Bazinga bee named after 'Big Bang Theory' catchphrase

Biologist who discovered the new species of Brazilian orchid bee says he's a huge fan of the hit comedy series.

Thu, Jan 03 2013 at 11:10 AM

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Insects, TV Shows

Image Credit: Nemésio & Ferrari 2012

CBS's hit comedy series "The Big Bang Theory" has just received one of the geekiest accolades possible: its own species of bee.

The ratings juggernaut, which is averaging over 19 million viewers an episode during its current sixth season, inspired biologist Andre Nemesio to name a new species of Brazilian orchid bee "Euglossa bazinga" - after a catchphrase used by one of the main characters. From the paper announcing the discovery:

The specific epithet honors the clever, funny, captivating “nerd” character Sheldon Cooper, brilliantly portrayed by the North American actor James Joseph “Jim” Parsons on the CBS TV show “The Big Bang Theory”. Sheldon Cooper’s favorite comic word “bazinga”, used by him when tricking somebody, was here chosen to represent the character. Euglossa bazinga sp. n. has tricked us for some time due to its similarity to E. ignita, what led us to use “bazinga”. Sheldon Cooper has also an asteroid named after him (246247 Sheldoncooper).

In response to the honor, "Big Bang" executive producer Steven Molaro said they were extremely flattered to be once again embraced by the scientific community. “Sheldon would be honored to know that Euglossa bazinga was inspired by him," he said in a statement. "In fact, after Mothra and griffins, bees are his third-favorite flying creatures.”

By naming the orchid bee after a pop culture hit, Nemesio is hopeful that more attention can be raised on the poorly understood species — and its rapidly declining habitat. You can learn more about the remarkable relationship between orchids and orchid bees in the video below.

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Comments: 2

Snapps Holmes Feb 02 2013 at 11:53 AM

That’s pretty cool the show was able to take credit in having a bee named after their catchphrase the “Bazinga”. The Big Bang Theory’s one of my favorites on primetime and I’ve been watching for a few seasons. I used to find it hard at times to watch everything on primetime since that’ what I mainly watch and it’s been one of my biggest headaches. I work during primetime so the only option is to record them for playback later and that’s where the problems start. I thought it was hopeless

.... More

until my employer DISH the PrimeTime Anytime feature to get all 4 major networks recorded nightly. The DISH Hopper DVR has solved all my timer conflicts and allows everyone to continue watching their shows without interruption. I can view them in any room too, which’s great and its made life simple for everyone.