Mass Resignation at Journal of Human Evolution: AI, Fees, and Editorial Independence at Stake

The entire editorial board of Elsevier's Journal of Human Evolution (JHE) resigned en masse, sparking outrage in the academic community. Their protest centers on Elsevier's changes over the past decade, including cuts to editorial resources, the uninformed introduction of AI in the editorial process leading to numerous errors, and exorbitant author fees, all undermining the journal's editorial independence and inclusivity. This is the 20th mass resignation from a science journal since 2023, highlighting the controversies surrounding evolving business models in scientific publishing.