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☆ As Botanists Drop a Racist Plant Name, Some Fear Scientific Confusion
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Clarissa Brincat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In July, plant scientists at the International Botanical Congress in Madrid changed a scientific name shared by about 200 different plant species. For centuries, the word “caffra” was used in the scientific names of many plants to denote that they grew in Africa. Botanists in the region have objected to using the term to refer to African plants. In South Africa, use of the word can result in a fine or even a prison sentence. “We owe it to ourselves to make amends that recognize the wrongs our previous generations did,” said Nigel Barker, a botanist at the University of Pretoria who was raised in South Africa during apartheid.

Persons: “, ”, Nigel Barker Organizations: International Botanical, Black, University of Pretoria, American Ornithological, Bird Alliance Locations: Madrid, Africa, South Africa

☆ Opinion | North American Birds Will No Longer Be Named for Racists — or Anybody Else
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Margaret Renkl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Nov. 1, the American Ornithological Society announced that it would be renaming all the birds under its purview that are currently named for human beings. This change, which will affect some 150 North American birds, has been a long time coming. Ornithologists and amateur birders alike have long wrestled with the historical nature of bird names bestowed by early collectors. Some of the birds — not all, it’s important to note, but some — were named for people who held views considered repugnant today. John James Audubon, for whom the Audubon’s shearwater is named, was an unrepentant slaveholder who opposed emancipation.

Persons: Colleen Handel, John James Audubon, slaveholder, Winfield Scott Organizations: American Ornithological Society, Ornithologists

☆ Naming a species after a celebrity may do more harm than good
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But it's very difficult to change a species' scientific name, and that can lead to regrets. The list of species named for celebrities is lengthy and includes everything from flies (Beyoncé) to lichen (Oprah Winfrey) to lizards (Lionel Messi). An eponym is a scientific species name based on a person, either real or fictional. AdvertisementAdvertisementUniversity of Oxford biologist Katie Blake and her co-authors found that species with celebrity names had almost three times as many page views on Wikipedia as non-famously monikered control species. AdvertisementAdvertisementSome examples include Adolf Hitler, Cecil Rhodes, and George Hibbert, all of whom have species named after them.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Leonardo DiCaprio, David Attenborough, Oprah Winfrey, Lionel Messi, Jimmy, Sericomyrmex radioheadi, Tarantobelus, roundworm, Jeff Daniels, Taylor Swift's millipede, Katie Blake, cuvier, Georges Cuvier, Andre Seale, Blake, Hitler, Christopher Bae, Adolf Hitler, Cecil Rhodes, George Hibbert, Sergio Pitamitz, Bae, Cecil John Rhodes, There's, heidelbergensis, CESAR MANSO, Rhodes, bodoensis, Bodo D'ar, Jimmy Buffett’s “, Hal Horowitz, Hibbert, George Rinhart, Stephen B, Heard, Charles Darwin's Barnacle, David Bowie's Spider Organizations: Service, Virginia Tech, University of Oxford, VW, Getty, University of Hawai'i, American Ornithological Society, NPR Locations: Mano, Slovenia, Africa, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Right, Spain, AFP, Ethiopia

☆ Birds in the Americas Will No Longer Be Named After People
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Katrina Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The American Ornithological Society, which is the organization responsible for standardizing English bird names across the Americas, announced on Wednesday that it would rename all species honoring people. The organization’s decision is a response to pressure from birders to redress the recognition of historical figures with racist or colonial pasts. The renaming process will aim for more descriptive names about the birds’ habitats or physical features and is part of a broader push in science for more welcoming, inclusive environments. “We’re really doing this to address some historic wrongs,” said Judith Scarl, the executive director of the American Ornithological Society. Dr. Scarl added that the change would help “engage even more people in enjoying and protecting and studying birds.”

Persons: James John Audubon, Winfield Scott, We’re, ”, Judith Scarl, Scarl Organizations: American Ornithological Society, U.S . Civil Locations: Americas, United States, Southwest, Mexico, birders

Birds in North America will no longer be named after people, the American Ornithological Society announced Wednesday. “There is power in a name, and some English bird names have associations with the past that continue to be exclusionary and harmful today,” the organization's president, Colleen Handel, said in a statement. “Everyone who loves and cares about birds should be able to enjoy and study them freely.”Rather than review each bird named after a person individually, all such birds will be renamed, the organization announced. She said heated discussions over bird names have been happening within birdwatching communities for the past several years. And a group called Bird Names for Birds sent a petition to the ornithological society urging it to “outline a plan to change harmful common names” of birds.

Persons: Colleen Handel, Alexander Wilson, John James Audubon, John P, McCown, “ I'm, ”, Emily Williams, Susan Bell, Christian Cooper, Amy Cooper, Cooper, birdwatchers Organizations: American Ornithological Society, Confederate Army, Georgetown University, National Audubon Society, National Audubon Society's, Audubon, Birds, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: North America, U.S, Canada, ”, New

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