Moore's Ants 19
Makarand writes "We all know Moore's Law that predicts the future
power of computer chips. He now has an ant named
after him. A Harvard biologist named several
species of ants that he
recently found
after people who have supported conservation. One species got Gordon Moore's name."
Fire Ants (Score:1)
Sooo... (Score:5, Funny)
Now let's just hope nobody reads the article as usual.
Re:Sooo... QWZX (Score:1)
Just for record, because it's a classic line from The Simpsons:
Kent Brockman: Ladies and Gentlemen, we have just lost the picture. But what we've seen speaks for itself. The Corvair spacecraft has apparently been taken over, conquered if you will, by a master race of giant space ants. It's difficult to tell from this vantage point whether they will consume the captive earth men or merely enslave them. One thing is for certain, there is no stopping them the ants will soon be here. And I for one welcome our new insect overlords. Would like to remind them that as a trusted TV personality I could be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar cave.
Re:Sooo... (Score:1)
Spot the difference (Score:2, Funny)
Moore II [bbc.co.uk]
(Yes, I know the ant isn't Pheidole Moorium, but it is a Pheidole)
Slightly Odd (Score:2, Funny)
The sooner all the animals are extinct, the sooner we'll find their money. - Ed Bluestone
So much for conservation.
Somehow I don't think we'll get a species named after Slashdot, even though the swarming behaviours are quite similar to a site being hammered until it goes down.
Nice thought but... (Score:3, Insightful)
... call me old fashioned but I remembered when the names of species actually meant something (e.g., the Latin word for some unique descriptor of the creature). I guess scientists are free to name new species whatever the hell they want, huh? Are they allowed to name species after their spouses? Pets? Favorite movies? And exactly how much does it cost to "buy" a species name anyhow? Can you get an entire genus named after you if you give enough money to conservation organisations?
GMD
Re:Nice thought but... (Score:3, Interesting)
I'd rather call you old ;-) AFAIK taxonomic names have, except for in the very early days, been arbritarliy chosen. Especially if genera consist of many species it can be very hard to come up with a useful and descriptive name.
For taxonomic curiosities, see this [earthlink.net] link.
Re:Nice thought but... (Score:2)
Sure, why not? (Score:2)
Re:Nice thought but... (Score:2)
For lots more, check out the Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature [earthlink.net].
Compost bin (Score:2)
Re:Compost bin (Score:1)
If Wilson is going around naming ants after environmentalists, shouldn't our compost bin dude [techangel.com] get his own ant? "Pheidole johntechangeli"--cool.
(Hmmm, I seem to be channeling Keanu Reeves tonight...)
Auction (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Auction (Score:3, Funny)
Tie IPR to endangered species. You get to keep your patent/trademark/copyright as long as a totem species survives. The more valuable the IPR, the more species an/or the harder to keep alive the species.