The debate has raged on for some time now: How much influence do celebrities have? Do these singers, actors, reality stars and internet icons really have some impact in our lives or are they simply window dressings that pretty up the outside edges of our world and quickly fade from memory? Well, based on a story from nydailynews.com, it seems we can chalk up one more example in the “celebrity impact” column—this time in the world of science.
Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) recently announced that a previously unnamed species of horse fly has just been named after pop star sensation Beyoncé. Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae will now go down in history as the official name for a rare bee-like fly with a golden hue and a big golden, uh, backside.
Researcher Bryan Lessard, who named the little buzzer, said that the fly was “pretty bootylicious” with its golden backside, and that it was the “all-time diva of flies.” Now, you can call it all just a silly case of research guy star-crush if you want, but as Lessard pointed out, this official scientific pronouncement ensures that Beyoncé will be “in the nature history books forever.” Celebrity beauty can even hold sway over the stuffed shirt world of science it would seem.
Of course, I’m not sure how happy Beyoncé will be about lending her name to a blood-sucking annoyance that spends its time buzzing about … well, you know, doing things that horse flies do. Couldn’t this guy have found a golden swan or something to name? (Sigh) Science.
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