spider – Queer Sci Fi

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Newly Discovered “Joker” Spider Named for Joaquin Phoenix

June 27, 2020 by scott

A newfound spider species wears a striking red-and-white pattern on its back that resembles the grin worn by Batman’s long-standing nemesis, the Joker. The resemblance is so uncanny that the researchers who described the arachnid named the species after actor Joaquin Phoenix, who portrayed the tormented, smiling villain in the 2019 film, “Joker.” Ironically, the colorful spider belongs to a genus that was named for the late punk rock icon Lou Reed, who famously wore black and rarely smiled. Scientists discovered Loureedia phoenixi in Iran; it’s the first Loureedia spider to be identified outside the Mediterranean region, they reported in … Read more

Meet the Spider Named After Stormtroopers

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019 by scott

White-armored Stormtroopers in the “Star Wars” movies are practically identical and nearly impossible to tell apart. That uncanny similarity recently inspired a team of scientists who had discovered a new spider genus; the arachnids were so alike each other in size and markings that the researchers named them after the helmeted troops, calling the creatures Stormtropis. These eight-legged Stormtroopers belong to a family dubbed bald-legged spiders, which are native to South America and Central America. Like the Stormtroopers, the spiders “are very similar to each other, with some capacity for camouflage”; the sci-fi soldiers and the newfound spiders are also alike … Read more