For decades, researchers have named species after their colleagues or iconic researchers as a way to honor them. But that tradition may perpetuate societal biases, according to a new study of parasite names.
, Welicky thinks parasitology’s long history of male-dominated research still affects naming conventions. “The reality is that these are patterns that get gleaned after many decades.”National Museum of Natural History
Janine Caira, a parasitologist at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, also not involved with the new research, agrees. Caira recently sifted through the 141 parasite species that she and her colleagues have named after people—and discovered that 63% were named after men. Like Welicky, Caira thinks parasitology’s past drives much of the bias. “Historically there has been a dearth of eminent female parasitologists who have worked on these groups of parasites.”
In addition to the gender gap, the team also found that the average number of parasites named after a researcher’s close friend or family member has steadily risen over the past 20 years. By 2020, roughly 30% of all species not named after their host, locality, or morphology were named after a researcher’s relative or friend, up from about just 20% at the start of the study period. Even researcher’s pets are getting in on the honors.
Poulin and his co-authors hope their study nudges parasitologists to put more care into coining monikers that reflect the diversity of the scientific community. “They may not follow our naming suggestions, but they cannot deny the data.”
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