In July 2012, marine biologist Paul Sikkel of Arkansas State University announced he had discovered a new coral reef crustacean, which he had named Gnathia marleyi, after the late Jamaican reggae artist Bob Marley. The news kicked off a media storm — drawing worldwide coverage from outlets including CBS News, the Associated Press,Reuters, CNN, Fox News, NPR, the BBC and AFP. The story generated so much public interest (a rarity for taxonomy news), that it spawned a question on Jeopardy. Even People magazine named the discovery one of 2012's most intriguing things.
Most of the coverage was, to Sikkel's delight, positive. After all, Sikkel had named the "true natural wonder" for Marley because of his respect and admiration for Marley's music. Plus, he says, "Gnathia marleyi is as uniquely Caribbean as was Marley."
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