Linguistics is the scientific study of language, and involves an analysis of language form, language meaning, and language in context. The earliest activities in the documentation and description of language have been attributed to the 6th century BC Indian grammarian Pāṇini, who wrote a formal description of the Sanskrit language in his Aṣṭādhyāyī.
The extinction of plants and animals can have devastating effects on the environment as well as on humans. An EU-funded project is exploring methods to conserve biodiversity in areas where species are threatened.