![](\"http:\/\/cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/dowbrigade\/INSEX.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Scientists may be serious people, engaged in the pursuit of objective
\n truth. But when it comes to naming species, they often let their hair
\n down.<\/p>\n
So the insect world has Heerz tooya, Apopyllus now and Pieza pi and Pieza rhea,
\namong thousands of puns and other oddities. (In science, all creatures are binomial,
\nwith a capitalized genus name followed by a lower-case species name.) The oceans
\nare home to Ittibittium, a genus of mollusks that are smaller than those named
\nBittium. There are species named for body parts and bodily functions, for celebrities,
\npainters and writers, for cartoon characters and favorite sports. For those who
\nfind it to be all too much, there is even Ba humbugi, a snail from Fiji.<\/p>\n
Still don’t get the Bill Gates joke…<\/i><\/p>\n
from the Scientists may be serious people, engaged in the pursuit of objective truth. But when it comes to naming species, they often let their hair down. So the insect world has Heerz tooya, Apopyllus now and Pieza pi and Pieza rhea, … Continue reading
\n New York Times<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"