fossilesque@mander.xyzM to Science Memes@mander.xyzEnglish · 10 months agoChildren is bugsmander.xyzimagemessage-square137fedilinkarrow-up11arrow-down10
arrow-up11arrow-down1imageChildren is bugsmander.xyzfossilesque@mander.xyzM to Science Memes@mander.xyzEnglish · 10 months agomessage-square137fedilink
minus-squareGBU_28@lemm.eelinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up0·10 months agoI mean if they aren’t Swahili why would they pick something randomly from that language?
minus-squaremagnetosphere@fedia.iolinkfedilinkarrow-up0·10 months agoThe same reason a lot of people do: because it sounds nice. Plus, maybe flowers were what the cicada was named after. When someone discovers a species, they usually get a decent amount of leeway when naming it.
minus-squareGBU_28@lemm.eelinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up0·10 months ago“I did a lil appropriating cuz I thought it was cute”
minus-squareSwedneck@discuss.tchncs.delinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up0·10 months agohonestly it’s not just a decent amount of leeway, it’s basically free game so long as you’re not outright offensive. There’s a gene called “sonic hedgehog”, and many other organisms with names that are specifically meant to just be funny and absurd.
I mean if they aren’t Swahili why would they pick something randomly from that language?
The same reason a lot of people do: because it sounds nice. Plus, maybe flowers were what the cicada was named after. When someone discovers a species, they usually get a decent amount of leeway when naming it.
“I did a lil appropriating cuz I thought it was cute”
honestly it’s not just a decent amount of leeway, it’s basically free game so long as you’re not outright offensive.
There’s a gene called “sonic hedgehog”, and many other organisms with names that are specifically meant to just be funny and absurd.