Species named after celebrities risk being cancelled, expert warns

Taylor Swift has spent 258 weeks in the UK music charts

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 11 May 2022

Scientists should not name new species after celebrities in case they are later cancelled, an expert has warned. Professor Robert Poulin, a professor of zoology at the University of Otago in New Zealand, has said the trend can lead to “nomenclatural regret”, adding that “it is unlikely that a famous politician or artist will appeal to everyone among cultures, across generations or socio-political divides, or over time”. Poulin’s warning came after a newly-discovered species of millipede, found in southeast Tennessee, was last month named after Grammy-winning artist Taylor Swift.

Single crisp on sale for £2,000

A single Sour Cream and Onion flavour Pringle is on sale for £2,000 because the shape of the crisp is “extremely rare”, according to the Daily Mirror. The Pringle has a complete fold on the top edge that lines up perfectly with the rest of the crisp. The seller also assures prospective customers the snack is a “brand-new, unused, unopened and undamaged item”. Perhaps in an attempt to distract attention from the “rare” crisp, another seller has listed two Sour Cream and Onion crisps at the far lower price of £50.

A Canadian MP has apologised for appearing remotely for a parliamentary session from a toilet cubicle, reported the BBC. Shafqat Ali was criticised after colleagues noticed the familiar background of the building’s washroom. During the debate, Conservative MP Laila Goodridge, who was attending the event in person, rose on a point of order to suggest that her colleague “might be participating from a washroom”. Ali called into Parliament to apologise for the “lapse in judgment”.