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Field-based sciences must transform in response to COVID-19

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 4, pages 1571–1574 (2020)Cite this article

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The pandemic will allow us to fundamentally remodel the way field-based sciences are taught, conducted and funded — but only if we stop waiting for a ‘return to normal’.

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Fig. 1: Community archaeology in Nigeria led by co-author E. A. Orijemie, far left.
Fig. 2: Essential pieces of the puzzle to transform field-based sciences in response to COVID-19.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pan-African Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany

    Eleanor M. L. Scerri & James Blinkhorn

  2. Transmission, Infection, Diversification & Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany

    Denise Kühnert

  3. Centre for Quaternary Research, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK

    James Blinkhorn & Ian Candy

  4. Extreme Events Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany

    Huw S. Groucutt

  5. Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany

    Huw S. Groucutt, Patrick Roberts, Steven T. Goldstein & Michael D. Petraglia

  6. Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany

    Huw S. Groucutt

  7. Department of Geography, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Kathleen Nicoll

  8. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra “A.Desio”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy

    Andrea Zerboni

  9. Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, The University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

    Emuobosa Akpo Orijemie

  10. School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

    Huw Barton

  11. Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    John Hawks

  12. Département d’Histoire, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Dakar-Fann, Senegal

    Khady Niang

  13. Department of History and Archaeology, University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Republic of Benin

    Didier N’Dah

  14. School of Social Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia

    Michael D. Petraglia

  15. Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA

    Michael D. Petraglia

  16. Department of Classics and Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, University of Malta, Msida, Malta

    Nicholas C. Vella

Authors
  1. Eleanor M. L. Scerri
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  2. Denise Kühnert
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  3. James Blinkhorn
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  4. Huw S. Groucutt
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  6. Kathleen Nicoll
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  7. Andrea Zerboni
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  8. Emuobosa Akpo Orijemie
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  9. Huw Barton
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  10. Ian Candy
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  11. Steven T. Goldstein
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  13. Khady Niang
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  15. Michael D. Petraglia
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  16. Nicholas C. Vella
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Eleanor M. L. Scerri or Denise Kühnert.

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Scerri, E.M.L., Kühnert, D., Blinkhorn, J. et al. Field-based sciences must transform in response to COVID-19. Nat Ecol Evol 4, 1571–1574 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-01317-8

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