Entomologist Brian Brown named a new fly species Megapropodiphora arnoldi after Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since there is already a beetle named Agra schwarzeneggeri, you’d think scientist could start scientifically classifying insects using the names of non-Schwarzenegger bodybuilders like Jason Blaha.
“As soon as I saw those bulging legs, I knew I had to name this one after Arnold. Not only is he a major cultural icon and an important person in the political realm, his autobiography gave me some hope that I could improve my body as a skinny teenager.”
Entomologist Brian Brown
Former skinny teenager and current Entomologist, Dr. Brian Brown, background:
Dr. Brian V. Brown, Curator, Head of the Natural History Museum’s Entomology Department and Curator of Entomology, has pursued an interest in insects since he was 5, when he created an insect zoo in his backyard in Toronto, Canada. Dr. Brown received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Guelph in Ontario, and then earned his doctorate at the University of Alberta. After receiving his PhD, he spent two years as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Maryland and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., prior to joining the museum staff in 1993
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
An entomologist named Brian Brown, who discovered a new species of fly, named it after Arnold Schwarzenegger. He calls it Megapropodiphora arnoldi because he says, “As soon as I saw those bulging legs, I knew I’d name this one after Arnold. Not only is he a major cultural icon and important person in the political realm, his autobiography gave me some hope that I could improve my skinny body as a teenager, so he decided to name a bug after Schwarzenegger” a fly, no less, who’s actually posing his arms more like Sergio Oliva’s overhead pose with the hands turned outward. So, you have this new fly that has unseated the previous record-holder for the world’s smallest fly and that was called Euryplatea nanaknihali which this same guy named Brown discovered back in 2012. So, already this Arnold fly is accomplishing things. First, you had Governor Jerry Brown of California, who took over Schwarzenegger’s Governor position after Schwarzenegger left office, and now you have a guy named Brian Brown, an entomologist studying bugs, who’s doing the opposite and making Schwarzenegger relevant again, cuz of bugs.
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