Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century PDF
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS This PDF is available at http://nap.edu/25592 SHARE Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century (2020) DETAILS 244 pages | 7 x 10 | PAPERBACK ISBN 978-0-309-49853-1 | DOI 10.17226/25592 CONTRIBUTORS GET THIS BOOK Committee on Biological Collections: Their Past, Present, and Future Contributions and Options for Sustaining Them; Board on Life Sciences; Division on Earth and Life Studies; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine FIND RELATED TITLES SUGGESTED CITATION National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2020. Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25592. Visit the National Academies Press at NAP.edu and login or register to get: – Access to free PDF downloads of thousands of scientific reports – 10% off the price of print titles – Email or social media notifications of new titles related to your interests – Special offers and discounts Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the National Academies Press. (Request Permission) Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century Committee on Biological Collections: Their Past, Present, and Future Contributions and Options for Sustaining Them Board on Life Sciences Division on Earth and Life Studies Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 This activity was supported by contracts between the National Academy of Sci- ences and the National Science Foundation’s Division of Biological Infrastructure (Contract Number 10003964). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recom- mendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project. International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-49853-1 International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-49853-8 Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25592 Library of Congress Control Number: 2020947331 Additional copies of this publication are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu. Cover credits: Fresh kelp seaweed salad seafood vector illustration by Deba- huti Bhattacharya on Shutterstock.com; set of cartoon underwater plants and sponges by Natali Snailcat at Shutterstock.com; Escherichia coli bacterium by Kateryna Kon on Shutterstock.com; watercolor vector hand-painted humming- bird by Elena Medvedeva on iStockphoto.com; DNA blue-colored double helix by KvitaJan on iStockphoto.com; modified handwork watercolor illustration of multicolored jellyfish by 4uda4ka on iStockphoto.com; computed tomogra- phy (CT) reconstruction of an angler, Lophius piscatorius, by Zachary Randall, Florida Museum of Natural History (reference UF 118531); 3D illustration of ammonite fossil by royaltystockphoto.com on Shutterstock.com; Micro-CT scan of a Burundi screeching frog, Arthroleptis schubotzi, by David C. Blackburn and Edward L. Stanley, Florida Museum of Natural History; modified hand-drawn honeybees by Val_Iva on iStockphoto.com; handwork watercolor illustration of red vari lemur by lenny777 on iStockphoto.com; watercolor vector hand-painted set with eucalyptus leaves by Elena Medvedeva on iStockphoto.com; illustra- tion of yeast as part of the archives of Pearson Scott Foresman, donated to the Wikimedia Foundation; watercolor illustration of mushrooms by Darina_V on Shutterstock.com; illustration of a deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) from See Pest & Lawn Solutions, Collegeville, Pennsylvania; digital tree on technology background representing the growth of modern-age digital media by monsitj on iStockphoto.com. Copyright 2020 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medi- cine. 2020. Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi. org/10.17226/25592. Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technol- ogy. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president. The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president. The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine. Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org. Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based con- sensus on the study’s statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommen- dations based on information gathered by the committee and the com- mittee’s deliberations. Each report has been subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents the position of the National Academies on the statement of task. Proceedings published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine chronicle the presentations and discussions at a workshop, symposium, or other event convened by the National Academies. The statements and opinions contained in proceedings are those of the participants and are not endorsed by other participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies. For information about other products and activities of the National Academies, please visit www.nationalacademies.org/about/whatwedo. Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century COMMITTEE ON BIOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS: THEIR PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE CONTRIBUTIONS AND OPTIONS FOR SUSTAINING THEM Co-Chairs JAMES P. COLLINS, Arizona State University SHIRLEY A. POMPONI, Florida Atlantic University Members ANDREW C. BENTLEY, The University of Kansas RICK E. BORCHELT, Department of Energy KYRIA BOUNDY-MILLS, University of California, Davis JOSEPH A. COOK, The University of New Mexico LYNN D. DIERKING, Oregon State University SCOTT V. EDWARDS (NAS), Harvard University MANZOUR H. HAZBÓN, American Type Culture Collection TALIA S. KARIM, University of Colorado GEORGE I. MATSUMOTO, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute PAMELA S. SOLTIS (NAS), University of Florida BARBARA M. THIERS, New York Botanical Garden Staff AUDREY THÉVENON, Study Director KEEGAN SAWYER, Senior Program Officer JESSICA DE MOUY, Senior Program Assistant ALYSSA R. FREDERICK, Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Fellow MATTHEW ANDERSON, Financial Business Partner FRAN SHARPLES, Director (until February 2020) KAVITA BERGER, Director (from July 2020) Consultant ROBERT POOL, Editor v Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century BOARD ON LIFE SCIENCES Chair JAMES P. COLLINS, Arizona State University Members A. ALONSO AGUIRRE, George Mason University VALERIE H. BONHAM, Ropes & Gray LLP DOMINIQUE BROSSARD, University of Wisconsin–Madison NANCY D. CONNELL, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security SEAN M. DECATUR, Kenyon College JOSEPH R. ECKER (NAS), Howard Hughes Medical Institute SCOTT V. EDWARDS (NAS), Harvard University GERALD L. EPSTEIN, National Defense University ROBERT J. FULL, University of California, Berkeley MARY E. MAXON, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory JILL P. MESIROV, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center ROBERT NEWMAN, The Aspen Institute STEPHEN J. O’BRIEN (NAS), Nova Southeastern University LUCILA OHNO-MACHADO, University of California, San Diego CLAIRE POMEROY (NAM), Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation MARY E. POWER (NAS), University of California, Berkeley SUSAN RUNDELL SINGER, Rollins College LANA SKIRBOLL, Sanofi DAVID R. WALT (NAE, NAM), Harvard Medical School PHYLLIS M. WISE, University of Colorado Staff KAVITA BERGER, Director FRAN SHARPLES, Scholar/Senior Project Director JO HUSBANDS, Scholar/Senior Project Director KATHERINE BOWMAN, Senior Program Officer KEEGAN SAWYER, Senior Program Officer ANDREA HODGSON, Senior Program Officer AUDREY THÉVENON, Program Officer STEVEN MOSS, Associate Program Officer MATTHEW ANDERSON, Financial Business Partner JESSICA DE MOUY, Senior Program Assistant KOSSANA YOUNG, Senior Program Assistant vi Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century At this point in our history it is vitally important to acknowledge the fact that more and more of the species in biological collections will represent species, or certainly populations, that no longer exist as living organisms in nature. As scientists and as a society, we need to protect the specimens that we have, and to take special care with those we are collecting now. Equally important will be ongoing efforts to expand the types of living organisms we culture for research. In many cases, museums and stock centers will, unfortunately, end up hav- ing the last remnants of species and populations that will never again exist on Earth. It’s almost as if we had a few days to collect on another planet, and will never be there again. In view of this situation, we need to think deeply and thoughtfully about the preservation of what we have, to collect and culture comprehensive specimens, ones for which material useful for genomic analysis is preserved, and then figure out how to keep our biological collections well maintained for as long as possible. Peter H. Raven, President Emeritus, Missouri Botanical Garden vii Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century Preface Biological collections are a critical component of the scientific infrastruc- ture in the United States and globally. They advance scientific discovery and innovation, enrich education, connect communities to nature and science, and preserve Earth’s biological heritage. Our nation’s natural history and living stock collections enable research to improve health, food security, and national defense. Biological collections are used to reveal the history of life on Earth, study the impacts of humans on biodiversity, advance biomedical research, and develop improved crops, biocontrol agents, and pharmaceuticals. Biological collections house living and preserved specimens that have a record of shedding light on the emergence and spread of pathogens and their hosts. Notably, the committee began working on this report before the corona- virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic started and finished it in the midst of the viral outbreak. Infectious diseases are a clear point at which living stock and natural history collections intersect in the service of society. COVID-19, for example, reminds us that pandemics and epidemics are not just ancient events, but under the right circumstances, new pathogens can emerge and cause great harm to modern societies. Biological collections provide the specimens needed to understand how infectious diseases emerge and how they might be mitigated before reaching the destructive level of the modern-day COVID-19 pandemic. The ability to store, access, and use collections has significantly improved with new methods of automation, preservation, information extraction, data integration, and related technologies. Yet, despite the rich history of research, discovery, learning, and innovation made possible by biological collections, the infrastructure that supports them and makes them accessible deserves to be valued and appreciated much more than it is. The biological collections community has produced many discerning and detailed reports on the needs, capabilities, and promise of biological collections. This Consensus Study Report echoes the findings of preceding publications while bringing new insights and a fresh perspective on ways to maintain, enhance, and expand the full portfolio of resources and assets that reside in biological collections. The report also reminds us that biological collections are part of the world’s scientific infrastructure. Sustaining the priceless biological collections that are our heritage and our legacy is urgent if we are to continue to be able to address world-class scientific questions that depend on these kinds of collec- tions, foster innovation, and support educational needs, now and in the future. We extend our gratitude to the many experts who taught us about the range of challenges and accomplishments of biological collections. Their knowledge and insight through webinars, in-person presentations, and written comments sent through the project website stimulated rich discussion and enhanced the quality of the report. We also thank the external reviewers of the report for helping us to improve its accuracy. This report would not have been possible without the exceptional contributions of the National Academies of Sciences, ix Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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