Naming and your field

[SS-18 ICBM]

So, what are some interesting examples of names given to stuff in your fields of interest or related fields? Do you like weird and whimsical naming schemes or would you prefer a more stolid and clinical nomenclature system? I'll start with a few examples.

Southern blotting, a means of detecting specific DNA sequences was named for its inventor Edwin Southern. Most of the other methods of detecting specific macromolecules are named in reference to this. Northern blotting detects RNA, Western blotting detects proteins, and Eastern blotting detects stuff added to proteins. Then you get combinations or extensions of these like Southwestern blotting (DNA and protein interactions) and Far-Eastern blotting (fats and stuff added to proteins. Guess where the inventors are from).

Your usual species names are examples of the formal, stuffy kind of nomenclature with high-minded Latin terms. Though in recent times this isn't as absolute with names like Utahraptor.

In terms of macromolecules and genes, the names differ widely in their creativeness and whimsy. Usually you get alphanumeric designations such as p53 or CD4 (Cluster of Differentiation 4). But you also get names like Noggin and Sonic hedgehog(chicken variant of the gene hedgehog, a mutated version of which gives flies bristles).

 

[The_J]

Oh, I don't care if funny or serious, as long as there's consistency.
e.g. I hate when they give genes alphabetical prefixes in the order on the genome...besides the regular, which gets R and is located somewhere.
Or alphanumerical gene names are fine...but not if you annotate the genome 3 times, but only 2 times in the same direction.

Or for graphics cards, I hate that the name scheme is sometimes so totally unclear, e.g. if they rebrand older cards with a higher number .


For funny names, I think I've heard of a Schnitzel and a Super Mario gene, but can't find them anywhere in the literature.


Edit: And this topic is probably too nerdy for most of the users here .

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Edit: And this topic is probably too nerdy for most of the users here .

Well, I'm not asking for highly esoteric jargon. Just names for concepts and things. And it can be almost any field anyway. I thought it might be an interesting topic, especially since OT is getting too political again. Having said that though, there's going to be people arguing about political terms here, right?

 

[Eat_Up_Martha]

There's a mineral called 'cummingtonite,' which entertained me a great deal. My favourite mineral, though, is probably 'illite.' Mainly because I was listening to a lot of Beastie Boys whilst studying mineralogy.

 

[Antilogic]

Biology probably takes the cake here. I can't think of too much stuff in my field that is oddly named, unless you look at the periodic table and see all those oddly-named lanthanide and actinide series elements. Seriously, californium? Einsteinium? That sounds like B-movie type stuff.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

The naming disputes between the competing research teams are quite interesting. Also, with chemical compounds you get things like arsole.