John Oliver delivers a surprisingly tender eulogy for the dead Russian space geckos
![John Oliver delivers a surprisingly tender eulogy for the dead Russian space geckos](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WYjM6YXdDAWtF22v5aXoiG-415-80.jpg)
Last week, Russia had some bad news for fans of the five geckos it had sent into space to, essentially, have zero-gravity sex for Russian scientists to watch. Nobody was a bigger fan of those geckos than John Oliver, and on Sunday night's Last Week Tonight, Oliver said goodbye to the little lizards. There are kind words, five candles, a couple of 40s, and a band — A Great Big World — singing a mournful ballad, with Oliver showing off a surprisingly good singing voice. It wasn't Joan Rivers' star-studded funeral, also on Sunday, but it's probably the best sendoff any lizards could hope for — and many humans, too. So, #GoodbyeGeckos. Do svidaniya. --Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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