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A group blog composed of scientists, show hosts and producers, Correlations is the official blog of WIRED SCIENCE. Tips, questions or comments? E-mail us at correlations@kcet.org.

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Liz Burr

is the Interactive Project Manager for WIRED SCIENCE Digital.

Damon Gambuto

is a producer on the WIRED SCIENCE television series.

Tamsin Gray

is living in Antarctica to research climate change and the ozone hole.

Chris Hardwick

is a co-host on the WIRED SCIENCE television series.

Clifford Johnson

is a professor of Physics at the University of Southern California.

Sheril Kirshenbaum

is a marine biologist at Duke University.

Tara C. Smith

is an assistant professor of epidemiology in Iowa.

Michael Tobis

is a climatologist at UT Austin working on improving climate models.

Ziya Tong

is a host and field producer for WIRED SCIENCE.

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05.15.08

Class : Order : Family : Genus : Rock Star

by Ziya Tong Department: Correlations

By now, you've probably heard that rocker Neil Young recently had a trapdoor spider named after him: the Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi. Young however, is not the only rock star who holds the honor of being a critter's namesake. Roy Orbison has the Orectochilus orbisonorum, a species of beetle, while the Beatles - or John and Ringo at least - share a trilobite genus with Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.

Avalanchurus simoni -- Paul Simon
Avalanchurus garfunkeli -- Art Garfunkel
Avalanchurus lennoni -- John Lennon
Avalanchurus starri -- Ringo Starr

Not to be outdone, Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones, also has his own trilobite species (Aegrotocatelllus jaggeri) and, quite fittingly, a fossilized mollusk (Anomphalus jaggerius) is named after him as well.

If you happen to be into punk rock and paleontology, then Dr. Greg Edgecombe is probably a good guy to know. He's responsible for naming the following series of trilobites after every member of The Sex Pistols and The Ramones:

Arcticalymene viciousi
Arcticalymene jonesi
Arcticalymene cooki
Arcticalymene matlocki
Arcticalymene polgari
Arcticalymene rotteni
Mackenziurus johnnyi
Mackenziurus joeyi
Mackenziurus deedeei
Mackenziurus ceejayi

Continuing on to a different genre, James Brown, the King of Funk, has his own mite; the cleverly named Funkotriplogynium iagobadius (Iago = James, badius = Brown), while Elvis, the King of Rock n' Roll, has a wasp (Preseucoila imallshookupis). But the king of all kings, in terms of nomenclature anyway, has to be the almighty Frank Zappa. Frank not only has two species named after him: a spider (Pachygnatha zappa), and a jellyfish (Phialella zappai), but he's also scored an entire genus (Zappa), and a minor planet (ZappaFrank) as well! As long as taxonomists stay well away from naming anything after his kids (Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen) then the future of scientific classification should be alright.