Mathilde L. Tissier

A table showing profit margins of major publishers. A snippet of text related to this table is below. 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year.

A figure detailing the drain on researcher time. 1. The four-fold drain 1.2 Time The number of papers published each year is growing faster than the scientific workforce, with the number of papers per researcher almost doubling between 1996 and 2022 (Figure 1A). This reflects the fact that publishers’ commercial desire to publish (sell) more material has aligned well with the competitive prestige culture in which publications help secure jobs, grants, promotions, and awards. To the extent that this growth is driven by a pressure for profit, rather than scholarly imperatives, it distorts the way researchers spend their time. The publishing system depends on unpaid reviewer labour, estimated to be over 130 million unpaid hours annually in 2020 alone (9). Researchers have complained about the demands of peer-review for decades, but the scale of the problem is now worse, with editors reporting widespread difficulties recruiting reviewers. The growth in publications involves not only the authors’ time, but that of academic editors and reviewers who are dealing with so many review demands. Even more seriously, the imperative to produce ever more articles reshapes the nature of scientific inquiry. Evidence across multiple fields shows that more papers result in ‘ossification’, not new ideas (10). It may seem paradoxical that more papers can slow progress until one considers how it affects researchers’ time. While rewards remain tied to volume, prestige, and impact of publications, researchers will be nudged away from riskier, local, interdisciplinary, and long-term work. The result is a treadmill of constant activity with limited progress whereas core scholarly practices – such as reading, reflecting and engaging with others’ contributions – is de-prioritized. What looks like productivity often masks intellectual exhaustion built on a demoralizing, narrowing scientific vision.

A table of profit margins across industries. The section of text related to this table is below: 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year.

The costs of inaction are plain: wasted public funds, lost researcher time, compromised scientific integrity and eroded public trust. Today, the system rewards commercial publishers first, and science second. Without bold action from the funders we risk continuing to pour resources into a system that prioritizes profit over the advancement of scientific knowledge.

We wrote the Strain on scientific publishing to highlight the problems of time & trust. With a fantastic group of co-authors, we present The Drain of Scientific Publishing:

a 🧵 1/n

Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Strain: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
Oligopoly: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...

Announcement of the event on 11.11.2025, 13:30-15:00 in the EU- Parliament "How can the CAP drive sustainable farming practices: Voices from farmers and science, and an evaluation of the CAP proposal"

Next week in the EU-Parliament (11.11.2025, 13:30-15), we will discuss the future of sustainable farming in Europe and the alignment or non-alignment of the CAP with sustainability criteria, based on @agtransect.bsky.social and #CAP4GI.

I cannot believe our work is finally out there and in @journal-evo.bsky.social ! This was an enormous group effort!

We provide an updated estimate of the number of buzz pollinated angiosperm species, genera, and families, look at consequences for diversification, number of transitions, and more!

Front cover of the European Butterfly Red List, showing Polyommatus humedasae. The report can be downloaded at https://www.bc-europe.eu/webpage.php?name=red-list-butterflies-2025

The new European Butterfly Red List is published today, with worrying findings. Over 1/4 (28%) of Europe’s 442 species are threatened with extinction or are close to being so. The situation is far worse for our 148 endemic species, 40% are now threatened or nearly so www.bc-europe.eu/webpage.php?...

Les papillons et les abeilles sauvages toujours plus menacés en Europe Plusieurs dizaines de nouvelles espèces risquent la disparition, selon l’Union internationale pour la conservation de la nature, qui vient de mettre à jour sa liste rouge.

"L’état de conservation des abeilles sauvages, des papillons et autres pollinisateurs européens est désastreux, a réagi Jessika Roswall, la commissaire européenne à l’environnement".

Sans doute l'article le plus important du WE.
Quand va-t-on vraiment réagir ?

www.lemonde.fr/planete/arti...

Jeudi le 16 octobre à 11h30 EST, @andreapaz.bsky.social, Malgorzata Anna Gazda, Matthew Regan et Daniel Kierzkowski présenteront un séminaire de sciences biologiques avec comme invitée @mathildetissier.bsky.social. Envoyez-nous un message privé pour obtenir le lien Zoom.

Are you employed by a public organisation in Europe, have experience in #communication and would like to work with the ERC for a few years?

We may have the #job for you!

All details 👉 link.europa.eu/7GNMjc

#secondment #media #events #website #position #temporary

Please share with your big picture colleagues.
Join us @umontreal.ca as an Assistant Professor of Global Change Biology.
rh-carriere-dmz-eng.synchro.umontreal.ca/psc/rhprpr9_...

We’re recruiting for a multi-university (and ECCC) cross-city project on urban biodiversity, connectivity, and ecosystem services: 1) a Concordia or U Laval MSc student (PhD possible), 2) a UBC MSc student, 3) a postdoc.

I’ll link to each position below. Please share broadly!

⚫️ La Direction de l’AFP partage l’angoisse exprimée par la SDJ quant à la situation effroyable de ses collaborateurs dans la bande de Gaza ⬇️

Please share!

Amazing opportunity at @mcgill.ca

We are looking to recruit an internationally recognized, interdisciplinary scientist with a strong track record in innovation and research to direct a new program in climate, environment, and health

mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/McGill...

Une min pour signer.

"Pour la santé, la sécurité, l’intelligence collective"

Parce que "La Loi Duplomb est une aberration scientifique, éthique, environnementale et sanitaire"

Et qu'il est écrit dans la loi "Chacun a le droit de vivre dans un environnement équilibré et respectueux de la santé"

Une min pour signer.

"Pour la santé, la sécurité, l’intelligence collective"

Parce que "La Loi Duplomb est une aberration scientifique, éthique, environnementale et sanitaire"

Et qu'il est écrit dans la loi "Chacun a le droit de vivre dans un environnement équilibré et respectueux de la santé"

Negative ecological impacts of honeybees begin at densities below recommended levels for crop pollination The ecological consequences of high-density honeybee management are significant, calling for a re-evaluation of pollination strategies in agricultural landscapes. Setting evidence-based hive density ....

Negative ecological impacts of honeybees begin at densities below recommended levels for crop pollination. doi.org/10.1111/1365...

Keep in mind that this is a list appropriate for Europe (some invasive plants in NA) but great to see this!

Person speaks at lectern in front of conference hall audience. Two screens show image of farmland

President’s Award for Research Excellence recipient @elenabennett.bsky.social discusses the transition of systems ecology thinking from “nature for itself” to today’s “people with nature” in her plenary at #CSEE2025 @csee-sceemtgs.bsky.social

Pyrethroid insecticides implicated in mass mortality of monarch butterflies at an overwintering site in California Abstract. Since the 1980s, monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus plexippus) populations across North America have declined by 80–95%. Although several studie

In January 2024, 200 monarchs were found dead or dying on the ground at a CA overwintering site. The likely culprit? Nearby residential/commercial pesticide use. 1/ academic.oup.com/etc/advance-...

Concours externes CNRS 2025

#RejoignezleCNRS Le @cnrs-alsace.bsky.social recrute 1 Assistant-e en gestion financière et comptable à #Strasbourg #CampusCNRSCronenbourg
@cnrs.fr @apecfr.bsky.social @regiongrandest.bsky.social
Fiche de poste ➡️ bit.ly/4kYJKfC

Le gouvernement Legault s’apprête à autoriser des coupes forestières dans l’habitat essentiel des derniers caribous de la Gaspésie. Québec n’a pas non plus de stratégie en ce qui concerne l’avenir de la majorité des bêtes, qui vivent désormais en captivité. www.ledevoir.com/environnemen...

OPINION
Pesticide Risk Assessment in a Changing World

📄 buff.ly/igDmQVo
@mathildetissier.bsky.social @libererofellows.bsky.social

Image of a desk with a mug and some headphones next to a laptop displaying the ONet website.

📣 Join the conversation! 🌍🧪

Upcoming webinar explores how Indigenous Peoples' knowledge contributes to understanding biodiversity-water-food-health connections.

📅May 15, 2025

✍️Register via ONet for "Indigenous Peoples and the #NexusAssessment" here: onet.ipbes.net/index.php/no...

Do you know that the webinars of Agroecology-TRANSECT can be found online 👉 www.youtube.com/@agroecology... with so far:

✅ 9 webinars on transition, adaptation to climate change, biodiversity, policy...

⭐ 1 full session on barriers & levers to agroecology

⏹️ 3 short-formats

#agroecology #teaching

A king penguin ready to go to sea equipped with an AxyTrek device, including motion sensors, GPS and depth recorder, attached to its back. The penguin has blue identification bands on its flippers. Photo credit: Manfred Enstipp.

King penguins are pretty impressive divers, logging descents of over 300m in the summer, but now researchers @iphc-strasbourg.bsky.social have discovered that the penguins dive even deeper in winter, remaining submerged for up to 10mins & descending up to 424m
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

Out now in @globalchangebio.bsky.social: "Pesticide Risk Assessment in a Changing World"

Our climate is changing, and biodiversity is declining. In this context, accurate pesticide risk assessments to insect pollinators and crop auxiliaries -pivots of food security in a changing world- is crucial.

Thanks! Any feedback/insight is more than welcome!

Pesticide Risk Assessment in a Changing World The assessment of the risks posed by pesticides to biodiversity and ecosystems often relies on domesticated model species and measures of acute lethality, leading to an incomplete understanding of th...

Read the paper onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

(free access)

Namely, we highlight how to integrate 1) the non-linear interactions between multiple environmental stressors (e.g. heat stress, malnutrition, pesticide exposure); 2) the ecological consequences of pesticide transformation products, which can have lethal and sublethal effects on many organisms.

In this opinion piece, we synthetize the ecological and evolutionary complexities of pesticide exposure in the context of global change and propose a holistic approach for environmental risk assessments.

Out now in @globalchangebio.bsky.social: "Pesticide Risk Assessment in a Changing World"

Our climate is changing, and biodiversity is declining. In this context, accurate pesticide risk assessments to insect pollinators and crop auxiliaries -pivots of food security in a changing world- is crucial.