Are Bush's slime mold beetles named after political figures?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Phobos
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
Entomologists Quentin Wheeler and Kelly B. Miller named three newly discovered species of slime-mold beetles after President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as a form of honor. The species are Agathidium bushi, Agathidium cheneyi, and Agathidium rumsfeldi. This naming choice sparked a debate about the appropriateness of honoring political figures in such a manner, with some questioning the significance of naming a bug after a president and expressing skepticism about the honor itself. The discussion also touched on the nature of entomology and the motivations behind such naming conventions, with some participants expressing a preference for more conventional forms of recognition.
Phobos
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
1,956
Reaction score
7
just had to share this...

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/04/14/bush.beetle.ap/index.html

Entomologists Quentin Wheeler and Kelly B. Miller, who recently had the task of naming 65 newly discovered species of slime-mold beetles, named three species after the president, vice president and defense secretary.
The monikers: Agathidium bushi Miller and Wheeler, Agathidium cheneyi Miller and Wheeler, and Agathidium rumsfeldi Miller and Wheeler.

Ironically, they did it to honor the Pres. et al.
I wonder if the beetles are Republican.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Biology news on Phys.org
:smile:If they aren't then I hope they aren't offended!:smile:

An entomologist is someone who studies bugs right? :bugeye:

Why would you want to honour the President by naming a bug after him? I wonder what he thinks about it. :rolleyes:
 
Gary Larson, author of the Far Side, had a bug named after him. I read it in one of his books
 
misskitty said:
Why would you want to honour the President by naming a bug after him? I wonder what he thinks about it. :rolleyes:
Bush doesn't even deserve to be named after a bug.
 
If they were doing it to seriously "honor" him and like Bush... man... how bout a plaque or a letter of thanks or ... something not a bug :D
 

Thread 'Chagas disease now established in US'

Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S. According to articles in the Los Angeles Times, "Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S.", and "Kissing bugs bring deadly disease to California". LA Times requires a subscription. Related article -...
View full post »

Thread 'I need help understanding this quote about recent Natural Selection'

I am reading Nicholas Wade's book A Troublesome Inheritance. Please let's not make this thread a critique about the merits or demerits of the book. This thread is my attempt to understanding the evidence that Natural Selection in the human genome was recent and regional. On Page 103 of A Troublesome Inheritance, Wade writes the following: "The regional nature of selection was first made evident in a genomewide scan undertaken by Jonathan Pritchard, a population geneticist at the...
View full post »

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top