Science has an Epstein problem. Women in paleontology say it's a symptom of a deeper misogyny

When fossilist james whitcomb riley joseph black learned that several scientists in her force field had appeared in the sir jacob epstein files, she wasn't remotely shocked. 

The files have revealed the extent of the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's connections not only with powerful politicians and business leaders, but also hundreds of scientists, some of whom accepted funding from him long after his 2008 conviction on soliciting prostitution with a minor. 

Among them are well-known names in paleontology. 

"It's been very upsetting," Black, an independent scientist based in Maryland and author of several books about dinosaurs, said. "It's not particularly surprising."

As the paleontology community reckons with the fallout of these revelations, women in the field say they are a symptom of a deeper misogyny and power imbalance in the field.

Epstein, a billionaire financier, died in a New York City prison cell in 2019 while awaiting a federal trial on charges that include sex trafficking minors. His death was ruled a suicide. The U.S. Department of Justice has been releasing documents related to its case against him since late last year. 

Epstein's connections to paleontologists represent a small slice of his reach within the scientific community. But his interest in evolutionary sciences — and his penchant for dinosaur fossils, in particular — have sent shockwaves through the paleontology community. 

California's Chapman University has cut ties with Jack Horner — one of the world's most famous dinosaur researchers — after it was revealed he'd travelled to Epstein's New Mexico ranch in 2012 to seek funding and that he'd reportedly gone on "fossil hunting" with the billionaire. 

On Aug. 17, 2012, Horner emailed a redacted recipient, thanking them for arranging the visit and signing off: “Please give my best to Jeffrey and the girls.”

In a previous statement, cited by BBC News, he said the "girls" he referred to were students, he didn't see anything "weird or suspicious" and he regrets he "did not investigate Epstein's background beyond what was commonly known at the time."

Stuart Sumida, president of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontologists (SVP), says there's an obvious reason so many scientists work with Epstein. 

"Funding for science is extremely difficult to get," he said.

"It doesn't surprise me when people who have a lot of money start throwing it around, the scientists notice. Almost every scientist that you've seen exposed by name in those files were either being tempted by funding or were seeking funding."

Epstein was well-known to fund scientific  conferences,  laboratories and research projects that piqued his interests.

"I'm looking for smart people who might have a great idea," he told the magazine Science in 2017."

The Epstein files have created so much outcry in the paleontology community, Sumida said, that the SVP released a statement on Facebook  acknowledging that some of its members have appeared in the documents.

It notes that appearing in the files "does not, in itself, establish wrongdoing," and points people to the SVP's ethics policy and online reporting tool. 

DinoCon, a private British paleontology convention, took a more hardline stance, posting on X that it would ban anyone "allegedly engaged in correspondence with members of the Epstein organization after the conviction of Jeffrey Epstein."  

Women in paleontology say the discussions about how to reckon with the Epstein files are bringing to the surface deeper issues about power, accountability and safety in the male-dominated field.

They say research often takes place at remote field sites, with lots of booze and little supervision, leaving women vulnerable to predatory behaviour.

Universities, they say, prize their most famous dinosaur scientists above everyone else because they bring in money and media attention, which disincentivizes women from reporting wrongdoing. 

"[There's] a long history of paleontology being viewed as a very kind of masculine and powerful scientific discipline, that you were a real-life Indiana Jones," Black said. 

"They kind of create this image of themselves and do really whatever it takes to maintain that image."

These famous, well-known scientists are exactly the kind of researchers Epstein was interested in courting, says Jessica Theodor, a University of Calgary paleontologist

"Jeffrey Epstein clearly was interested in collecting people who were popular."

Theodor, a past president of the SVP, says women who bring forward allegations of misconduct in paleontology face lawsuit threats, retaliation and blacklisting. 

"They're up against their career being destroyed," she said. "They're up against the societal —  well, particularly the male — view that you don't want to ruin a good guy's reputation."

She says she has seen this first-hand. Between 2020 and 2021, she helped overhaul the SVP's ethics code to include interpersonal conduct and appropriate meeting behaviour and implement an online reporting tool.

"When we first brought the system in, we were inundated. I mean, I did almost nothing else for two years," Theodor said. "Some of the stories that you heard just made you want to cry."

It's not a perfect system, she said, but it's made a difference. 

"There are several people who were able to go to conferences … that would not have been able to before because they were afraid their harasser was going to be there," she said.

Conferences, however, remain a source of anxiety. One paleontology post-doctoral researcher said she fears attending them, even though she knows networking is important for her career. 

"I don't know if the person I'm talking to will be taking me seriously, if somebody's being nice to me, if they want to abuse me down the line, if it's some kind of trick," she said. "It's like walking on eggshells."

She said she avoids dinosaur studies because of the personalities it attracts and has considered leaving academia altogether.

"You have no protection. If you're a woman, you will be treated as lesser," she said. "If you get harassed or something happens to you, you'll be completely alone."

The women say when allegations of wrongdoing are made public, accountability is rare. 

Nathan Myhrvold, former Microsoft chief technical officer who was in frequent contact with Epstein between 2010 and 2018, and who continues to fund and contribute to paleontology research.

Asked for comment, a spokesperson for Myhrvold said in an email: “Mr. Myhrvold knew [Epstein] from TED conferences and as a donor to basic scientific research. He regrets that he ever met him.”

Paul Sereno, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago's Fossil Lab and lead author on the Spinosaurus study, said the research was submitted before the Epstein files were released. 

In a statement, the Fossil Lab said it "does not receive support from or collaborate with individuals known to denigrate, exploit or abuse others by race, ethnic or religious affiliation, sex or age or individuals enabling others to do so."

The Epstein files: What’s in there and what happens next

Black said many in the field would rather close their eyes to these issues and focus on the science. But she believes making paleontology safe is key to ensuring its future.

"If we really want to make the science better and get people interested, and make people care and understand why the past is relevant to the present, this interpersonal stuff is not a distraction. It's relevant," she said.

"How many people have been driven out of the field by the bad behaviour of a few men?"

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