Science during crisis and the Arnold Berliner Award 2020
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EDITORIAL
Science during crisis and the Arnold Berliner Award 2020 Matthias Waltert 1
# The Author(s) 2020
The global COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented global health crisis with a terrible human toll. It has also caused enormous disruption to our society, and the scientific community has been no exception. With the closure of universities and research institutes and the implementation of lockdown measures to slow down the virus spread, many researchers have had to put their research projects on hold. Many of us in the scientific community have experienced considerable challenges to adapt to the new situation. In universities, professors have faced challenges in the sudden and forced adaption of their study programs and teaching to virtual formats. Others have struggled to adapt to home-office work, with those having children to look after and home-school experiencing the biggest challenges. Data shows that this has had a more significant impact on female researchers, whose publishing success has dropped after the closure of schools (https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ pandemic-lockdown-holding-back-female-academics-datashow). We are well aware that many of you, as authors, reviewers, and editors have also been affected by these disruptions. Thus, we want to thank all of you for helping us to continue covering and sharing important scientific findings. The greater negative impact on productivity among female researchers is just one of the effects of the pandemic, which also exposed many other existing social problems. Protests against other social injustices have gained particular and much-needed momentum. After the killing of George Floyd, protesters took streets and social media to demand change against historical injustices. These protests have already led to symbolic achievements such as the removal of statues of slave traders and colonialists or the release of statements by companies, institutions, and governments backing up the demands of protesters. But the movement may be having a less evident but more profound impact too, by forcing all of us to reflect on racial biases and
* Matthias Waltert [email protected] 1
Conservation Biology/Workgroup on Endangered Species, Faculty of Biology and Psychology, University of Göttingen, Bürgerstrasse 50, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
prejudices and the existing institutional racism. As the editorial team, we also want to take this opportunity to condemn all forms of racism and say that “Black Lives Matter.” Despite all the recent negative developments and current despair, we believe that there is room for hope. The current situation is providing some critical lessons that could help address our many other current and future crises: Above all, we can learn from it that science may overcome a crisis and even prevent it. Scientists have been warning for decades on the risks of pandemics like the current one (e.g., Cheng et al. 2007). But their claims remained in the scientific spheres and were broadly ignored by policy-makers. We are finally see
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