The northern white rhino faces a biological puzzle: with just two infertile females left‚ how can the species survive? Scientists might just have the answer‚ as they say the cells of dead individuals could bolster the northern white rhino gene pool‚ giving rise not just to more animals‚ but to a genetically robust population.While the northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) females are infertile‚ its hoped a surrogate such as the closely related southern white rhino (C. simum simum) could step in to carry their embryos. As for creating those? That all comes down to a bit of genetic tinkering.Banked skin cells (fibroblast cell lines) can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)‚ which have the ability to differentiate into any cell type‚ explained Dr Aryn P Wilder‚ one of a team of conservation scientists working on the project at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance‚ to IFLScience. From there‚ the iPSCs can be directed to differentiate into primordial germ cells that give rise to sperm and eggs.Weve so far successfully created primordial germ cells in this way for species spanning mice‚ rats‚ rabbits‚ horses‚ monkeys‚ and even humans‚ with the process being slightly different each time. However‚ thus far‚ the only animal weve successfully created a fully mature and ready-to-go egg or sperm cell for is mice.One hurdle is that the primordial germ cells require support cells for growth and maturation‚ continued Wilder. For endangered species like the northern white rhino‚ we will need to generate these support cells from the iPSCs.By using two approaches to create northern white rhino embryos‚ it';s hoped we can secure genetic diversity for future generations.Image credit: San Diego Zoo Wildlife AllianceThe team still have some obstacles to overcome‚ including optimizing the culture conditions‚ and experimenting with the support cells Wilder mentioned. The process is possible thanks to the genetically rich remains of 12 deceased northern white rhinos stored in the Frozen Zoo‚ one of several cryoconservation repositories across the planet that aim to preserve species'; genetic diversity by banking biological material.This isnt even the first time frozen remains have contributed to the creation of northern white rhino embryos. Using cryopreserved semen‚ scientists have already created northern white rhino embryos for transfer into a southern white rhino surrogate. However‚ this method alone wouldnt yield enough genetic diversity to keep future generations healthy. This is why its hoped that further embryos generated through dead skin cells could top up the population‚ painting a potentially positive future for the northern white rhino.Our models suggest that a population restored from more [northern white rhino] individuals‚ and with repeated reintroduction of those individuals over time‚ is less likely to suffer inbreeding depression and low fitness than a population restored from a limited founder pool‚ said Wilder. For these reasons‚ we think that focusing on using these viable cell lines for restoration is a promising strategy for restoring a healthy [northern white rhino] population.Recovering species from the brink is a topic thats becoming increasingly relevant in modern times‚ as the northern white rhino is far from alone in teetering on the verge of extinction. Just recently‚ the de-extinction company Colossal Bioscience teamed up with Re:wild to work on technological advancements that could prevent endangered species from being wiped out‚ demonstrating how leaps forward such as this one are of vital importance to the planets most threatened wildlife.

Sometimes we get a glimpse of extremely rare animals that cant fail to delight. From underwater cuties like the dumbo octopus to a rare pink elephant calf in South Africa‚ catching a glimpse of something that special brings an extra sense of joy. That is exactly what happened to the Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa (KJ) Martu rangers in Australia as they caught sight of a glorious golden marsupial mole.KJ Martu Rangers are the Traditional Custodians of a vast area in the Western Desert of the Pilbara in Australia. Martu Country is an arid ecosystem that covers 13.6 million hectares across northwestern Australia.This is the second sighting of an elusive Kakarratul (marsupial mole) in just six months‚ write the KJ Martu Rangers on their Facebook page. Kakarratul (Notoryctes caurinus) live in sand dunes and spend almost their entire lives underground‚ only rarely venturing up to the surface. These tiny critters only measure 12-16 centimeters (4.7 -6.3 inches).These palm-sized little moles effectively swim through the sand and don';t make any empty tunnels behind them instead‚ they use their nose and forehead as a ram to burrow their way through. These moles feed on insects that they find within the sand‚ mostly ants and beetle larvae‚ writes the IUCN.While the moles are known to be marsupials and specimens have shown up in museum collections‚ almost nothing is known about their reproductive habits or lifespan because they are so elusive.The rangers combined their pujiman (traditional) knowledge with modern conservation techniques to look after some of the most threatened species in this area‚ including the marsupial mole and the night parrot‚ thenorthern quoll‚ and the Pilbara leaf-nosed bat.The KJ Martu Rangers protect the ecosystem of the Western Desert of the Pilbara.Image Courtesy of the Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa (KJ) Martu Rangers.These Australia Kakarratul might have luscious blond locks and resemble chicken nuggets wearing Legolas wigs‚ but they are not the only golden moles out there. In an incredible feat of convergent evolution‚ South Africa is also home to a chicken nugget-shaped mole that also swims through the sand dunes. The De Wintons golden mole was rediscovered late last year after not being seen for 80 years.

NASA engineers have discovered the source of Voyager 1';s mysterious glitch‚ which left it sending back a repeating pattern of 1s and 0s rather than useful data.Voyager 1 has traveled further than any human-made object‚ crossing the heliopause and heading into interstellar space. While doing this‚ it has continued to send back useful data to Earth‚ helping us learn about the space between stars outside of our own Solar System. All this while working with just 69.63 kilobytes of memory‚ and running partly on code originally written in the archaic computer language Fortran 5.";The button you press to open the door of your car‚ that has more compute power than the Voyager spacecrafts do‚"; Voyager project manager Suzanne Dodd explained to NPR. ";It';s remarkable that they keep flying‚ and that they';ve flown for 46-plus years.";With such a mission‚ you';d expect the occasional challenge‚ even before you take into account the high radiation environment it is heading through.In September 2023‚ an issue arose with the data coming back from Voyager 1. Normally transmitted in binary code‚ or a series of 0s and 1s representing words‚ the probe was instead sending only alternating 1s and 0s. Effectively‚ the call between the spacecraft and the Earth was still connected‚ but Voyagers ';voice'; was replaced with a monotonous dial tone‚ the NASA Voyager engineering team explained to IFLScience in February.Because of this issue‚ scientists are not receiving any science data or updates about the probes health and status‚ including information that might reveal the source of the problem. Through various indirect means‚ the team has concluded that the issue is most likely with the Flight Data System [FDS]‚ one of the probes onboard computers. The team is working hard to resolve the issue‚ but this process may take months.In March‚ NASA sent a ";poke"; command to Voyager 1‚ prompting it to send back a readout of the FDS memory‚ as well as other variables in the software. From this‚ they found that around 3 percent of its memory has become corrupted‚ likely the result of a single chip in the probe ceasing to function.";Engineers cant determine with certainty what caused the issue‚"; NASA explained in a statement. ";Two possibilities are that the chip could have been hit by an energetic particle from space or that it simply may have worn out after 46 years.";The team is up against time pressure‚ as the plutonium-powered system that powers the craft is running out of juice. In a few years‚ they may have to shut down science instruments one by one to keep it chugging along.However‚ the team is optimistic that they will be able to fix the issue in the coming weeks and months‚ allowing the probe to send back useful science data once more.

The ancient Egyptians are famous for their reverence of celestial bodies‚ yet the role that the Milky Way played in their cosmology remains poorly understood by Egyptologists. However‚ according to a new analysis‚ the band of stars that streaks across the sky may have had a number of mythological functions‚ acting as a path to the underworld while also guiding birds along their annual migration route.Penned by astrophysicist Dr Or Graur from the University of Portsmouth‚ the new study examined the idea that the Milky Way was represented by the sky goddess Nut‚ who is often depicted as a star-studded woman arching over the Earth in order to protect it from the menacing waters of the abyss‚ known as Nun. According to the Book of Nut‚ also known as The Fundamentals of the Course of the Stars‚ the sky womans primary job was to give birth to the Sun each morning‚ before swallowing it in the evening.To help her achieve this task‚ Nut is perpetually oriented with her rear in the east and her head in the west. The Milky Way‚ however‚ changes its position in the sky over the course of the year‚ running from east to west in the summer months and north to south in the winter.This discrepancy has cast doubt over the idea that Nut represents the galaxy. However‚ after consulting numerous funerary papyri found in Ancient Egyptian tombs‚ Graur identified several depictions of Nut with her arms outstretched at 45 degrees to her body.Such a pose enables the sky goddess to cover the various alignments of the Milky Way as the year progresses‚ thus suggesting that she may well have been the embodiment of our galaxy after all. For instance‚ Graur explains that in the winter‚ the Milky Way delineates Nuts arms‚ while during the summer months‚ it sketches out her torso (or backbone).Seeking further assurances for Nuts association with the Milky Way‚ the study author looked for similarities between her role in Ancient Egyptian mythology and other representations of the star gods in cultures around the world. For instance‚ according to one Egyptian Coffin Text‚ Nut is described as a ladder by which the souls of the dead are able to ascend to the afterlife‚ echoing the role of the Milky Way in Native American mythology.Many Native American peoples across North America view the Milky Way as a road along which the spirits of the dead travel to the afterlife‚ writes Graur. The Lakota name for the Milky Way is Wani Thachku‚ the Spirits Road‚ which the Lakota follow to heaven when they die.Similarly‚ he explains that The dead of the Yucatec Maya travel along the Milky Way at night‚ with the dark band of the Milky Ways Great Rift envisioned as a highway leading straight to the underworld.Yet another passage from the Book of Nut describes how birds appear from the goddesses'; northern end each winter as they migrate south from Europe to Africa. In isolation‚ this does little to prove that Nut represents the Milky Way‚ although such a link becomes clearer when one considers the associations between the band of stars and bird migration in other Indigenous cultures.This link still exists today in the name given to the Galaxy by Finland‚ Estonia‚ and several Baltic states: Birds Path (e.g.‚ Linnunrata in Finnish or Pauki Takas in Lithuanian)‚ writes Graur.Overall‚ Graurs findings shine a light on the mystery of Nut and her relationship with the Milky Way‚ indicating that different parts of her body are capable of representing the stars at different times of year. My study also shows that Nuts role in the transition of the deceased to the afterlife and her connection to the annual bird migration are consistent with how other cultures understand the Milky Way‚ he explained in a statement.The study has been published in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage.

Antarctica is an ice-capped continent with blistering cold temperatures‚ but it also harbors red-hot volcanic activity.There are a dozen volcanoes in Antarctica‚ the majority of which are located in West Antarctica and Marie Byrd Land. One study in 2017 identified 138 volcanoes in this part of the continent alone. While most of these are dormant‚ eight or nine of the Antarctic volcanoes are regarded as active.Just three volcanoes have even been seen erupting in recent history‚ although it was a different story in the distant past. Recent research gathered ice cores from Antarctica that suggested the continent was wracked by gigantic volcanic eruptions during the last ice age‚ many of which were larger than any eruption in modern history.One of the most ferocious volcanoes on the continent is Mount Erebus‚ the tallest active volcano in Antarctica with a summit elevation of 3‚794 meters (12‚448 feet) and the southernmost active volcano on Earth.Named after the personification of darkness in Greek mythology‚ it';s said Mount Erebus was erupting when Captain Sir James Clark Ross first set eyes upon it in 1841. It';s located alongside two other volcanoes on Ross Island‚ which was named after the aforementioned British explorer.If you look closely at satellite images of this geological giant‚ you';ll notice slight hints of red in its summit crater. Remarkably‚ this is a searingly hot lava lake that';s been bubbling since at least 1972.The volcano regularly pumps out plumes of gas and steam. In past bouts of volcanic activity‚ it has been known to eject boulders of partially molten rock known as volcanic bombs.A satellite image of Mount Erebus breaking through the clouds of Antarctica on November 25‚ 2023Image credit: Landsat 9 OLI-2/USGSStrangest of all‚ scientists have found that its gusts of gas are loaded with tiny crystals of metallic gold‚ no larger than 20 micrometers. Over the course of a single day‚ it';s estimated that the volcano spews out around 80 grams of gold that';s worth around $75.The gold dust traves far and wide. Antarctic researchers have detected traces of the gold in ambient air up to 1‚000 kilometers (621 miles) from the volcano.The volcano is perhaps most notorious‚ however‚ for the Mount Erebus disaster. On November 28‚ 1979‚ Air New Zealand Flight 901 flew head-on into the side of the volcano‚ killing all 257 people onboard.The flight was part of an Air New Zealand program that let passengers travel on an 11-hour sightseeing flight from Auckland to Antarctica and then back to New Zealand.That fateful day in November 1979 was cloudy‚ but the aerial tour went ahead regardless. As reported by the BBC‚ pilot Captain Jim Collins attempted to descend the plane to about 610 meters (2‚000 feet) by spiraling downwards in two large loops. During the maneuver‚ just before 1 pm‚ the plane smashed into the side of Mount Erebus and killed everyone on board‚ likely within an instant.At the wreck site‚ rescue crews discovered some of the passengers cameras that still contained intact film. Their photos‚ some taken seconds before the impact‚ showed there was decent visibility at the time of the crash and the plane was well below the clouds‚ ruling out the possibility that the volcano was obscured by thick clouds.Instead‚ its thought that a whiteout was responsible for the crash. The ice-covered volcano was effectively made invisible by flat light‚ which made it impossible to see against the backdrop of ice-caked ground and overcast skies. The pilot was unable to gauge any sense of distance and assumed the whiteout seen in front of the cockpit was ice and snow in the landscape below‚ not the face of a mountain.After several costly lawsuits and heaps of controversy‚ Air New Zealand discontinued its sightseeing flyovers of Antarctica.

An experimental drone has blasted off on its near-supersonic speed test flight‚ zipping through the sky at speeds of Mach 0.9 that';s 1‚111 kilometers (690 miles) per hour.This is just the beginning of things‚ though. Venus Aerospace‚ the company that developed the drone‚ ultimately wants to achieve speeds of Mach 9‚ nine times the speed of sound.On February 24‚ the 2.4-meter (8-foot) long missile-shaped drone was lifted to an altitude of 3‚657 meters (12‚000 feet) onboard an aircraft. Upon release‚ the drone fired up its hydrogen peroxide monopropellant engine at 80 percent thrust so as not to exceed Mach 1‚ then traveled for 16 kilometers (10 miles).Using an air-launched platform and a rocket-with-wing configuration allows us to cheaply and quickly get to the minimum viable test of our RDRE as a hypersonic engine. The team executed with professionalism and has a wealth of data to anchor and tweak for the next flight‚ Andrew Duggleby‚ the CTO &;amp; Co-Founder of Venus Aerospace‚ said in a statement.Based in Houston‚ Texas‚ Venus Aerospace is a startup aerospace company that hopes to pave the way toward hypersonic flight (speeds of Mach 5 and above).The latest test flight was one small part of testing for their Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE)‚ which is being developed in partnership with DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)‚ the US State Departments research agency thats behind all kinds of weird and wonderful technologies.Up next is RDRE flight‚ and ultimately hypersonic flight‚ proving that the RDRE is the engine that unlocks the hypersonic economy‚ explained Sarah Sassie Duggleby‚ CEO &;amp; Co-Founder of the company.As mentioned‚ their end goal is to make a vehicle that can cruise at Mach 9 speed‚ around 11‚000 kilometers (6‚835 miles) per hour.This is an unbelievably fast speed. To date‚ the speediest airplane ever flown by a human is the NASA/USAF X-15. In 1967‚ pilot Pete Knight used this jet to reach an eye-watering speed of Mach 6.7‚ around 7‚274 kilometers (4‚520 miles) per hour.Concorde‚ the ill-fated supersonic commercial plane that flew paid passengers until 2003‚ traveled at a comparatively sluggish Mach 2‚ around 2‚179 kilometres (1‚354 miles) per hour.Crazier still‚ Venus Aerospace wants to put passengers on these Mach 9 flights. Theres still a huge amount of work before this pipe dream becomes reality‚ but Venus Aerospace believes its making solid progress.This is how you do hard things: one bite at a time‚ said Sarah Duggleby.

Male blue whales have been witnessed battling for the chance to mate with a female off the coast of Australia in arguably the most formidable combat on Earth.When male whales sense a female is fertile‚ they start to follow her. In many whale species‚ the female leads the males on a dance. The males use their bulk against each other to try and gain an advantage and be her escort. Collectively‚ all involved are known as a racing group.While such events have been witnessed many times for humpbacks‚ among others‚ blue whales are both rarer and more inclined to stay away from humans. Consequently‚ sightings of these events in the largest animals on Earth are exceptionally rare‚ but Dr Peter Gill of Blue Whale Study is one of the few to have seen it.In late March‚ Gill was surveying the waters off eastern South Australia and witnessed the classic signs of a racing group.The frequent changes of pace and direction were clearly dictated by the female‚ and the males did their best to stay close to her‚ while trying to outpace and physically displace each other‚ Gill wrote on Blue Whale Studys Facebook page. It was a spectacular display of massive power and grace‚ one of the great sights in nature.Just as the ground shakes when elephants make love‚ Gill told the ABC the race could be dangerous for anyone in the vicinity‚ such as a boat that unwisely ventured into the whales path. ";You';ve got three of these massive animals just engaged in this full-on combat between the two chasing males‚"; he said. ";They';re shouldering each other aside and hitting each other with their tails a bit.";The female whale gets some clear space‚ as the males were too focused on fighting each other to stay with her.Image courtesy of Blue Whale Study/Dr Peter GillGill could not definitely confirm the sex of the whales he was watching from that height‚ but his observations closely match those of a Canadian team who were able to get biopsies.Gill told IFLScience‚ Humpbacks take it to extremes‚ with seven or eight males in a racing group competing to be the escort‚ and southern right whales also have larger parties. However‚ in the rare cases blue whale racing groups have been reported‚ only two males have ever been involved. Blue whales are still slowly recovering from their decimation [by whaling] Gill said. We dont know what their social ecology was like before whaling really devastated them. Consequently‚ we cant tell if having only two suitors was how it was always done.Despite the excitement‚ Gill was alarmed to see the female looked very underweight‚ although the males looked healthy. He told IFLScience that since 2007 increasing numbers of skinny whales have been spotted among the blue whale population. We dont know if this is related to climate change or not‚ he added.The situation is unlikely to improve this year. The Australian blue whale population spends summer and autumn feeding off the southern coast where a major upwelling makes nutrients abundant at these times‚ usually leading to an explosion of krill. Unlike humpbacks‚ which get most of their food in one season before relying on their blubber to get them through the lean months‚ the blue whales cant fast as long. Instead‚ they migrate to Indonesia where there breeding grounds are also rich in food.This year the upwelling was particularly strong‚ Gill told IFLScience‚ but it brought very little krill‚ for reasons colleagues are still trying to work out. This follows a disturbingly late southward migration last year that may have been associated with reduced food in Indonesian waters‚ although Gill said the connection is still unconfirmed.Its been 21 years since Gill previously spotted blue whales racing off Australia. Aside from the Canadian encounter‚ the event has been reported off California since‚ but remains exceptionally rare.The Blue Whale Studyis a small non-profit that is contracted by other groups to search for whales of all species in the region. This flight was funded by Save Our Marine Life.

Up to 80 percent of carbon emissions pumped out since 2016 can be traced back to just 57 companies‚ according to a new report.Published by the independent think tank InfluenceMap‚ the report was produced using the Carbon Majors Database. Among the 57 entities they name and shame‚ theres an array of nation-states‚ state-owned firms‚ and investor-owned corporations that are involved in fossil fuel extraction and the production of cement‚ an energy-intensive process that accounts forat least 8 percentof the world';s CO2 emissions.All in all‚ the world';s top five CO2-emitting entities (since 2016) were Chinas coal production‚ the state-owned oil firm Saudi Aramco‚ Russia';s state-owned energy giant Gazprom‚ state-owned producer Coal India‚ and the National Iranian Oil Company.A number of the usual suspects from the West also appear in the top 20 list‚ including Chevron‚ ExxonMobil‚ BP‚ and Shell.";The Carbon Majors research shows us exactly who is responsible for the lethal heat‚ extreme weather‚ and air pollution that is threatening lives and wreaking havoc on our oceans and forests. These companies have made billions of dollars in profits while denying the problem and delaying and obstructing climate policy‚ Tzeporah Berman‚ International Program Director at Stand.earth and Chair at Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty‚ said in a statement.They are spending millions on advertising campaigns about being part of a sustainable solution‚ all the while continuing to invest in more fossil fuel extraction. These findings emphasize that‚ more than ever‚ we need our governments to stand up to these companies‚ and we need new international cooperation through a Fossil Fuel Treaty to end the expansion of fossil fuels and ensure a truly just transition‚"; continued Berman.Nation-state producers account for 38 percent of emissions in the database since 2016‚ while state-owned entities account for 37 percent and investor-owned corporations for 25 percent.The report found a significant rise in state and state-owned producers since 2016 the year of the historic Paris climate agreement that vowed to limit climate change to well below 2C (3.6F) above pre-industrial levels by cutting greenhouse gas emissions.This trend is most prominent in the Asian coal sector. While Europe andNorth America have made progress in weaning themselves off coal‚ this has been overshadowed by the booming coal industry in Asia‚ primarily driven by China and India.Along with tracking carbon emissions since 2016‚ the report also looked at historical emitters from 1854 until 2022. This revealed that 122 producers were responsible for 72 percent of global fossil fuel and cement CO2 emissions since the start of the Industrial Revolution. Chief among those historical contributors are Chinas coal production‚ the former Soviet Union‚ Saudi Aramco‚ Chevron‚ and ExxonMobil.

A small asteroid being tracked by astronomers is about to make a close approach to Earth‚ passing within 0.00012Astronomical Units (AU) of Earth.The asteroid is being tracked by NASA‚ and is small at around2.2 to 4.9 meters (7.2 feet to 16 feet). According to an analysis by astronomers‚ the asteroid will be about0.03 Lunar Distancesat its closest approach‚ or just 3 percent of the distance from our planet to the Moon. Though this is a close approach‚ it sounds a little less worrying in kilometers‚ with the asteroid being around 12‚298 kilometers (7‚641 miles) from the Earth as it zooms by at 14.4 kilometers per second (8.9 miles per second).The object‚ which will make its closest approach at18:28:42 UTC‚ was discovered on April 9 this year; when objects are discovered (or sometimes rediscovered)‚ they are named for the year.";The provisional designation includes the year of its discovery followed by two letters that give the order of its discovery during that year‚"; the European Space Agency (ESA)explains. ";Objects‚ discovered between 1 and 15 January‚ are designated in order of their discovery‚ AA‚ AB‚ AC‚ and so on. Those discovered between 16 and 31 January are given the letters BA‚ BB‚ BC‚ and so on.";NASA and other observatories track the orbits of objects discovered in the Solar System‚ keeping a particular eye on ";near Earth objects"; 140 meters (460 feet) and larger in size that could cause devastation if they were to cross paths with Earth. So far‚ astronomers have been able to predict the orbits of known objects up to about 100 years in the future. The good news is that ";no known asteroid larger than 140 meters in size has a significant chance to hit Earth for the next 100 years‚"; according toNASA.Asteroid 2024 GJ2‚ despite being set for another close approach in2048‚is not on the list of objects of concern. It is simply too puny to worry about.

Trying to identify a new species of animal isnt the easiest task in the world‚ but the lucky people who do manage to find one appear to have quite the sense of humor when it comes to giving them a scientific name.Here are some of our favorites.Gelae fishFun fact: Gelae fish isnt actually a fish‚ or a jellyfish. Its a small‚ round fungus beetle and belongs to a genus first described in 2004‚ alongside the equally amusingly named Gelae bean‚ Gelae belae‚ Gelae donut‚ and Gelae rol.Rather than meaning something in Latin like a lot of scientific names‚ the entomologists who named G. fish described its moniker as a whimsical arrangement of letters that is pronounced like the English word‚ fish. Just in case you were calling it f-eye-sh or something.The Mini frogsScientists adopted a similar level of whimsy when it came to classifying three new species of frogs‚ because what do you do when tasked with naming tiny animals? Give them tiny size-related names‚ of course.And so‚ in 2019‚ the genus Mini was born‚ with its member species Mini ature‚ Mini mum‚ and Mini scule. Found in the lowland forests of southern Madagascar‚ these diddy frogs live up to their little names; male members of M. mum are just 9.7 millimeters long. That makes it one of the smallest known frogs in the world‚ although its not the smallest.Vini vidiviciRIP Vinividi vici‚ you would';ve loved Julius Caesar.Image credit: Michael B. H. via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)The list of silly scientific names is pretty entomology-heavy‚ but occasionally other animals get a look-in too although in the case of the extinct conquered lorikeet‚ the sense of humor applied is somewhat darker.Only known through fossils found on Polynesian islands‚ this parrots species name alludes to the Latin phrase veni‚ vidi‚ vicias it is thought to have gone extinct at the hands of humans 700 to 1‚300 years ago.The meaning‚ ";I came‚ I saw‚ I conquered‚"; may be projected into the prehistoric situation in the Marquesas and elsewhere in Polynesia‚ where people came to an island‚ saw the native parrots‚ and then conquered them‚ leaving behind only the bones‚ wrote the scientists who named this unfortunate lorikeet.Aha haNope‚ I didnt accidentally put my reply to my colleagues funny Teams message here Aha hais actually a species of wasp endemic to Australia.It was named by US entomologist Arnold S. Menke‚ who recalled how the name came about in a 1983 issue of wasp biology publication‚ Sphecos.My recollection is that while going over some sphecid material collected ";down under"; by [fellow entomologists Howard E. Evans and Bob Matthews]‚ I came upon a cute little gray wasp with strange tarsal ungues and exclaimed‚ ';aha‚ a new genus';. Eric Grissell‚ resident wit‚ who happened to be standing nearby observing the master‚ retorted with some skepticism‚ ';ha';.And thus‚ the funniest wasp species was born.Agra vationWe can thank entomologist Terry Erwin for another fantastically silly beetle name. A species of Carabidae or ground beetle‚ Agra vation isnt particularly aggravating in itself‚ but apparently collecting samples of the Agragenus is something of a painstaking task‚ hence the name.Erwin is also responsible for a number of other humorous names within this genus‚ including Agra cadabra and Agra katewinsletae after Titanic actress Kate Winslet. Her character did not go down with the ship‚ but we will not be able to say the same for this elegant canopy species‚ if all the rain forest is converted to pastures‚ wrote Erwin in the study describing the species.