Aleta Quinn: A Look at the Philosophy and Ethics of Science

Though she faced some difficulty finding a long-term job in academic philosophy, she pursued a few short term positions after graduating, including fellowships at Notre Dame and Caltech. Finally, Quinn found her current position as an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Idaho.

One of Quinn’s most memorable research projects was the discovery of a new mammalian carnivore species, the olinguito. The discovery went viral for being the first new carnivore since ‘93. The specimen was found in a field museum in Chicago — where “specimens had been collected” for years but “nobody had realized they were different species.”

In fact, Quinn recalled humorously, an olinguito specimen had been on display at a museum in Chicago for years. When it was transferred to a private collector, the employee even notoriously noted the specimen “[didn’t] look the same” and “[sounded] different too.” Even when DNA samples of the new species were collected and entered into GenBank (an NIH genetic sequence database), the anomaly wasn’t detected. After traveling through museum cabinets, genetic labs, and even the native habitat of the olinguito—cloud forests— in South America, Quinn and the team of Smithsonian scientists published their findings in 2013.

Most recently, Quinn published a paper describing common etiquette and ethics of herping (the practice of looking for reptiles and amphibians) in citizen science. When data is shared publicly on online databases, the recorded location and description of the animal is usually recommended. However, individuals with bad intentions can take advantage of the readily available information and illegally collect specimens.

Quinn recalled an event that had occurred the week before when rare painted bunting had appeared in the Maryland side of the Great Falls. After an article about it was posted in the Washington Post, 150 birdwatchers materialized to try and catch a glimpse of the striking bid. “Eventually, the bird will fly away,” Quinn commented. But other animals don’t have the same privilege. “With salamanders, they don’t move very fast or far, so if everyone wants to go see it, it will mess up the habitat.”

When asked about the best piece of advice she remembers from Blair, Quinn replied, “Never use the word very with regards to writing. There are so many better words out there.”