by Xinhua writers Yuan Quan and Yue Ranran
BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese pop singer Jay Chou is renowned for his musical versatility, with his songs bringing to mind romance, nostalgia and the charm of traditional culture. However, when his fans listen to his songs these days, they might bring something new to mind: spiders.
A recent scientific paper, featured on an international academic journal, has thrilled music lovers in China by naming 16 newly discovered spiders after iconic songs by the 45-year-old pop star.
These new spider species, belonging to six genera, were discovered at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in southwest China's Yunnan Province. To date, a total of 920 spider species have been identified within this 11 million-square-meter garden, which is known as one of the most spider-diverse places in the world.
The names of the spiders include "anjing" (silence), "longquan (dragon fist), "yequ" (nocturne), "caihong" (rainbow) and "daoxiang" (rice field). The researchers recorded them in Chinese pinyin in this English-written paper published in the journal Zoological Research: Diversity and Conservation in December.
When asked about the inspiration behind the names, the scientists responded with a shared passion. Lead researcher Li Shuqiang, from the CAS Institute of Zoology, told Xinhua that all his teammates, born between the 1980s and 2000s, are avid fans of the singer and songwriter from the Taiwan region, "having grown up listening to his music." They enjoy listening to his songs in their spare time, which led them to unanimously decide to name the spider species after 16 of Chou's songs.
Regarding which spider was given a particular title, Li explained that the selection was not based on any scientific criteria. Rather, they were chosen randomly, with no relation to the features of the spiders.
Mi Xiaoqi, the first author of the study and a professor at Tongren University in Guizhou Province, is an admirer of Jay Chou. Almost the same age as the musician, the researcher said that he used to name his discoveries based on animals' morphological features, but in 2022 due to a name coinciding with previous research by other authors, his paper was not published successfully.
"Since then I have been very cautious about naming spiders," Mi said. "Given that many of my peers rely on morphological characteristics for naming, this time I chose to use a different approach to avoid repetition."
Mi said the task of publishing 16 new species in an academic journal at once was not particularly challenging for researchers with years of experience in the field.
"I am familiar with all spider species. With just one look, I can determine which category they belong to and identify if it is a new species," Mi said.
In the eyes of the Chinese spider researcher, many species, including the newly discovered ones, have some fascinating characteristics. For example, mature female spiders can be several times larger than their male counterparts. The discovery of these new species reflects China's rich biodiversity and the success of ecological conservation efforts.
As the paper made national headlines this week, he expressed satisfaction with his team's accomplishment. "It has brought our scientific work closer to the public," Mi said. "I hope that more people will take an interest in our research and support nature conservation."
Some netizens on social media have dubbed Mi "the ultimate fan" and lauded his approach of naming new species after pop songs as "the most innovative way to follow celebrities."
Many of Chou's fans have also found that this is not the first time the pop star has made an appearance in the scientific community.
In 2020, a master's degree student from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology under the CAS discovered a unique trilobite dating back about 500 million years. He named it "Fantasy," inspired by Jay Chou's second studio album. The researcher told the media that the naming was his romantic way of paying tribute to his idol.
In 2009, four astronomy enthusiasts, also crazy about Chou's music, discovered an asteroid and named it after him.
In the academic world, the naming of new species or discoveries must adhere to general academic standards and follow established conventions. For instance, the name must be unique and cannot duplicate the names of existing species. Moreover, it should avoid causing misunderstandings or offense.
However, this does not mean there is no room for "creativity." Blending science and humanity has been a popular trend among researchers worldwide, especially younger ones, when it comes to naming discoveries.
In 2019, during a deep-sea exploration, scientists discovered a new amphipod creature. To welcome this "new resident" of the deep ocean, they named it "Dorotea" after the beautiful and kind character in the world-famous novel "Don Quixote". Similarly, there was also a deep-sea worm that was given the name "Hodor hodor" in 2018, as a tribute to the beloved character from American fantasy TV series Game of Thrones.
A Chinese newspaper commented that incorporating elements of pop music into the names of new species is "not only an engaging approach but also helps draw public attention to science, inspiring more people to explore the wonders of nature."
Moreover, this practice introduces a novel way for popular culture to leave its mark. "Once these names gain recognition from the international academic community, it can be viewed as an embodiment of Chinese cultural elements reaching a global audience," said The Beijing News. ■