INSIGHTS
opportunities for Ukrainian researchers.
LET TERS
Edited by Jennifer Sills
Funding databases for
Ukrainian academics
The ongoing Russian invasion jeopar-
dizes research in Ukraine. More than 200
Ukrainian educational institutions have
been destroyed (1), and an estimated several
thousand academics have fled the country
(2, 3). However, the majority of researchers—
about 70,000 people—remain in Ukraine,
where they are struggling to make a living
and continue their research (2, 3).
The international science community has
provided generous support to Ukrainian
researchers. Fellowships have been made
available to displaced academics (4, 5).
Universities have offered remote working
opportunities (6). National funders have
stepped up with open calls for Ukrainian
academics (7, 8), and displaced-academics
programs have prioritized Ukrainians (9).
Initially, most job and funding offers
were advertised locally on university
or funding body websites as well as on
Twitter. However, many offers have gone
unnoticed. To find them, Ukrainians must
navigate the academic systems of foreign
countries and search multiple websites,
many of which list offers only in the
country’s native language. Moreover, the
Ukrainian research community does not
use Twitter regularly, so they are unlikely
to see a poorly promoted tweet (3).
Several organizations have addressed
these challenges by creating central-
ized databases that collect funding
A Russian rocket partially destroyed this educational and laboratory building at a college in Kharkiv in June.
480 29 JULY 2022 • VOL 377 ISSUE 6605
Scholars and Scientists from Ukraine (2022);
Some databases are specific to a disci-
pline, such as the one curated by the
European Molecular Biology Organization
(10). The European Commission has
funded the Euraxess database, covering
opportunities across Europe (11). The
#ScienceForUkraine database, managed by
volunteers, collects worldwide opportuni-
ties for Ukrainians (12).
We encourage institutions and funders
who would like to support the Ukrainian
academic community to streamline the
process by including their offers in estab-
lished databases. When advertising on
social media, institutions can make offers
easier to find by tagging them with widely
known hashtags such as #ERA4Ukraine and
#ScienceForUkraine. Ukrainians trying to
continue their research in wartime need a
straightforward way to access support.
Valentina Mosienko1*, Marina Pelepets2,
Sanita Reinsone3, Michael Rose4
1
School of Physiology, Pharmacology, and
Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol,
UK. 2Munich, Germany. 3Institute of Literature,
Folklore, and Art, University of Latvia, Riga,
Latvia. 4Max Planck Institute for Innovation and
Competition, Munich, Germany.
*Corresponding author.
Email: valentina.mosienko@bristol.ac.uk
REF ERENCES AND NOTES
1. Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine,“Overview
of the current state of education and science in Ukraine
in terms of Russian aggression (as of June 13–25, 2022)”
(2022); https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/overview-
current-state-education-and-science-ukraine-terms-
russian-aggression-june-13-25-2022.
2. G. Naujokaitytė, “Ukrainian researchers want to
shift the focus of international support from crisis
response mode to rebuilding the science ecosystem,”
ScienceBusiness (2022).
3. M. E. Rose et al.,“#ScienceForUkraine: An initiative to
support the Ukrainian academic community: ‘3 Months
Since Russia’s Invasion in Ukraine,’ February 26 – May 31,
2022,” Max Planck Institute for Innovation & Competition
Research Paper No. 22-13 (2022).
4. Volkswagen Foundation, Funding for Refugee
www.volkswagenstiftung.de/en/funding/
our-funding-portfolio-at-a-glance/
funding-for-refugee-scholars-and-scientists-from-ukraine.
5. Polish Academy of Sciences, Joint Support for Ukrainian
Scholars (2022); https://institution.pan.pl/index.
php/769-support-for-ukrainian-scholars.
6. Indiana University,“IU Bloomington to host nonresidential
scholars from Ukraine” (2022); https://news.iu.edu/
stories/2022/06/iub/releases/06-host-nonresidential-
7.
scholars-from-ukraine.html.
Study in Latvia,“Support for UA students” (2022);
https://studyinlatvia.lv/ua/scholarships-2.
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measures for scientists from Ukraine” (2022);
www.snf.ch/en/WpOfVoVBYdBid6By/news/
support-measures-for-scientists-from-ukraine.
9. CARA: Council for At-Risk Academics, Funding Directory—
Ukraine (2022); www.cara.ngo/funding-directory-ukraine.
10. European Molecular Biology Organization, Solidarity with
Downloaded from https://www.science.org at American Association for the Advancement of Science on July 28, 2022
Ukraine and its life scientists (2022); www.embo.org/
solidarity-with-ukraine.
11. European Commission, Euraxess database,
“ERA for Ukraine” (2022); https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/
ukraine/offers.
12. #ScienceForUkraine (2022);
https://scienceforukraine.eu.
COMPETING INTERESTS
S.R. and M.R. are founders of #ScienceForUkraine, M.P. is a
coordinator of the German branch of #ScienceForUkraine,
and V.M. is a volunteer for a UK branch of #ScienceForUkraine.
10.1126/science.add9155
Chinchilla conservation
vs. gold mining in Chile
Since pre-Columbian times, both gold and
chinchilla fur have been in demand (1).
From the first conquistadors to modern
times, these resources have been severely
exploited in the South American Andes,
degrading the environment (2, 3) and driv-
ing chinchillas to the brink of extinction
(4). Now, gold mining is threatening some
of the last wild chinchilla populations in
Chile (5). Fortunately, Chile’s environmen-
tal laws (6) have so far worked as designed
to protect this Endangered species (7).
Before the 19th century, the two spe-
cies of chinchilla—long-tailed or coastal
(Chinchilla lanigera) and short-tailed or
Andean (Chinchilla chinchilla) (8)—spanned
the coast and the Andes regions of Chile,
Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. As of the mid-
20th century, chinchillas were thought to
be extinct from their native ranges, but
recently a few scattered colonies of short-
tailed chinchillas were discovered in some
of the most inhospitable and remote places
of Chile and Bolivia (9, 10). These animals,
likely recovering from intense human perse-
cution over the past 200 years, need protec-
PHOTO: SERGEY BOBOK/GETTY IMAGES
tion from human activities to thrive.
However, large amounts of gold have
been discovered beneath the chinchilla
colonies. The Gold Fields mining sites in
northern Chile (5, 11), for example, hold
~3.5 million ounces of extractable gold.
The mining company is ready to begin
extraction, but Chilean law prohibits
science.org SCIENCE
 development projects from harming local
biodiversity (6). The mining company has An octopus approaches
proposed a solution of moving the chin- the authors’ camera.
chillas, but its attempts to translocate a
small number of chinchillas failed (12).
Meanwhile, paid lobbyists are attempt-
ing to ease the restrictions to allow gold
extraction to move forward.
Short-tailed chinchillas live in one of the
most extreme environments known for a
mammal: rocky outcrops, barren except
for scattered grasses, located at elevations
of 4000 m or higher. Challenges to popu-
lation growth include slow reproduction

Downloaded from https://www.science.org at American Association for the Advancement of Science on July 28, 2022
and small, dispersed social groups (4, 10).
Mining poses a grave threat to the fragile
equilibrium of these populations. The
Chilean government should continue to
abide by the current laws, which require
the viability of translocations to be thor-
oughly evaluated and tested before the
chinchilla habitat is destroyed by mining,
both in this case and in future conflicts
between corporate goals and environmen-
tal conservation. Other countries, including
Bolivia, should also use this framework LIFE IN SCIENCE
as a model to protect vulnerable species
within their borders. A scuffle at sea
J. E. Jiménez1*, A. Deane2, L. F. Pacheco3, E. F.
Pavez4, J. Salazar-Bravo5, P. Valladares Faúndez6
Submerged 15 meters deep beneath the waters of Spain’s Atlantic Islands
1
Department of Biological Sciences and Advanced National Park, we were on a mission to identify cephalopod spawning habitats,
Environmental Research Institute, University information that would inform the design of a new Marine Protected Area (MPA).
of North Texas, Denton, TX 76201, USA. 2Small
Mammal Specialist Group Chinchilla Species We had been scuba diving in these cold waters for several days, recording data
Coordinator, Gainesville, FL 32605, USA. on octopuses, cuttlefish, and squid. Visibility was good, and we looked forward
3
Colección Boliviana de Fauna, Instituto de to what promised to be a successful dive.
Ecología, Carrera de Biología, Universidad Mayor
de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia. 4Bioamérica In the distance, we spotted a large octopus that was camouflaged on
Consultores, Santiago, Chile. 5Department the sandy ocean floor. We carefully approached it to take some photos, but
of Biological Sciences and Director of the
International Center for Arid and Semiarid Land the octopus soon realized that it had been discovered.
Studies, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX Expecting it to rise from the sand and swim away, behavior
79409, USA. 6Department of Biology, Sciences Call for submissions
Faculty, University of Tarapacá, Arica, Chile. Life in Science is an
we had seen many times before, we maintained our
*Corresponding author: jaime.jimenez@unt.edu occasional feature position. However, this octopus swam straight toward us,
highlighting some at speed.
REFERENCES AND NOTES of the humorous or
unusual day-to-day
We tried to back down, but the octopus lunged at our
1. J. M. Maryanski, A. E. Nielsen, Archaeofauna 24,
225 (2015) [in Spanish]. realities that face camera and ripped the diving regulator out of author
2. S. A. Abdul-Wahab, F. A. Marikar, Central. Eur. J. Eng. 2, our readers. Can you M.E.G.’s mouth. With amusement and then growing
304 (2012). top this? Submit concern, author J.H.-U. watched as M.E.G. tried to free the
3. N. L. Alvarez-Berríos, T. M. Aide, Env. Res. Lett. 10, your story to www.
014006 (2015). submit2science.org. regulator (which supplies a diver’s breathing air) from the
4. J. E. Jiménez, Biol. Conserv. 77, 1 (1996). octopus’s arms. But the animal refused to let go.
5. E. Stoddard,“The chinchillas and the gold mine,”
Undark (2020). J.H.-U. entered the fray, sharing air with M.E.G. and helping him wrestle with the
6. Ministerio Secretaría General de la Presidencia, Chile, octopus to retrieve the regulator, now entangled in multiple arms and held fast
“Ley 19300, sobre bases generales del medio ambiente” by suction. To our relief, after a few seconds, the octopus let go of the equipment.
(2020) [in Spanish].
7. “Short-tailed Chinchilla” (IUCN Red List of As it did, it released a cloud of black ink into the water to distract us and ensure
Threatened Species, 2016); www.iucnredlist.org/ its quick escape. Shaken, we watched as it disappeared, unharmed, into the sea.
species/4651/22191157.
8. A. E. Spotorno, J. P. Valladares, J. C. Marin, R. E. Palma, C. Our octopus encounter underscored the importance of creating MPAs to keep
Zuleta, J. Mamm. 85, 384 (2004). these magnificent creatures safe from illegal fishing and overfishing. Granting
9. P. Valladares, A. E. Spotorno, A. Cortes, C. Zuleta, them the protection they deserve will also decrease the chances of interaction
Mammal. Spec. 50, 51 (2018).
10. E. Delgado, L. F. Pacheco, J. Salazar-Bravo, O. Rocha, with humans—we would hate for a fellow diver to misinterpret their behavior and
Oryx 52, 13 (2018). accuse them of being multi-armed and dangerous!
11. E. Stoddard,“A high-stakes chinchilla relocation effort
PHOTO: M.E. GARCI/IIM-CSIC

stalls,” Undark (2021). Jorge Hernández-Urcera* and Manuel E. Garci

12. Superintendencia del Medio Ambiente, Gobierno de Department of Ecology and Marine Resources, Institute of Marine Research (IIM-CSIC),
Chile,“Resolución exenta N°1 /Rol D-246-2021: Formula 36208 Vigo, Spain.
cargos que indica a minera Gold Fields Salares Norte, *Corresponding author. Email: jurcera@iim.csic.es
titular del proyecto Estudio de Impacto Ambiental Salares
Norte” (2021); https://snifa.sma.gob.cl/Sancionatorio/ 10.1126/science.add2639
Ficha/2757 [in Spanish].
10.1126/science.add7709

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 Funding databases for Ukrainian academics
Valentina MosienkoMarina PelepetsSanita ReinsoneMichael Rose

Science, 377 (6605), • DOI: 10.1126/science.add9155

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