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US President Joe Biden has made science and climate change one of his priorities upon taking office. Biden recently received an honor from the scientific community, with a rare fossil being named after the US leader.
A team of paleontologists announced this week that its newest discovery of a fossilized vampire squid would be named after Biden. The decision to name the squid after Biden came as the paleontologists were encouraged with the US leader’s plans to address the ongoing issue of climate change and funding scientific research, according to New York Museum of Natural History paleontologist Christopher Whalen.
The Syllipsimopodi bideni squid was described as a very rare fossil, first found in Montana and then donated to the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada back in 1988. The fossil remained in a drawer for decades until a scientist examined the fossil closely.
The species was found in the oceans around 328 million years ago. Whalen explained that this is the oldest known ancestor of vampyropods, which is a group that vampire squids and octopuses belong to.
This is not the first time a species was named after a US president. Nine species were named after Biden’s former boss, Barack Obama, which included a hairworm, a spider, and several fish. Two species were named after Biden’s immediate predecessor Donald Trump – a moth and a blind worm-like amphibian that buries its head in the sand.
In other related news, Biden will meet Colombian President Ivan Duque at the White House this week, with the ongoing issue of migration expected to be on the agenda in the meeting between the two leaders. Biden and Duque are expected to tackle issues related to migration, such as expanding legal pathways for migrants and providing support for countries that welcome large numbers of migrants in their meeting.
Biden’s meeting with Duque comes before the ninth Summit of the Americas that will take place in Los Angeles in June. Migration will also be one of the main topics at the summit, according to an administration official. Ways to support countries that are on the “front line” will also be among the topics.
