There aren’t many lists that include both Sir David Attenborough and David Bowie – who, by the way, turned down his own offer of knighthood. But here's one such list: the names of new species of smiley-faced spiders in the Caribbean.
Researchers at the University of Vermont have identified fifteen new species of these spiders and have named them after famous people. There’s Spintharus michelleobamaae and it’s cousin Spintharus leonardodicaprioi.
Ingi Agnarsson is associate professor of biology and curator of invertebrate collections at University of Vermont. He led the new study, and he says he and his team are using the names to honor people they believe have made positive contributions to the world.