be a part of these conversations to ensure
that their needs are recognized as we strive
to make science more diverse and inclusive.
Transgender people face barriers to
becoming scientific leaders at every
career stage ( 4 ). From primary school
onward, students are taught science from
a cis-normative perspective ( 5 , 6 ), where
sex and gender are synonymous and
binary. Alongside bullying and lack of
family support, this structural denial of
“non-standard” genders leads to elevated
school dropout rates ( 7 ). In university and
professional settings, transgender people
face more harassment and mental health
issues than their cisgender colleagues
( 4 ). Hate crimes and discriminatory laws
often target transgender people^ ( 8 ), and
they are routinely denied health care ( 5 , 9 ,
10 ), complicating their efforts to maintain
mental and physical health, which are
important for success. Gaps in health care
are likely worsened in medical systems
overloaded by the pandemic.
Transgender people are often put at
a disadvantage by bias in academic and
professional hiring decisions ( 11 ). Less
likely to have established careers ( 11 ), they
are vulnerable to the funding cuts and
unemployment arising from the pandemic.
Despite these inequalities, affirmative
policies rarely include transgender as a
minority identity. The disruptions caused by
COVID-19 have likely burdened transgender
scientists with an outsized share of the pov-
erty, disease, and exclusion from science.
This moment is a timely opportunity to
build a broader path to welcome all gender
identities. All scientists should respect
chosen names and pronouns, speak out
against anti-transgender policies and laws,
and challenge perspectives in scientific
culture that erase transgender experiences.
Institutions should develop transgender-
inclusive practices ( 12 ), such as creating
inclusive name change policies, allocating
funds to support transgender scientists’
careers, and broadening access to inclusive
health care. Determining the most effective
approaches to reducing barriers for trans-
gender scientists will require more studies
highlighting their experiences. Besides the
inherent moral value of making academia
more equitable, scientific endeavors will
benefit tremendously from the intellectual
potential of a greater diversity of people.
Shaun Turney^1 *, Murillo M. Carvalho2,3,
Maya E. Sousa2,4,5,6, Caroline Birrer2,3, Tábata
E. F. Cordeiro2,7, Luisa M. Diele-Viegas2,8,
Juliana Hipólito2,9, Lilian P. Sales2,10,11 Rejane
Santos-Silva2,10,12, Lucy Souza2,13
(^1) Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and
Sciences, Concordia University, Montreal,
QC, Canada.^2 Kunhã Asé Network of Women
in Science, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.^3 Biology
Institute, Federal University of Bahia, Bahia, Brazil.
(^4) Education Graduate Program, Federal University
of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.^5 Grupo
de Estudos em História do Currículo, Federal
University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
(^6) Associação Brasileira de Ensino de Biologia, Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil.^7 School of Philosophy, Sciences,
and Literature, University of São Paulo, São Paulo,
Brazil.^8 Department of Biology, University of
Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.^9 National
Institute for Research in the Amazon, Coordination
of Research in Biodiversity, Amazonas, Brazil.
(^10) Conservation Biogeography Lab, Federal
University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil.^11 Department
of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University
of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.^12 Ecology and
Evolution Graduate Program, Federal University
of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil.^13 Museu da Amazônia,
Amazonas, Brazil.
*Corresponding author.
Email: [email protected]
REFERENCES AND NOTES
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(2020). - F. Staniscuaski et al., Science 368 , 724 (2020).
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COMPETING INTERESTS
M.E.S., L.P.S., and R.S.-S. receive funding from the
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível
Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001.
10.1126/science.abd8933Adapt taxonomy to
conservation goals
As the sixth mass extinction of species con-
tinues to unfold ( 1 ), cataloguing uncharted
biodiversity to ensure efficient conservation
efforts becomes ever more important ( 2 ).
Taxonomists and biodiversity scientists are
addressing this challenge with the help of
technological leaps forward in molecular
biology and digital archiving ( 3 ). However,
increasing restrictions on the permits
required to collect specimens complicate
their efforts ( 4 ). The difficulties inherent
in collecting a required type specimen
(an individual that serves as a reference)
can delay species identification, and vital
conservation action often cannot take place
until the species is protected by name ( 5 , 6 ).Formalization of criteria to describe a species
without a type specimen would expedite nec-
essary conservation efforts and enforcement.
The problems collecting type specimens
are particularly pertinent to taxa facing
imminent conservation threats, such as the
birds of Southeast Asia, which are threat-
ened by a vigorous pet trade ( 7 ). Difficulties
in procuring type specimens have left
observed but unidentified species without
formal recognition for years (8 – 10). This
gap between initial recognition and formal
description may even heighten conser-
vation pressure, as species can become
targets of traders yet receive no legislative
protection ( 10 ). Without a formal descrip-
tion, a species cannot typically be officially
considered at risk; thus, their trade is not
necessarily illegal, regardless of the extinc-
tion risk they face ( 6 ).
While it is technically possible to describe
a species without a type specimen ( 4 ), it
is rare and not widely accepted by expert
bodies. Taxon experts could help by provid-
ing standardized guidelines designating the
acceptable alternative evidence, potentially
including DNA barcodes, photographs,
recordings, and measurements. Making such
allowances would facilitate streamlined spe-
cies description where conservation peril is
real, while maintaining high taxonomic stan-
dards ( 3 , 11 ). Specimen collection remains an
essential tool ( 12 ) and should always be the
“gold standard,” but it must not serve as an
obstacle to urgent conservation efforts.
Darren P. O’Connell1,2*, David J. Kelly^2 ,
Kangkuso Analuddin^3 , Adi Karya^3 , Nicola M.
Marples^2 , Thomas E. Martin^4(^1) School of Natural and Environmental Sciences,
Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE1 7RU, UK.^2 Department of Zoology, School of
Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin
D02 CX56, Ireland.^3 Department of Biology and
Biotechnology, Universitas Halu Oleo, South-
east Sulawesi, Indonesia.^4 Operation Wallacea
Ltd, Wallace House, Old Bolingbroke, Spilsby,
Lincolnshire, PE23 4EX, UK.
*Corresponding author.
E-mail: darren.o’[email protected]
REFERENCES AND NOTES
- G. Ceballos et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 114 ,
E6089 (2017). - M. J. Costello et al., Conserv. Biol. 29 , 1094 (2015).
- M. J. Costello et al., Science 339 , 413 (2013).
- F.-T. Krell et al., Insect Syst. Divers. 1 , 3 (2017).
- International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
(International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature, London,
UK, ed. 4, 1999). - International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),
“Taxonomic sources: Taxa included on the IUCN Red List”
(IUCN Red List, version 2020-2, 2020); http://www.iucnredlist.
org/resources/tax-sources. - H. Marshall et al., Biol. Conserv. 241 , 108237 (2020).
- F. E. Rheindt et al., Science 367 , 167 (2020).
- M. Irham et al., J. Ornithol. 161 , 313 (2020).
- D. P. O’Connell et al., Raffles Bull. Zool. 68 , 574 (2020).
- V. Nazari, D. Yanega, Nature 546 , 210 (2017).
- L. A. Rocha et al., Science 344 , 814 (2014).
10.1126/science.abd7717INSIGHTS | LETTERS
1172 4 SEPTEMBER 2020 • VOL 369 ISSUE 6508 sciencemag.org SCIENCE
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