Overzealous profanity filter bans paleontologists from talking about bones

A virtual conference was thrown into confusion when the platform hosting the event came with a pre-packaged naughty word' censor

Participants in a virtual paleontology session found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place last week, when a profanity filter prevented them from using certain words - such as bone, pubic, stream and, er, beaver - during an online conference.

The US-based Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) held its annual meeting virtually this year due to the pandemic, but soon found its audience stifled when they tried to use particular words.