froggie Posted May 11, 2008 Share Posted May 11, 2008 http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080511/music_nm/young_dc Neil Young gets new honor -- his own spider 2 hours, 57 minutes ago LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Iconic singer and songwriter Neil Young has had an honor bestowed upon him that is not received by many musicians -- his own spider. An East Carolina University biologist, Jason Bond, discovered a new species of trapdoor spider and opted to call the arachnid after his favorite musician, Canadian Neil Young, naming it Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi. "There are rather strict rules about how you name new species," Bond said in a statement. "As long as these rules are followed you can give a new species just about any name you please. With regards to Neil Young, I really enjoy his music and have had a great appreciation of him as an activist for peace and justice." Young, 62, is a veteran rock musician who rose to fame in the 1960s with the band Buffalo Springfield and later became a member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, whose 1970 release "Deja Vu" has become a classic rock album. The singer/songwriter, whose solo work ranges from older albums such as "Harvest" to newer CDs like "Living with War," has long been an activist for social and anti-war causes. Bond discovered the new spider species in Jefferson County, Alabama, in 2007. He said spiders in the trapdoor genus, who tend to live in burrows and build trap doors to seal off their living quarters, are distinguished from one species to the next on the basis of differences in genitalia. He confirmed through the spider's DNA that the Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi is an identifiable, separate species of spider within the trapdoor genus. Young is not the first musician to have a creature named after him. A species of beetle that looks as if it is wearing a tuxedo -- the whirligig beetle, or Orectochilus orbisonorum -- was named earlier this year after the late rock 'n' roll legend Roy Orbison and his widow Barbara. Reuters/Nielsen Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TCP Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 It's about time Neil Young gets a spider named after him! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Knepps Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Yeah I know, I have been waiting for this for years Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Not the Fiat thread I was expecting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
isadorah Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 bigshoulders sent me an article on this. i'm not a fan of spiders at all, uuugggghhh, creepy creatures, but i might be able to warm up to one named after neil (as long as it stays on the other side of the trapdoor) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TCP Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 bigshoulders sent me an article on this. i'm not a fan of spiders at all, uuugggghhh, creepy creaturesYes BUT!!! Imagine if this spider got radio active and then BIT someone. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
isadorah Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Yes BUT!!! Imagine if this spider got radio active and then BIT someone. would the bite make the person an incredible song writer and add a hint of cowboy themery to all of their music. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CortezTheKiller Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Was the announcement made on blu-ray disc? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Cool... I already like it better than Wilco's "Spider" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
creativetype Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 He said spiders in the trapdoor genus, who tend to live in burrows and build trap doors to seal off their living quarters, are distinguished from one species to the next on the basis of differences in genitalia. How does he know what Neil Young's genitalia look like? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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