Preprint: Dinosaur and Mammal-Line Fossils Over-Represented in Science and Nature

2.0 · 1d ago · WORLD · TECH

The Facts

  • Bryan Gee of the Burke Museum in Seattle posted a bioRxiv preprint analysing more than 4,200 papers published since 2000 that described 8,331 new extinct species. Nature only
  • The papers appeared in 13 journals, from Science and Nature to specialist journals such as the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology and the Journal of Paleontology. Nature only
  • Avemetatarsalians (dinosaurs and birds) and mammaliamorphs (mammals and close relatives) made up more than 50% of species described in Science and Nature, versus about 15% in a selection of specialist journals. Nature only
  • In the specialist journals, invertebrates such as molluscs and arthropods accounted for more than half of the species described. Nature only
  • The preprint has not been peer reviewed. Representatives for Science declined to comment. Nature only
Dive deeper · 3 more factsShow less
  • Nature's Francesca Cesari said editorial decisions are made independently on the quality and significance of the research, following peer review. Nature only
  • Gee was prompted by reaction to a February 2026 Science paper (Sereno et al.) describing a new Spinosaurus species with a scimitar-shaped crest; Gee is an author of that study. Nature only
  • A 2022 analysis by Nussaïbah Raja-Schoob and Emma Dunne argued that pressure to publish spectacular finds in high-profile journals favours charismatic fossils and can lead researchers to overlook questions of provenance, legality and accessibility. Nature only

Context

A preprint by palaeontologist Bryan Gee quantifies a long-held suspicion that charismatic fossil groups, especially dinosaurs, are over-represented in top journals compared with specialist journals. Gee argues the pattern may skew career incentives toward glamorous species.

The work is not yet peer reviewed. Nature's news team is editorially independent of its journal team, which publishes in the analysed set.

How the Agent Panel Scored This

Independent AI personas each scored importance 1–10; the story's score is a trimmed mean (highest and lowest votes dropped). Vote spread: 0.

2 Informed Citizen This is a non-peer-reviewed preprint analysing publication patterns in paleontology, with no concrete action or impact on ordinary people beyond niche academic debate about research incentives.
2 News Editor This is a non-peer-reviewed preprint analysing publication patterns, a niche academic commentary with no concrete event affecting many people beyond paleontology.
2 Business Analyst This is a non-peer-reviewed preprint analysing publication patterns in paleontology, a niche academic topic with no market or broad economic impact.

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