rowing protests to decry police brutality and anti-Black racism have demanded sustained efforts for justice in the wake of the murders of Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. Such injustices come at an especially challenging time in which Black communities are disproportionately being ravaged by the global COVID-19 pandemic 1,2 . These compounding issues have culminated in a watershed moment, in which non-Black colleagues, some for the first time, are beginning to legitimately grapple with the pervasive and pernicious nature of anti-Black racism embedded in our institutions and professions.Many scientific institutions, professional societies and individuals have swiftly and emphatically denounced anti-Black racism, pledging Black Lives Matter and acknowledging their support in deconstructing racial oppression and white supremacy in the academy. This support has largely come in the form of public statements and editorials that elevate Black voices, most notably from prestigious scientific outlets like Nature 3,4 and Science 5-7 . A recent editorial in Nature Ecology & Evolution 8 pledges to dismantle anti-Black racism in the annals of life sciences, which is a necessary step. But let us be clear: this is not enough and not even the minimum 9,10 . The road to anti-racism in academia is a long, arduous, uphill climb that will require institutional and personal reconciliation, resolve, discomfort and humility 11 . It is both necessary and urgent to promote inclusive excellence and transformative scholarship.Black scholars in the life sciences are grieving, traumatized, exhausted, infuriated, frustrated and experiencing many other disparaging emotions 4,12 . As we attempt to operate in a system that presents extraordinary barriers to our success, we also watch our white counterparts thrive

Repeated emergence of zoonotic viruses from bat reservoirs into human populations demands predictive approaches to preemptively identify virus‐carrying bat species. Here, we use machine learning to examine drivers of viral diversity in bats, determine whether those drivers depend on viral genome type, and predict undetected viral carriers. Our results indicate that bat species with longer life spans, broad geographic distributions in the eastern hemisphere, and large group sizes carry more viruses overall. Life span was a stronger predictor of deoxyribonucleic acid viral diversity, while group size and family were more important for predicting ribonucleic acid viruses, potentially reflecting broad differences in infection duration. Importantly, our models predict 54 bat species as likely carriers of zoonotic viruses, despite not currently being considered reservoirs. Mapping these predictions as a proportion of local bat diversity, we identify global regions where efforts to reduce disease spillover into humans by identifying viral carriers may be most productive.

Diseases emerging from wildlife have been the source of many major human outbreaks. Predicting key sources of these outbreaks requires an understanding of the factors that explain pathogen diversity in reservoir species. Comparative methods are powerful tools for understanding variation in pathogen diversity and rely on correcting for phylogenetic relatedness among reservoir species. We reanalysed a previously published dataset, examining the relative effects of species' traits on patterns of viral diversity in bats and rodents. We expanded on prior work by using more highly resolved phylogenies for bats and rodents and incorporating a phylogenetically controlled principal components analysis. For rodents, sympatry and torpor use were important predictors of viral richness and, as previously reported, phylogeny had minimal impact in models. For bats, in contrast to prior work, we find that phylogeny does have an effect in models. Patterns of viral diversity in bats were related to geographical distribution (i.e. latitude and range size) and life history (i.e. lifespan, body size and birthing frequency). However, the effects of these predictors were marginal relative to citation count, emphasizing that the ability to accurately assess reservoir status largely depends on sampling effort and highlighting the need for additional data in future comparative studies.

Species should avoid risks to protect accumulated fitness. However, when faced with starvation, organisms may accept risks to enhance future reproductive opportunities. We investigated the effect of starvation on risk-taking behaviour in the common earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758). Lumbricus terrestris are negatively phototactic annelids that feed on decaying plant matter at the soil surface. Feeding in high-light conditions is a potentially riskier choice, given the threats of visual predators and desiccation. We predicted that starvation in L. terrestris would increase risk-taking behaviour and decrease time taken (latency) to make choices. We manipulated the starvation level of L. terrestris individuals (nonstarved, half-starved, and fully starved) and presented them with a binary foraging choice. Lumbricus terrestris could choose either a low-food and dark condition (low-risk condition) or a high-food and light condition (high-risk condition). We found that starved individuals selected the high-risk condition more often than nonstarved individuals. Starved individuals also had a decreased latency to first choice. Risk-taking did not scale with level of starvation; there was no difference in foraging choice and latency between half- and fully starved individuals. Our results indicate that L. terrestris makes state-dependent foraging choices, providing insight into the importance of fundamental life-history trade-offs in this understudied species.

In southern Bahia, Brazil, rapid deforestation of the Atlantic Forest threatens a variety of endemic wildlife, including the Endangered golden-headed lion tamarin (GHLT; Leontopithecus chrysomelas) and the Near Threatened Wied's blacktufted-ear marmoset (Wied's marmoset; Callithrix kuhlii). Identifying high quality areas in the landscape is critical for mounting efficient conservation programs for these primates. We constructed ecological niche models (ENMs) for GHLTs and Wied's marmosets using the presence-only algorithm Maxent to (1) locate suitable areas for each species, (2) examine the overlap in these areas, and (3) determine the amount of suitable habitat in protected areas. Our models indicate that 36% (10, 659 km 2) of the study area is suitable for GHLTs and 53% (15, 642 km 2) for Wied's marmosets. Suitable areas were strongly defined by presence of neighboring forest cover for both species, as well as annual temperature range for GHLTs and distance from urban areas for Wied's marmosets. Thirty-three percent of the landscape (9,809 km 2) is overlapping suitable habitat. Given that the focal species form mixed-species groups, these areas of shared suitability may be key locations for preserving this important behavioral interaction. Protected areas contained 6% (651 km 2) of all suitable habitat for GHLTs and 4% (682 km 2) for Wied's marmosets. All protected areas were suitable for the focal species, excepting Serra do Conduru, which had low suitability for GHLTs. Our results highlight that suitable habitat for GHLTs and Wied's marmosets is limited and largely unprotected. Conservation action to protect additional suitable areas will be critical for their persistence.