A question about species authors

[Ron at]

----- Original Message -----
From: Ken Kinman
To: TAXACOM at LISTSERV.NHM.KU.EDU
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 11:24 PM
Subject: Re: A question about species authors

snip
     And there are all those "joke" names out there, and in some ways that
seems less appropriate than encouraging private financial support of
scientific research.  I really could care less if an another author gets
tacked on to a paper if it somehow encourages more such financial support
for scientific research.
             ------ My two cents,
                             Ken Kinman

*********

Two cents, and good sense.  If Bill Gates wants to give me a few thousand
tomorrow I promise that the next taxon I describe I'll either include him as
co-author - or name it after him - his choice.   Shabby?  In this day of
funding being as hard to come by as hen's teeth, it is practical.   The
bottom line is that the science needs to get done (including field
excursions) and published.   As gas fuels a car, money fuels research.   If
the only way I am going to be able to get gas is to agree to put some
petroleum brand's name on the side of my car, it's a deal.   Same for
research.  To me, the only real unethical move would be to alter the science
to suit the financier - then I would just be doing "tobacco science".

Ron Gatrelle