I clicked this article, expecting to shake my head in disgust. Instead, that actually sounds like a pretty good idea for funding research. Bravo to Metzler for putting his pride second to his research.
You don't want some idiot's surname on a species just because he had money considering we'll be stuck with that name for centuries.
If he had sold the name rights for a "limited time" (and slashdotters do love that particular phrase) of say life+100 years, no one would mind. But naming rights for perpetuity is a really bad idea because the public will be stuck using a stupid name that had nothing to do with the characteristics of the insect but rather the greed
I may be IT by profession but I'm an entomologist by degree. Discovering a new species of moth is fringe, not fundamental. Calling it so is no more than an attempt to "raise more funds". While it is interesting to find new species, they are now very low population (especially in the US) and have a very minor influence on the ecology.
You don't want some idiot's surname on a species just because he had money considering we'll be stuck with that name for centuries.
If he had sold the name rights for a "limited time" (and slashdotters do love that particular phrase) of say life+100 years, no one would mind. But naming rights for perpetuity is a really bad idea because the public will be stuck using a stupid name that had nothing to do with the characteristics of the insect but rather the greed
I may be IT by profession but I'm an entomologist by degree. Discovering a new species of moth is fringe, not fundamental. Calling it so is no more than an attempt to "raise more funds". While it is interesting to find new species, they are now very low population (especially in the US) and have a very minor influence on the ecology.
I bid for: moth'); DROP TABLE Insects; --