One step forward for subterranean biology

When somebody takes over the leading of a journal or other duties linked to our research activities it is common‐sense to speak about honour, privilege and great responsability. I do not deny all these grantees or duties that come with a leading position. Still, I would rather say that it is a sweet challenge the offer to be the editor‐in‐chief of Subterranean Biology. The feelings are similar to those following long and frustrating research months when eventually you come to a surprising and satisfying result. I am happy and almost exult at the idea of working for the SIBIOS ‐ ISSB (Societe Internationale de Biologie Souterraine ‐ The International Society for Subterranean Biology) journal. Of course, the first reaction is merely immature and the pleasures offered by the professional activity are in fact hard to achieve. It will be difficult, much more difficult than somebody wants. And there is also the burden of an impressive historical heritage. In 1907, Emil Racovitza, member of an aristocratic Romanian family, published "Essai sur les problemes biospeologiques", the first manifesto on biospeologie (originally in French, biospeleology in English), defining the scope and future directions of researches on cave animals. Together with his collaborators Racovitza also developed the enterprise called Biopeologica, which was the precursor of all future journals on subterranean fauna. Looking at the journals that increased significantly in the last years, one may speculate that they may have gathered many of the papers dealing with subterranean biology topics only because they are "blessed" with an Impact Factor. We will struggle for the same blessing and Subterranean Biology deserves it. The papers and the information found in the journal and its predecessor Memoires de Biospeologie, the quality Subterranean Biology 11: 1–2 (2013)