In 1735 Carl von Linn devised the first general systematology for the plant and animal kingdom, which laid the foundation for museums of natural history. This grammar allowed to name all living creatures in a universally comprehensible language. Biological collections today still use the same principles. The type of a species is the most important element underpinning this system, and is used like a kind of yardstick as a reference point for researchers around the globe. Only the type proves the scientific existence of a particular species.
Genomic banks store the genes that have been isolated as millions of tiny fragments.