Last year, for International Women's Day, I posted some preliminary figures on the gender balance of our authors, something I followed up on more formally at the end of the year in an Editorial. Important as these figures are, this year I wanted to do something a bit more celebratory. So, here is a compilation of some of the women scientists whose work we have highlighted in the journal and on the community site in the last year and a bit.

Past, present and future

Last January saw the 300th anniversary of the death of Maria Sibylla Merian, who was a pioneer in biology and scientific illustration, and also in making a living from science in an era dominated by wealthy gentleman scientists. We marked this anniversary here and here. Other inspiring women from the past that we have spotlighted include Dorothy Garrod, Sarah Bowdich Lee and Mary Leakey. At the other end of the age spectrum, we interviewed the inspiring young naturalist and environmentalist Mya-Rose Craig (@BirdgirlUK). Our interviews and profiles have also included Anne Larigauderie, Crystal Davis, the organizers of the EvoKE project, An Cliquet, Nathalie Pettorelli, Meg Lowman, Jenni Barclay, Julia Koricheva, Lynne Boddy and Georgina Mace.

Our authors

The editorial I mentioned above gives the figures on gender ratios for our authors and referees. I don't want to try to disentangle the contributions of men and women in our multi-authored research content. Instead, here are some of our accessible shorter-format articles that have been written by women:

Yvonne Buckley on invasion ecology.

Anne-Marie Tosolini on palaeoecology.

Elena Bennett on agriculture and environment.

Helen Ball on maternal-infant health.

Katherine Dafforn on deap-sea pollution.

Katherine Wander on female genital cutting.

Nicola McLoughlin on early fungi.

Tracey Chapman and Mariana Wolfner on reproductive behaviour.

Eppie Jones on human population genetics.

Lisa Klasson on genome evolution.

Heidi Fisher on sperm evolution.

Sarah Papworth on conservation decision-making.

Ruth DeFries on payments for ecosystem services.

Dana Bergstrom on Antarctic climate.

Lidya Tarhan on Ediacaran-Cambrian meiofauna.

Wei Liang on brood parasites.

Anna Browne Ribeiro on rice domestication.

Sarah Cobey on immune evolution.

Elizabeth Ellwood on phenology.

Susanne Cote on African savannah palaeontology.

Jennifer Perry on gene duplication.

Natasha Reynolds on stone tools.

We also had posts on our community site about Blue Planet II from Sally Keith, Cathy Lucas, Leanne Cullen-Unsworth, Ellie Owen and Maria Beger, about fieldwork as a parent from Olwen Grace, and about an archaeological colouring book for young scientists from Zandra Fagernäs.

Scientists at work

One of the most rewarding ways to celebrate women scientists is to read the stories they have posted in our Behind the Paper channel, in which authors describe the human story behind their work. These have been written about papers in Nature Ecology & Evolution and a range of other journals, and, overall, about 30% have been by women.

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/14383-genome-wide-interrogation-advances-resolution-of-recalcitrant-groups-in-the-tree-of-life

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/14209-long-term-stability-on-islands-in-a-rapidly-changing-world

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/14334-lateralized-perception-of-mother-in-infants-of-various-mammals

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/13833-rebuilding-a-post-extinction-world-in-the-early-carboniferous

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/12548-strangers-in-a-strange-land-evolution-in-biological-invasions

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/12442-greed-vs-speed-in-the-evolutionary-race-towards-drug-resistance

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/13441-watery-tales-of-whale-sharks

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/12818-honey-bee-invaders-show-us-balancing-selection-in-action

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/12767-search-image-and-discovery

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/12499-tbd

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/16245-cooperation-the-path-less-travelled

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/15809-evolutionary-drivers-of-primate-brain-size

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/15609-creating-a-monster-through-thermal-adaptation

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/15445-the-story-behing-the-gunk-stuck-between-a-neandertal-s-teeth

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/15109-some-like-it-warm

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/15406-mammalian-middle-ear-evolution

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/14890-playing-tetris-with-trees

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/14869-life-history-traits-can-determine-species-survival-or-extinction-under-climate-change

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/14774-fitness-consequences-of-a-socially-learned-behaviour

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/14445-living-in-a-variable-world

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/20011-rodent-locomotion-is-more-complex-than-we-thought

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/19881-female-cuckoos-might-have-the-last-laugh

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/19679-a-cambrian-can-of-worms

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/19688-bacterial-genomes-reveal-ancient-history-of-lyme-diseasebacterial-genomes-reveal-ancient-history-of-lyme-disease-in-north-america-in-north-america

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/19404-using-synthesis-science-to-map-global-aquaculture-potential

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/19071-honeybees-may-just-be-the-wrong-species-to-protect

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/18582-carving-up-the-tropics-for-dinner

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/18572-why-a-cheetah-is-faster-than-an-elephant-and-a-wolf-is-too

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/18378-why-did-fossils-of-the-ediacaran-biota-appear-suddenly-at-large-size

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/18263-chemical-fingerprints-of-fossil-plants-reveal-ancient-releationships

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/18187-islands-in-the-ice-models-math-penguins-a-circumnavigation

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/17991-playing-god-or-saving-species-conservation-practitioners-are-not-convinced-on-synthetic-biology

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/18080-the-extinction-of-marine-megafauna-before-humans

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/18102-agricultural-production-and-conservation-in-grasslands

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/18036-globalization-and-the-invasion-of-ants

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/17927-of-cats-and-men

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/16684-should-we-eat-more-yoghurt-when-it-gets-warm-in-the-case-of-lizards-at-least-climate-change-decreases-gut-microbiota-diversity

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/16390-de-novo-gene-birth

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/15496-lessons-from-the-strandline

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/21635-hide-survive-and-hitch-a-ride-a-new-view-on-the-importance-of-sea-ice-for-the-overwintering-of-larval-antarctic-krill

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/22198-the-dynamics-of-admixture-between-hunter-gatherers-and-first-farmers-in-europe

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/22332-on-the-extinction-and-survival-of-caribbean-mammals

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/22140-how-species-act-when-they-are-at-the-edge

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/22111-recombining-ancestral-variation-to-generate-phenotypic-novelty

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/21536-how-to-assess-the-interconnected-goals-of-sustainability-and-well-being-across-scales

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/21334-a-trick-of-the-light-convergent-evolution-of-disordered-flower-surfaces-and-the-blue-light-they-scatter

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/20658-mammals-move-carbon

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/20842-better-worse-or-both-the-temporal-paradox-of-diverse-plant-communities

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/20700-evolution-of-appendage-muscle-development

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/20657-ecosystem-accounts-define-explicit-and-spatial-trade-offs-for-managing-natural-resources

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/20723-the-mistrust-as-ally

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/20349-eco-evolutionary-dynamics-chickens-and-eggs-in-a-complex-broth

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/20414-queens-under-pressure-do-pesticides-provide-additional-challenges-for-bumblebees-starting-a-colony

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/20188-smells-like-purple-when-color-covaries-with-scent-in-the-flowers-of-an-entire-community

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/30706-language-continuity-despite-a-major-population-turnover-in-vanuatu-remote-oceania

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/30613-lessons-of-color-from-a-colorless-bird

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/30571-unravelling-the-secrets-to-evolutionary-success-in-shrimp

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/30443-local-vs-global-adaptations-in-humans

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/30414-navigating-the-open-data-landscape-in-ecology-and-evolution-lets-make-it-work

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/30191-the-187-91-scaling-rule-of-global-tropical-forest-fragmentation

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/30119-how-to-avoid-perverse-outcomes-of-threat-management-to-recover-communities-of-declining-species

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/30037-mixtecs-aztecs-and-the-great-cocoliztli-epidemic-of-ad-1545-1550

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/29917-the-geographical-paths-to-dinosaur-dominance

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/29666-how-are-human-activities-impacting-animal-movements

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/29798-evolutionary-history-of-the-angiosperm-flora-of-china

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/29629-human-ectoparasites-and-the-spread-of-plague

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/29589-what-is-it-where-is-it-and-how-do-we-know

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/29586-turning-up-the-heat-on-sperm-ecology

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/29409-community-proteogenomics-reveals-the-systemic-impact-of-phosphorus-availability-on-microbial-functions-in-tropical-soil

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/29300-enteric-fever-in-sixteenth-century-mexico

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/28804-malaria-adapts

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/28734-disgust-helps-warning-signals-evolve-as-long-as-others-are-watching

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/28583-estimating-the-extent-of-tropical-forests-in-africa-around-1900

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/channels/521-behind-the-paper/posts/26332-how-variation-within-species-links-ecology-and-evolution

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/users/48305-susan-bengtson-nash/posts/30951-humpback-whales-bring-signals-of-a-changing-south