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myrmepropagandist · 9w
As a teacher I’ve given a few presentations about ants for kids. I tell them about scientific names and why they are useful. Every single time I say a scientific name they always ask “why is it ca...
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myrmepropagandist @myrmepropagandist
The purpose of a paper describing a species is to justify that a group of creatures is a distinct and not already named species. This is a task of biology and research, the purpose is also to give them a name and position in the tree of life. Part of that is explaining WHY you picked the name.

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myrmepropagandist · 9w
The idea that person who writes the description gets to "pick" the name is one of the few remaining incentives to keep people doing this work. If the names are confusing or mysterious they won't be used by the general public. They will be used in science, but don't we want this system to be popular?...