Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

Associations Between Transition-Specific Stress Experience, Nocturnal Decline in Ambulatory Blood Pressure, and C-Reactive Protein Levels Among Transgender Men

This study documents a number of important physiological manifestations of stress associated with the process of transition, describing the physical impacts of psychosocial stress during various stages of transition for trans men.Using a combination of interviews to assess stress levels and data on physical indicators and behaviors, the study finds that trans men in the early stages of transition who reported stress related to being “out” experienced significant physiological impacts in terms of blood pressure.  Trans men in the middle to later stages of transitioning who reported stress related to “passing” as having been assigned a male sex at birth had significantly higher levels of C-reactive protein levels, which has been linked to cardiovascular disease.Though some physical impacts related to stress are significant for trans men, stress related to transition tends to decline over time.  The study cites other studies that found trans men experience improved quality of life and decreased depression among those who have received testosterone therapy.  Furthermore, 100% of participants in the study reported that transitioning was “the right thing for them to do.

Associations Between Transition-Specific Stress Experience, Nocturnal Decline in Ambulatory Blood Pressure, and C-Reactive Protein Levels Among Transgender Men

This study documents a number of important physiological manifestations of stress associated with the process of transition, describing the physical impacts of psychosocial stress during various stages of transition for trans men.Using a combination of interviews to assess stress levels and data on physical indicators and behaviors, the study finds that trans men in the early stages of transition who reported stress related to being “out” experienced significant physiological impacts in terms of blood pressure.  Trans men in the middle to later stages of transitioning who reported stress related to “passing” as having been assigned a male sex at birth had significantly higher levels of C-reactive protein levels, which has been linked to cardiovascular disease.Though some physical impacts related to stress are significant for trans men, stress related to transition tends to decline over time.  The study cites other studies that found trans men experience improved quality of life and decreased depression among those who have received testosterone therapy.  Furthermore, 100% of participants in the study reported that transitioning was “the right thing for them to do.

Active Sites of O₂‑Evolving Chlorite Dismutases Probed by Halides and Hydroxides and New Iron–Ligand Vibrational Correlations

O₂-evolving chlorite dismutases (Clds) fall into two subfamilies, which efficiently convert ClO₂^– to O₂ and Cl^–. The Cld from <i>Dechloromonas aromatica</i> (<i>Da</i>Cld) represents the chlorite-decomposing homopentameric enzymes found in perchlorate- and chlorate-respiring bacteria. The Cld from the Gram-negative human pathogen <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> (<i>Kp</i>Cld) is representative of the second subfamily, comprising homodimeric enzymes having truncated N-termini. Here steric and nonbonding properties of the <i>Da</i>Cld and <i>Kp</i>Cld active sites have been probed via kinetic, thermodynamic, and spectroscopic behaviors of their fluorides, chlorides, and hydroxides. Cooperative binding of Cl^– to <i>Kp</i>Cld drives formation of a hexacoordinate, high-spin aqua heme, whereas <i>Da</i>Cld remains pentacoordinate and high-spin under analogous conditions. Fluoride coordinates to the heme iron in <i>Kp</i>Cld and <i>Da</i>Cld, exhibiting ν­(Fe^III–F) bands at 385 and 390 cm^–1, respectively. Correlation of these frequencies with their CT1 energies reveals strong H-bond donation to the F^– ligand, indicating that atoms directly coordinated to heme iron are accessible to distal H-bond donation. New vibrational frequency correlations between either ν­(Fe^III–F) or ν­(Fe^III–OH) and ν­(Fe^II–His) of Clds and other heme proteins are reported. These correlations orthogonalize proximal and distal effects on the bonding between iron and exogenous π-donor ligands. The axial Fe–X vibrations and the relationships between them illuminate both similarities and differences in the H-bonding and electrostatic properties of the distal and proximal heme environments in pentameric and dimeric Clds. Moreover, they provide general insight into the structural basis of reactivity toward substrates in heme-dependent enzymes and their mechanistic intermediates, especially those containing the ferryl moiety