-patch dolls– Baseball cards

Nearly all children go through collection phases– Rocks, bugs, stamps coins

An innate urge to collect & classify?

Hunter Gatherer Societies Hadza of Tanzania Plant species:

– Recognize 240 wild plant species– Utilize ~100

Animal species:– Recognize 280 wild species– Utilize 200 (including 10 species of bee)

Children aid in foraging– Accompany parents from infancy– Begin foraging themselves at age 3

Source: The Internet

The Collection Urge is our Hunter-Gatherer Brains at Work

Biological Classification Classification systems are foundation of biology

– Aristotle (384-322 BC) Scalae naturae of animals» two-footed versus four-footed; hairy versus feathers; with or without

an outer shell

– Threophrastus (370-285 BC), plant classification» Annual vs perennial and biennial life cycles; superior vs. inferior

ovaries; determinate vs. indeterminate; distinct vs. connate petals.

– Herbalists (divers)» Plant classification based on utility

– Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778)» Familiar Kingdom, Phylum, Order… system & binomial naming» 1st edition of Systema Naturae – 1 volume, 150 species» 10th edition of System Naturae – 7 volumes, 12,000 species

Gene Ontology Consortium (Ashburner, 2000)

Gene products classified along 3 dimensions

6728 process terms 5291 function terms 1122 component terms

13,000 total

What Makes a Good Classification System?

Linnaean Classification of Pigs

– Kingdom Animalia» Phylum Chordata» Class Mammalia

ORDER Artiodactyla: Even-toed ungulates – SUBORDER Suiformes: pigs, hippos Family suidae

Sus scrofa – Wild boarSus babyrousa – Indonesian

pigSus hylochoerus – Giant forest

hog….

– SUBORDER Tylopoda: camels, llamas– SUBORDER Ruminantia: ruminants

Borgean Classification of Pigs those that belong to the Emperor embalmed ones those that are trained suckling pigs mermaids fabulous ones stray dogs those that are included in this classification those that tremble as if they were mad innumerable ones those drawn with a very fine camel’s hair brush others those that have just broken a flower vase those that resemble flies from a distance

Source: Jorge Luis Borges, Funes the Memorius

Making a Good Classification System

Good classification systems are– Easy to use– Reproducible– Discriminatory– Natural– Predictive

Easy to Use

How easy is the system to learn? Can intelligent systems be trained to use it? How many characteristics must be gathered

in order to classify? Simple systems easier than complex ones One characteristic easier than multiple

– Protein similarity vs multiple morphological traits

Reproducible

Given several classifiers (human or artificial), how often will they classify the subject in the same way?

Objective criteria better than subjective ones.

Discriminatory

Classification system should divide the space well

How many divisions?– Can keep hundreds of classes in head (children

w/ Pokémon, Hanza w/edible plants)– Thousands with help from record-keeping.

» Systema naturae

» GO

Natural

Natural vs artificial Pokemon characteristics

– “element,” “evolution,” “height,” “weight,” “good against,” “bad against”

Best classification systems reflect nature The act of classifying reveals the true

nature of the subject

Alchemical Classification of Chemicals

Operation Processes Elements Metals Chemical Arcanum

Process Colors

Process Odors

Calcination Roasting; Conflagration; Reduction; Trituration

Fire (Solve)

Lead Sulfuric Acid (Vitriol)

Black;  Magenta

Biting;  Brim- stone

Dissolution Dissolving; Corrosion; Cibation; Bain Marie

Water (Solve)

Tin (Pewter) Iron Oxide (rust:action of water on metal)

Light blue; White

Acrid;  Vinegary

Separation Sifting; Filtration; Fission; Cutting 

Air (Solve)

Iron  (Steel) Sodium Carbonate (bubbling)

Red; Orange Rotten Eggs

Conjunction Fixation; Reunion; Amalgamation; Conglomeration

Earth     (et or conjunct)

Copper; (Bronze; Brass; Gold)

Sodium Nitrate (union with Life Force)

Green Chlorinic

Fermentation Digestion; Putrefaction; Congelation; Ceration

Sulfur (Coagula)

Mercury (Copper)

Liquor Hepatis (Balsam of the Soul)

Blue- green; Turquoise

Putrid/Perfumed at same time

Distillation Potentizing; Exaltation; Cohobation; Multiplication

Mercury (Coagula)

Silver (Mercury; Antimony)

Black Pulvis Solaris

White; Rainbow

Fresh; After rain smell

Coagulation Sublimation; Projection; Fusion

Salt (Coagula)

Gold (Silver) Red Pulvis Solaris

Violet; Purple Flowery;Heavenly scented

Periodic Table

Morphological Classification of Acute Leukemias

Type Cells Nucleus CytoplasmAcute lymphocytic leumeuka

Of varying size

Irregular, nonhomo-geneous, prominent nucleoli

Scanty, moderately basophilic

Acute myelocytic

leukemia

Large, regular Round to kidney shaped

Scanty, scattered granules and occ. Auer rods

Immunophenotype of Acute Leukemias

Type CD13 HLA-DR

CD5 Ig

Acute lymphocytic leumeuka

B Cell

Subtype - - - +T Cell Subtype - - + -

Acute myelocytic

leukemia+ + - -

Predictive

There are two types of people, those who classify people into two types, and those who don’t.

Classification system should be predictive. Categorize object by one set of criteria

– Does it share other common properties with its group?

Periodic Table

Evaluating Classification Schemes Directly test

– Ease of use» how long does it take to train a new curator?

– Reproducibility» concordance among curators

– Discrimination» are all categories used? How many used more than once?

– Natural» how directly does the system reflect nature?

– Predictive power» correct prediction of properties once an object is classified

Gotta Catch ’em All!

RAS

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