What you see depends on where you are. The fact that most palaeontologists live in the rich world means two things. It is a pity that the fossils of these places are better studied than those of poorer countries. Rich-country palaeontologists frequently visit poor-country palaeontology to get knowledge about it.
Nussaibah Raja put numbers on it in a paper published in Nature Ecology and Evolution. Ms Raja sees a continued pillage of poor countries by the scientific establishments of rich places, as well as a regrettable history-induced bias that should be addressed in the future.
Maybe. An alternative view is possible. It is patronising to suggest that allowing foreign researchers to do it for the poor is wrong, provided no laws are broken, and that they have higher priorities than studying their fossils. China, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and India are all developing as palaeontological powers in their own right. As she points out, Chinese palaeontologists are starting to take an interest in the amber beds of neighboring Myanmar, which a cynic might see as predatory as that of any Western fossil hunter.
Ms Raja points out that rich-country scientists could help their poor-world hosts by recruiting local researchers onto their teams to transfer expertise, something they are currently bad at. It takes two to tango. Not everywhere yet has the political will, institutional depth, or money to join in the dance.
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