| Thursday, May 15, 2008 |
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| Neil Young |
Spotlight: Not just anyone gets an animal species named for him. Bill Gates has been immortalized in a fly; so has his partner Paul Allen (Eristalis alleni). A Madigascan dinosaur has been named for Dire Straits singer Mark Knopfler, and Sting got a Columbian tree frog. Roy Orbison and his wife have a whirligig beetle named for them (Orectochilus orbisonorum). Even Hugh Hefner's been honored; he had an extinct form of marsh rabbit named for him. Last week, a biologist from East Carolina University discovered a new species of trapdoor spider and named it for his favorite singer, Neil Young. It's called the Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi.
Quote: "Will you walk into my parlor?" said the spider to the fly;
"'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy./
The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,
And I have many pretty things to show when you are there."
Question of the Day: What are the rules for naming a new species?Naming species is known in the scientific world as binomial nomenclature. Each name must be made up of two words: one is the modern Latin or scientific term for the genus and the second is the identifying word for the particular species. In the species Homo sapiens, Homo is the genus and sapiens is the specific species within that genus.
Word of the day: intuitionnoun
- Intuitive cognition: feeling, hunch, idea, impression, suspicion. See thoughts.
- The power to discern the true nature of a person or situation: insight, instinct, intuitiveness, penetration, sixth sense. See thoughts.
Usage: A mother's sixth sense is her intuition.
It was Mother's Day this week in the United States, Canada, Australia, India and elsewhere around the globe. We dedicate this week's words to our mothers — those who gave birth to us, those who raised us and those who love us through thick and thin.
Today's History:
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| Air Mail |
- celestial mechanics: Johannes Kepler confirmed his third law of planetary motion (1618)
- Standard Oil Company: in a historic ruling, the Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of Rockefeller's mega-monopoly; several of the pieces would later be known as Exxon, Mobil, Amoco and Chevron (1911)
- air mail: regular service began for US civilians (1918)
- nylon stockings: first went on sale in the US (1940)
Today's Birthdays:
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| Photo of Photographer Richard Avedon |
- Pierre Curie (1859-1906): noted physicist and chemist
- Katherine Anne Porter (1890-1980): author of Ship of Fools; other writers born on this date were L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) and twins Peter and Anthony Shaffer (82)
- Richard Avedon (1923-2004): fashion and portrait photographer; also, artist Jasper Johns (78)
- Madeleine Albright (71): first female US secretary of state
- Lainie Kazan (68): actor, My Big Fat Greek Wedding; also, actors James Mason (1909-1984), Anna Maria Alberghetti (72) and Chazz Palminteri (56)
- Brian Eno (60): electronic musician/producer; musicians Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), Trini Lopez (71) and Ahmet Zappa (34) were also born today
