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ood, and Renewable Resources • Anthropolo

heric and Hydrospheric Sciences • Biologic


committed an injustice and a serious error entistry and Oral Health Sciences • Educati
LET TERS in judgment by publishing this Letter. We eral In
Intter
eres
estt in Sc
Scie
ienc
nce
e an
and
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Engi
gine
neer
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request that Science retract the Moya et al.
Edited by Jennifer Sills letter or remove it from the online archive, History and Philosophy of Science • Industri
and publicly apologize to both Ayala’s victims gy • Infformati
tion, Computi
ting, and
d Commun
Defending harassers and the scientific community at large (3).
Scott Barolo1, Tisha Bohr2, Johanna Folk3*,
d Language Sciience • Math
themati
tics • Medi
dic
e • Pharmaceutical Sciences • Physics • Psy
harms victims Julie Libarkin4, Gary McDowell5, BethAnn
McLaughlin6 mic, and Political Sciences • Societal Impac
1
The Letter “Harassment charges: Injustice University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI ng
g • St
S at
atis
isti
tic
cs • Ag
gri
ricu
cult
ltur
ure
e, Fo
Food
od,, an
and
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48109,USA. 2Cornell University Veterinary Medical
done?” by A. Moya et al. (17 August, p. Center, Department of Molecular Medicine, Ithaca, NY hrop
opol
olog
ogy
y • As
Asttro
rono
nom
my • At
Atmo
mosp
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655) defends Francisco Ayala, recasting 14850, USA. 3University of California San Francisco,
him as the victim of an unfair investiga- San Francisco, CA 94110, USA. 4Michigan State ological Sciences • Chemistry • Dentistry an
University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. 5Future of
tion where he was found guilty of repeated Research, Abingdon, MA 02351, USA. 6Vanderbilt ucation • Engi
g neering
g • General Interest in S
sexual harassment against multiple col- University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37203, USA.
Geol
Geolog
ogy
y an
and
d Ge
Geog
ogrrap
aph
hy • Hi
His
sto
tory
ry an
and
d Ph
Phililo
o
*Corresponding author. Email: johanna.folk@ucsf.edu
leagues, leading to his resignation from
ustr
tria
iall Sc
Scie
ienc
nce
e an
and
d Te
Tech
chno
nolo
logy
gy • In
Inffor
orma
mati
tion
on
the University of California Irvine (UCI). In REFERENCES AND NOT ES
publishing this Letter, the content of which 1. S. M. Galanter,“Dear colleague letter” (U.S. Department of munication • Linguistics and Language Scie
is considered retaliatory under U.S. educa- Education, Washington , DC, 2013); https://www2.ed.gov/
about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201304.html#ftn2.
cal Sc
Scie
ienc
iences
nces • Ne
Neur
uros
urosc
oscie
ienc
nce
nce • Ph
Phar
arma
armac
maceu
euti
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ti c
tion law (1), Science legitimizes attempts to 2. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, ychology • Social, Economic, and Political Sc

Downloaded from http://science.sciencemag.org/ on January 24, 2019


discredit Ayala’s accusers by reinforcing the “Sexual harassment of women: Climate, culture, and
narrative that consequences are the “fault” consequences in academic sciences, engineering, and cts of Sc
Scie
ienc
nce
e an
and
d En
Engi
gine
neer
erin
ing
g • St
Stat
atis
isti
tic
cs
medicine” (The National Academies Press, Washington, DC,
of the harassed rather than those engaging 2018); www.nap.edu/catalog/24994/sexual-harassment-of- newable Resources • Anthropology • Astrono
in harassment. women-climate-culture-and-consequences-in-academic.
3. A petition preceding this Letter and 316 online signatories are ydr
dros
osph
p er
pheric
ic Sc
Scie
ienc
nces
es • Bi
Biol
olog
og
gic
ical
al Sc
Scie
ienc
nces
es
Moya et al. do not substantiate their claims available at www.gopetition.com/petitions/the-evidence-
d Oral Health Sciences • Education • Engine
that the UCI investigation was “enacted in does-not-support-amplifying-sympathy-for-harassers.html.
haste” and that it lacked “fairness” and “due est in Science and Engineering • Geology an
10.1126/science.aav7283
process.” Instead, they propose that Ayala’s Philosophy of Science • Industrial Science a
status and research accomplishments should
shield him from the consequences of his Editor’s note tion, Computing, and Communication • Ling

actions. As addressed in the Letter “Editor’s


note: Harassment policy” (12 October, p. 165)
We thank Barolo et al. for continuing the
dialogue about best practices for addressing

AAAS
Mathematics Medical Sciences
Physiics Psych
Ph •

hollogy
• •

by Science’s Editor-in-Chief, Jeremy Berg,


“[s]uch arguments not only lack relevance
harassment. Barolo et al. call for the retrac-
tion or removal of the Letter by Moya et al.
MEMBERSHIP.

to harassment behavior but also may result (1). Science originally published the Letter to MAKE THE
riculture, Food, and Renewable Resources
my Atmospheric and Hydrospheric Science

in further harm to the targets of harassment fulfill the Letters section’s mission of repre-
and exacerbate the already daunting process senting diverse views within the community. emis
em istrCONNECTION.
try
y De
Dent
ntis
•istr
try
y and Or
and Oral
al He
Heal th Sc
alth Scie
ien
n
that targets face in coming forward pub- Since publication, Science has acknowledged • Engineering • General Interest
licly.” Moya et al. also decry the “appalling that some of the points in the Moya et al.
consequences” of the charges against Ayala, Letter were flawed (2). However, because eering • Geology and Geography • H
deflecting attention from the consequences Letters represent the opinions of the authors ophy of Science • Industrial Scien
of his proven misconduct and impugning and not editorial positions of Science, we Join AAASComputing,
y • Information, Sections.and
the motives of those who testified. will not retract previously published Letters.
Approximately 50% of women face sexual Furthermore, in line with current best prac-
They are the
Linguistics and Language Scienc
harassment in academic workplaces—more tice (3, 4), Science policy precludes removing edical
foundation Neu
Sciences • of roscience •
your
so for women of color and sexual and gender text once it is published. Rather, before the ciences • Physics • Psychology •
AAAS membership
minorities (2). Many who report also face Letter itself (1), we have prominently placed
retaliation (2). Ayala’s targets were coura- the text of the 12 October 2018 Editor’s Note
• Be a subject-matter
geous in coming forward. They deserve (2), which alerts readers to concerns about
support, not public criticism enabled by a the Letter and explains new policies put in expert.
prestigious scientific organization. Science place since its publication.
would not publish such a letter defending a
• Represent your
Jeremy Berg
data fabricator on the basis of their accom- Editor-in-Chief discipline.
plishments and making unsupported claims
against the investigation. Although Science
REFERENCES • Network with leaders
1. A. Moya, Science 361, 655 (2018).
has since changed its policy, the scientific 2. J. Berg, Science 362, 165 (2018). in your feld.
community should reflect on why the stan- 3. “CSE’s White Paper on promoting integrity in scientific
journal publications,” Council of Science Editors (2012),
dard was different for sexual misconduct Table 3.5.2.2 Editor’s List of Elements and Operations
and act accordingly to mitigate damages. for Corrections; www.councilscienceeditors.org/ aaas.org/sections
Sexual harassment undermines core resource-library/editorial-policies/white-paper-on-
publication-ethics/3-5-correcting-the-literature/#352. A M E R I C A N A S S O C I AT I O N F O R T H E
values of research integrity. It not only harms 4. “Retraction guidelines,” Committee on Publication Ethics A D VA N C E M E N T O F S C I E N C E
targets and bystanders; harassment damages (2009); https://publicationethics.org/files/retraction%20
guidelines_0.pdf.
science itself by discouraging and driving
out talented people. In our opinion, Science 10.1126/science.aaw6181

SCIENCE sciencemag.org

Published by AAAS
INSIGHTS | L E T T E R S

Tuberculosis threat in shed the organism intermittently (6). Among


wild elephants, sample collection and identi-
9. B. V. P. Perera, M. A. Salgadu, G. S. P. S. Gunawardena, N. H.
Smith, H. R. N. Jinadasa, Gajah 41, 28 (2014).
10. A. L. Michel et al., in Many Hosts of Mycobacteria:
Asian elephants fication and monitoring of TB would pose an
even greater challenge, and treatment would
Tuberculosis, Leprosy, and Other Mycobacterial Diseases of
Man and Animals, H. Mukundan, M. A. Chambers,
Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) popula- not be feasible. W. R. Waters, M. H. Larsen, Eds. (CABI Publishing House,
Wallingford, UK, 2015), pp. 365–385.
tions have dwindled to 39,463 to 47,427 Combating TB in elephants will require 11. D. L. Clifford et al., Epidemiol. Infect. 141, 1371 (2013).
individuals (1) with one-third in captivity (2). a holistic and coordinated effort. Captive 12. S. Paudel et al., Eur. J. Wildl. Res. 64, 70 (2018).
Classified as endangered (3), the elephants elephants in range countries may come 10.1126/science.aaw2342
are threatened by habitat loss and fragmen- in contact with wild elephants in national
tation, conflict with humans, and poaching parks and wildlife reserves during grazing,
(4). Evidence suggests that tuberculosis (TB)
is yet another threat.
safaris, or patrolling by wildlife authori-
ties for protected area management. To
#GRExit’s unintended
Tuberculosis, primarily caused by Myco-
bacterium tuberculosis (M. tb), has been rec-
protect Asian elephants, we need to increase
concerted surveillance efforts at the captive-
consequences
ognized as a problem for captive elephants wild interface across the 13 Asian elephant The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is a poor
for decades. More than 60 cases have been range countries. To prevent transmission predictor of student performance in graduate
diagnosed in the United States (5). TB has of TB to wild elephants, range countries schools (1, 2) and places a financial burden
also been confirmed in captive elephants must also devise effective control strate- on prospective graduate students. Some
in Nepal, Thailand, Sweden, Australia, and gies, such as segregation of the TB-infected graduate programs have started remov-
Switzerland (6). Recently, studies have found captive elephants from other elephants, ing the GRE as a requirement for graduate

Downloaded from http://science.sciencemag.org/ on January 24, 2019


M. tb in wild Asian elephants in India (7, regular monitoring of wild elephants in the school applications (a decision known as
8) and Sri Lanka (9). There was no known protected areas, collection of opportunistic “#GRExit” on social media). However, remov-
human contact in any of these cases, so the samples from wild elephants that have died ing the GRE means that other measures used
mode of transmission of a human pathogen in protected areas, and TB surveillance in to screen prospective graduate students take
to wild elephants remains a mystery. domestic livestock that might come into on more importance, and these assessments
If human TB becomes established in the contact with captive and wild elephants may also be problematic.
wild, it could have devastating consequences while sharing the pasture. Grade point averages (GPAs) are not
for elephants and other endangered species. Sarad Paudel1*, Susan K. Mikota2, standardized across institutions, and the
Effects could parallel the outbreak of M. Toshio Tsubota3 interpretation of GPA could be heavily
bovis (a related bacterium that causes TB, 1
Department of Cell Physiology, Faculty of influenced by subjective impressions of
mostly in cattle) among African buffalo in Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, institutional prestige. Recommendation
Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan. 2Elephant
Kruger National Park, South Africa: TB has Care International, Hohenwald, TN 38462, USA. letters are often biased (3, 4) and may have
spread to 15 other mammalian species of 3
Laboratory of Wildlife Biology and Medicine, little predictive power (5). More undergradu-
Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido
South Africa (10). Similarly, an unexpected University, Sapporo, Japan.
ate research opportunities are available to
bovine TB infection in eight different *Corresponding author. students who are wealthy enough to take
wildlife species in the Ruaha ecosystem in Email: saradpaudel@med.hokudai.ac.jp unpaid volunteer positions. Graduate admis-
Tanzania reveals the high potential for spill- REFERENCES
sions committees that remove the GRE
over transmission of this disease to other 1. P. Fernando, J. Pastorini, Gajah 35, 15 (2011). should carefully consider how their remain-
species that share the same habitat within 2. S. K. Mikota et al., Eur. J. Wildl. Res. 61, 221 (2015). ing requirements might inadvertently select
the protected areas (11). 3. IUCN Red List, Asian Elephant (2008); www.iucnredlist.org/ students who are socially advantaged rather
species/7140/12828813.
Diagnosing TB among captive elephants 4. R. Sukumar, Int. Zoo Yearbook 40, 1 (2006). than having career potential. Structured
is challenging. The intradermal tuberculin 5. M. A. Miller et al., J. Zoo Wildl. Med. 49, 748 (2018). interviews or essay prompts may help iden-
test is not accurate (6), and elephants are 6. S. K. Mikota, K. P. Lyashchenko, L. Lowenstine, D. Agnew, tify prospective students who have personal
J. N. Maslow, in Many Hosts of Mycobacteria: Tuberculosis,
too large to x-ray. Culture of trunk wash Leprosy, and Other Mycobacterial Diseases of Man and attributes that favor success in graduate
samples is considered the gold standard Animals, H. Mukundan, M. A. Chambers, W. R. Waters, M. H. school (6). Implicit biases held by admission
for TB diagnosis (6), and specific serologi- Larsen, Eds. (CABI Publishing House, Wallingford, UK, 2015), committee members might be mitigated with
pp. 259–276.
cal tests are also useful (12). Like humans, 7. B. M. Chandranaik et al., Emerg. Infect. Dis. 23, 555 (2017). training (7). GRExit should not be an end
elephants may harbor TB for decades and 8. A. Zachariah et al., Emerg. Infect. Dis. 23, 504 (2017). in and of itself, but a step toward reforming
graduate admissions to assess prospective
students more fairly.
Zen Faulkes
Department of Biology, The University of Texas Rio
Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA.
Email: zen.faulkes@utrgv.edu
PHOTO: MALCOLM SCHUYL/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

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Asian elephant population.
10.1126/science.aaw1012

356 25 JANUARY 2019 • VOL 363 ISSUE 6425 sciencemag.org SCIENCE

Published by AAAS
Tuberculosis threat in Asian elephants
Sarad Paudel, Susan K. Mikota and Toshio Tsubota

Science 363 (6425), 356.


DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw2342

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