20 Times the Nerds Won Naming Rights Over Marketing
A lot of things, like brands, products, and even bands, owe part of their success to their well-thought-out names. An effective name will catch your attention before everything else, and that's the first step to success. You can't escape a good name, and the marketing people are responsible for that. And while they can have their hits and misses, they usually know what they're doing. Nerds, on the other hand, are different.
They just like nerdy stuff like Star Trek and Doctor Who, and they will name their pets after characters that only showed up for one episode on a lost season from the seventies, and they'll expect you to understand the reference.
The thing is that, when it comes to scientific discoveries, nerds are in power, and they will choose the weirdest ways to name a protein, a dinosaur, or a mountain.
So, here are some examples of times the nerds won naming rights over marketing.
Otocinclus Batmani
This is a type of catfish named after Batman. Being one of the most popular comic book heroes ever, Batman was also the inspiration behind names for wasps, dinosaurs, and much more.
Spider Penguins
Four different spiders discovered in 2018 were named after these funny guys: Oecobius kowalskii, Paroecobius skipper, Paroecobius rico, and Paroecobius private.
Ninjemys oweni
This extinct species of turtle was named after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Mount Erebus
Many different mountains around the world were named after the Greek god of Darkness, Erebus.
Mordor
That portion of Pluto is named after the place from The Lord of the Rings.
Maratus nemo
This jumping spider is named Nemo after the fish from Finding Nemo due to its colors.
Kariridraco dianae
This Pterosaur is named after the civilian identity of Wonder Woman, Diana Prince.
Han Solo
Here's an illustration of the Han Solo trilobite named after Harrison Ford's character in Star Wars. Darth Vader, Yoda, Leia, Chewbacca, Luke, and many more characters and even races and animals from the franchise, inspired tons of names in the scientific community.
Eoperipatus totoro
Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro, alongside other Studio Ghibli films, was also used as inspiration for names.
Dune Peninsula
There's a place in Tacoma, Washington, that is named after the sci-fi book.
Neostygarctus lovedeluxe
Manga and anime franchise Jojo's Bizarre Adventure also inspired the names of microscopic beings, and the names aren't subtle at all.
Isla Robinson Crusoe
Chile renamed the Más a Tierra island in 1966, inspired by Daniel Defoe's novel.
Calvin & Hobbes Wasps
There are two different wasps, Zagrammosoma calvini and Zagrammosoma hobbesi, named after the iconic duo.
Bambiraptor feinbergi
This guy's name comes from Bambi, the adorable Disney deer. Disney is another powerhouse that inspired tons of names among the scientific community.
Allodaposuchus hulki
This ancient crocodile was named after the Hulk.
Tarzana
California's name comes from a Spanish romance novel, and the neighborhood of Tarzana in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles is named after the one and only Tarzan.
Thanos simonattoi
Yes, there's a Thanos fan making scientific discoveries.
Synopeas klingunculum
The Klingons from Star Trek are responsible for naming a wasp in 2021. Many other Star Trek characters and species were used for other discoveries, as were Doctor Who characters from all eras.
Spongiforma squarepantsii
It seems like there are no restrictions when naming scientific discoveries.
Shangri-La
The Chinese city originally named Zhongdian changed its name to Shangri-La, from the 1933 James Hilton novel Lost Horizon, to promote tourism.