List of unusual biological names
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of unusual biological names, given to biological inventions and discoveries. One might consider the listed names unusual due to their containing pop culture references or puns.
Genes and proteins
In the early days of genomics, genes were often given creative names upon discovery. A nomenclature committee later established naming guidelines, but several early names remain.[1]
| Name | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Bag-of-marbles | |
| Buttonhead | |
| Cheap date[2] | Mutations in this gene cause marked susceptibility to alcohol intoxication |
| Deadpan | |
| DIABLO | Direct IAP binding protein, low |
| Dreadlocks | Mutations in this gene cause cell projections to clump together like dreadlocks |
| Dunce | A memory-related gene associated with Rutabaga |
| ELMO | Engulfment and Cell Motility, contains the family ELMO1, ELMO2, and ELMO3 |
| Exuperantia | Named after St. Exuperantia, this gene is associated with dividing the head and body into regions |
| Fizzy-related | |
| Flippase and floppase | Protein that "flips" and "flops" phosphatidylserines on the cell membrane from the inner side and the outer side, respectively |
Hedgehog signaling pathway, and the associated genes:
|
Named for the video game character Sonic the Hedgehog, these are critical genes involved in development and tumorigenesis |
| Headcase[3] | |
| Hunchback | Mutations in hunchback cause disruptions in body shape in model organisms, such as a "hunchback" |
| Indy | Short for I'm not dead yet, mutations in this gene extend the lifespan of D. melanogaster |
| Ken and Barbie[4] | Mutations in the ken and barbie locus of this drosophila gene cause loss of external male and female genitalia in a fraction of homozygous flies |
| Lunatic Fringe, Manic Fringe, and Radical Fringe | |
| Makes caterpillars floppy | Gene in Photorhabdus luminescens, codes for a toxin which leads to insects’ bodies breaking down |
| MAP kinase kinase kinase and MAP kinase kinase kinase kinase | |
| MinosPhrime[5] | Bacteriophage named after Minos Prime from the video game ULTRAKILL. |
| Mothers against decapentaplegic 1–9, and the associated Daughters against dpp[6] | Takes the name from "Mothers against drunk driving" and similar campaigns, mutations in the gene of the mother cause improper development in the mother's offspring |
| Moron gene | A prophage gene that has no role in the phage's lysogenic cycle. |
| NEMO | NF-kappa-B essential modulator |
| Methuselah-like proteins | Named for Methuselah, extends the lifespan of an organism |
| MTHFR1 | Short for METHYLENETETRAHYDROFOLATE REDUCTASE 1 |
| NUDEL-Gen | German for "Noodle", NudE Neurodevelopment Protein 1 Like 1[7] |
| RING | Short for Really Interesting New Gene |
| POKEMON | POK erythroid myeloid ontogenic factor, changed to Zbtb7 after a lawsuit was threatened[8] |
| Pikachurin | Named after Pikachu, a species and mascot of the Pokémon franchise |
| PUMPKIN | Short for PLASTID 55 UMP KINASE, encodes a functional UMP Kinase located in the plastid that binds to group II intron plastid transcription products. Mutants show decreased accumulation of target transcripts/proteins.[9] |
| Salvador | |
| Scramblase[10] | An enzyme that "scrambles" phospholipids between the inside and outside of the cell membrane |
| SisyphusPhrime[11] | Arthrobacter phage named after Sisyphus Prime from the video game ULTRAKILL. |
| Slingshot homolog | |
| Slit-Robo and the associated Netrin-Frazzled | |
| SMURF1 and SMURF2, | SMAD Ubiquitination Regulatory Factor 1/2, interacts with Mothers against decapentaplegic 7 |
| Son of Sevenless | A protein involved in MAPK signal cascade |
| SPOCK1 | Zebrafish with this mutation develop pointed-ears reminiscent of Spock |
| SWEET transporters | Sugars will eventually be exported transporter, transports sugar |
| Swiss cheese[12] | Mutations cause the brain to develop with lesions resembling Swiss cheese |
| Spätzle | based on the spaetzle-like (German for a type of noodle) shape of the larvae of D. melanogaster |
| Tafazzin | Named after the masochistic comic character Tafazzi (portrayed by Giacomo Poretti, member of the Italian comedy trio Aldo, Giovanni e Giacomo) after alleged hardships in its discovery |
| Time for Coffee[13] | Regulator of circadian clock in Arabidopsis thaliana |
| Tinman gene | Named for the tinman who was lacking a heart, model organisms with mutations in tinman had cardiac abnormalities |
| Toll-like receptors | "Toll" is German for "Amazing", "Awesome". Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard and her colleague Prof. Eric Wieschaus sat at a double microscope that allows two people to examine the same object at the same time. When they saw an embryo mutant one day whose development was ventralised, they were both completely surprised and spontaneously exclaimed "Toll" (great). |
| UNICORN | Regulates planar growth in Arabidopsis thaliana[14] |
Controversies
Unusual names have caused issues for scientists explaining genetic diseases to lay-people, such as when an individual is affected by a gene with an offensive or insensitive name.[15] This has particularly been noted in patients with a defect in the sonic hedgehog gene pathway and the disease formerly named CATCH22 for "cardiac anomaly, T-cell deficit, clefting and hypocalcaemia for chromosome 22q11.2 microdeletions". This name was abandoned due to the no-win connotations.[16]
In 1993 Alfonso Martinez Arias, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, was ordered to change the name of the gene he had discovered, VELCRO, because of copyright issues with Velcro.[17] The gene was renamed to puckered.[18] In 2005, Pokémon threatened to sue the discoverer of POKEMON because the name was attracting attention when its link to the development of cancer was published.[17]
Molecules
- Moronic acid, a natural triterpene
- Traumatic acid, a monounsaturated dicarboxylic acid naturally occurring in plants
Species
Some species with unusual scientific names, because of length, repetition, or origin or meaning of name, include:
- Agra vation
- Aha ha
- Allobates niputidea (the specific name means "no fucking clue" in Spanish)
- Ameronothrus retweet and Ameronothrus twitter
- Amorphophallus yaoi
- Anableps anableps
- Argentina
- Ba humbugi
- Bajacalifornia
- Bazinga
- Boops boops
- Bremia krungthepmahanakhonamonrattanakosinmahintharayuthayamahadilokphopnoppharatratchathaniburiromudomratchaniwetmahasathanamonpimanawatansathitsakkathattiyawitsanukamprasitnonopsis, the current longest scientific name
- Bremia o, the species with the shortest specific epithet
- Careproctus comus (whose name translates to "comical-looking anus face")[19]
- Colon rectum
- Torpedo torpedo
- Crash bandicoot
- Crikey steveirwini
- Cyrtodactylus australotitiwangsaensis
- Dinosaurus
- Distorsio anus
- Dracula
- Drinker
- Dziwneono ("Dziwne ono" means "it is strange" in Polish)
- Emo vorticaudum
- Extra extra
- Foa fo
- Funny valentine
- Gelae baen, Gelae donut, Gelae belae, and Gelae fish
- Stupidogobius flavipinnis
- Gorilla gorilla gorilla
- Griseotyrannus aurantioatrocristatus
- Han solo
- Heerz lukenatcha and Heerz tooya
- Homo erectus
- Hotwheels sisyphus
- Ia io (the shortest species name, tied with Yi qi)
- Irritator challengeri
- Kamera lens
- La cerveza, La cucaracha and La paloma, moths whose names translate in Spanish to "The beer", "The cockroach" (a popular Spanish folk song) and "The dove" (also a popular Spanish song)
- Labia minor
- Lagiacrusichthys
- Lento lento (meaning "slow slow" in several Romance languages)
- Lomankus edgecombei
- Magnapaulia (translating to "large Paul")
- Megaloblatta longipennis
- Metallica
- Mini ature, Mini mum, and Mini scule
- Myxococcus llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochensis
- Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides
- Penstemon whippleanus
- Phallus
- Pinus rigida
- Bison bison bison
- Punk ferox
- Salsa tartara (meaning "tartar sauce" in Spanish)
- Socca pleia
- Spongiforma squarepantsii
- Smegmamorpha
- Turdus maximus
- Tuta absoluta
- Umma gumma
- Unguinychus onyx
- Vini vidivici
- Wakiewakie lawsoni
- Whakamoke guacamole
- Yi qi (the shortest species name, tied with Ia io)
- Zig zag
- Zygonemertes cocacola
Some species with unusual biological common names include:
- A.E.E.C.L.'s sportive lemur
- Atlantic gymnast, a species of fish
- Batman moth
- Bastard, a species of mussel, however the name is shared with Gadus morhua, a species of fish[20]
- Bastard Cavalley Pilot, a species of fish[21]
- Bastard Margaret, a species of fish[22]
- Bony-eared assfish
- Bride, a species of moth
- Brother moth
- Bulldog catshark, which is not a bull, dog, bulldog, or cat, a species of shark
- Can-opener smoothdream, a species of fish
- Cheesy bug (UK), Chuckie Pig (US), Doodlebug (US), Pissebed ("Bed pisser" in Dutch), Smooth Randy (Global), Roly Poly/Rollie Pollie (Various countries in the Anglosphere), and other names for Armadillidiidae. Notable for variety of names in addition to unusual nature of names.
- Chilipepper, a species of fish
- Chub, a type of fish
- Dirty ordure snapper, a species of fish
- Doormat parkinglightfish
- Dumb gulper shark
- E.T. sponge
- Florida pirate, a species of fly
- Freak, a species of butterfly
- Furry coffinfish
- German cousin, a species of moth
- Happy Eddie, a species of shark
- Happy moments, a species of fish
- Hairy balls, a species of plant
- Harry hotlips, a species of fish
- H-animal, an enigmatic, extinct animal
- Heck cattle
- Hornyhead chub or jerker, a species of fish[23]
- Humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa, a species of fish
- Infant, a species of moth
- Jackass morwong, a species of fish
- Joker moth
- Laugher, a species of moth
- Lettuce shark, a species of moth
- Little devil, a species of moth
- Malaysian exploding ant or suicide ant
- Mealybug destroyer, a species of beetle
- Minipizza batfish
- Mountain chicken, a species of frog
- Neighbor moth
- Newcastle Big Boy, a species of funnel-web spider
- Nonconformist, a species of moth
- Obese dragonfish
- Old wife, however the name is shared with Balistes vetula[24], Diplodus ascensionis[25], Diplodus helenae[26], Spondyliosoma cantharus[27], and Trachinotus goodei, all species of fish
- Pikachu moth
- Sexy shrimp
- Sallow kitten, a species of moth
- Shark catfish
- Shortarse feelerfish
- Slippery dick, a species of fish
- Snoutlet crotchfeeler, a species of fish
- Southern old lady moth
- Southwestern ruffian, a species of fly
- Stout infantfish
- Suspected, a species of moth
- The murderer, a species of jumping spider[28]
- The uncertain, a species of moth
- Tit, a type of bird
- Wahoo, a species of fish
- Y-animal, an enigmatic, extinct animal
- Yellow fly of the dismal swamp, a species of biting fly
- Windfucker, a species of bird
Techniques
- Chromatin Interaction Analysis by Paired-End Tag Sequencing (ChIA-PET) is a technique to determine chromatin interactions which shares a name with Chia Pets.
- CRISPy TAKO (CRISPR Turbo Accelerated KnockOut) ("crispy taco") is a gene knockout technique useful for in vivo reverse genetic screens.
- FISH (Fluorescence in situ hybridization) is a technique using fluorescent probes that bind to specific nucleic acid sequences. Fluorescence microscopy is used to detect the probes, and this can be used to find specific DNA sequences on chromosomes.[29]
- GluSnFR (Glutamate-sensitive fluorescent reporter) ("glue-sniffer") is a genetically engineered protein used to monitor glutamate release into the synapse.
- KINC ("Kink") is a computer program used to generate co-expression networks[30]
- SHREC (single-molecule high-resolution colocalization) ("Shrek") is a modified labeling technique named after a titular character in the movie Shrek. Its older sister technique FIONA is still used as well.
- TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes) is a reverse genetics technique used to induce and find mutations in a specific gene. Developed in plants, this technique shares a name with the agricultural preparation of soil. Mutations are caused randomly in many plants (with EMS mutagenesis), and the plants are screened for mutations in the gene of interest.[31]