NEWS NATURE|Vol 451|31 January 2008

The aetosaur, which lived more than 200 million years ago, was a reptile related to crocodiles and dinosaurs (artist’s impression). Fossil reptiles mired in controversy

An ethics row has broken out among palaeon- was harmful to many young researchers.” mass produce essentially self-published and tologists over the naming of aetosaurs, a type In an e-mail response to Dzik, Lucas blamed non-peer-reviewed papers”, the letter claims. of ancient armoured reptile. the Polish researchers for not being more Lucas is known in the palaeontology com- Doctoral students in the United States and explicit about their fossil-examination rules, munity for his desire to publish a high volume Poland are accusing scientists at the Albu- but he did apologize for what he called “a mis- of papers. He acknowledges that his “tough” querque-based New Mexico Museum of understanding”. approach has brought him into conflict with Natural History and Science (NMMNHS) Another article published in the Bulletin by researchers before. “They are obviously angry,” of publishing articles that allegedly pilfered Spielmann and his bosses involves a reinterpre- he says, but the complaint “doesn’t have any their research. The allegations concern three tation of an aetosaur called Redondasuchus4. substance”. articles published in the NMMNHS Bulletin Jeff Martz, a palaeontology doctoral student The New Mexico cultural-affairs depart- by the museum’s interim director Spencer at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, says this ment, which oversees the museum, conducted Lucas, former director Adrian Hunt and their reinterpretation — involving bony spikes along a review of two of the instances last Octo- co-authors. the animal’s back — failed to properly credit his ber and concluded that the allegations were The disputed articles name and describe own similar description in a master’s thesis, an groundless. But some experts call that review different aetosaurs, and detail how the 220-mil- act akin to plagiarism. a whitewash, claiming that it failed to follow lion-year-old reptiles are related to crocodiles In a letter of complaint sent in 2007 to New accepted practices of US academic institu- and dinosaurs. In one instance, Lucas, Hunt Mexico government officials, Martz, Mathew tions faced with claims of misconduct. Now all and Justin Spielmann, the museum’s geoscience Wedel of the University of California at Merced three cases are before the Ethics Education collections manager, are accused of rushing to and Michael Taylor of the University of Port- Committee of the Society of Vertebrate Pale- publish a new name for an aetosaur (Rioarriba- smouth, UK, wrote: “It is our strong suspicion ontology, a professional organization based suchus)1 when they allegedly knew that palae- the [New Mexico Museum team members] in Northbrook, Illinois, which is awaiting ontologist William Parker of the Petrified Forest deliberately abused their editorial powers to responses from the New Mexico team before National Park in Arizona was soon to publish an take credit for observations and insights of making a ruling. article naming the species (as Heliocanthus)2. Parker and Martz.” Such actions, the letter “What we sought is a point-by-point response The International Commission on Zoologi- argues, corrupt the scientific process and harm to our allegations,” says Martz. Attorneys for cal Nomenclature says scientists must not name young researchers. Because Lucas largely edits New Mexico state blocked such a response, species if they know a competing scientist is in the Bulletin, he and his team have been able “to according to Peter Gerity, vice-chairman of the process of doing so. Lucas denies know- the museum’s advisory board who is also vice- ing of Parker’s plans. Hunt, who left the president for academic affairs at New Mexico museum last July to head the Flying Herit- Tech in Socorro. Gerity says he helped age Collection being set up by Microsoft review the 2007 letter of complaint, which co-founder Paul Allen in Everett, Washing- was rejected. Gerity told Nature he was ton, did not comment. unaware of the Polish criticism. And last July, Jerzy Dzik of the Palaeo- With Lucas now seeking to become perma- biology Institute at the University of Warsaw nent director of the New Mexico museum, the ■ B. MUELLER/MUS. TEXAS TECH B. MUELLER/MUS. sent Lucas an e-mail in complaint after Lucas publishing debate isn’t expected to go away. published an article in the Bulletin describing Rex Dalton Polish aetosaur fossils3. The article appeared shortly after Lucas had visited the War- 1. Lucas, S. G., Hunt, A. P. & Spielmann, J. A. NMMNHS Bull. saw Institute, when the fossils were close to No. 37, 581–582 (2006). 2. Parker, W. G. J. System. Palaeontol. 5, 1, 41–68 (2007). being described by scientists there. Such a 3. Lucas, S. G. et al. NMMNHS Bull. No. 41, 248–258 (2007). thing had not occurred in the past 50 years at Interlocking bony plates covered the 4. Spielmann, J. A. et al. NMMNHS Bull. No. 37, 583–587 his institute, Dzik wrote, adding: “Your action aetosaur’s body, shown one-third of actual size. (2006).

510