I'm torn because on one hand I appreciate the publicity stunt and the potential social awareness of taxonomy this might raise, but on the other hand I find it insulting to hitch science to what is clearly a passing fad in popular culture.
Ultimately I think this sort of thing is irresponsible and in poor taste.
I agree. To think that there are plenty of excellent botanists after which the new fern genus could be named, should it actually be named in honor of a person, and that instead it is named after a pop singer, really bothers me. In 100 years, when a budding botanist is looking at origins of Latin names, what will they learn about botany and our culture when they read about Gaga?
3 comments:
I'm torn because on one hand I appreciate the publicity stunt and the potential social awareness of taxonomy this might raise, but on the other hand I find it insulting to hitch science to what is clearly a passing fad in popular culture.
Ultimately I think this sort of thing is irresponsible and in poor taste.
I agree. To think that there are plenty of excellent botanists after which the new fern genus could be named, should it actually be named in honor of a person, and that instead it is named after a pop singer, really bothers me. In 100 years, when a budding botanist is looking at origins of Latin names, what will they learn about botany and our culture when they read about Gaga?
I agree with both of you, and I wonder about the chances of preserving/ protecting a rare species named after a pop star.
A few years ago someone sent me an article that detailed this same thing happening (very frequently) with the naming of insects. Very disappointing!
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