Charles Darwin`s Barnacle and David Bowie`s Spider: How Scientific Names Celebrate Adventurers, Heroes, and Even a Few Scoundrels

Ever since Carl Linnaeuss binomial system of scientific names was adopted in the eighteenth century, scientists have been eponymously naming organisms in ways that both honor and vilify their namesakes. This charming, informative, and accessible history examines the fascinating stories behind taxonomic nomenclature, from Linnaeus himself naming a small and unpleasant weed after a rival botanist to the recent influx of scientific names based on pop-culture icons--including David Bowies spider, Frank Zappas jellyfish, and Beyonc s fly.