He has two Ph.D's and an IQ of 187, he plays 'Words with Friends' with
Stephen Hawking, and he owns
Leonard Nimoy's napkin.
The global
march to spread the genius of The Big Bang Theory's
Dr. Sheldon Cooper
just crossed scientific fields, from theoretical physics to evolutionary zoo
biology, as a new species of the Brazilian orchid bee — Euglossa bazinga — has
been named after Dr. Coopper's zippy catchphrase - Bazinga.
Actual photos of this previously undiscovered species.
Brazilian biologist
Andre Nemesio from the Universidade Federal de
Uberlandia discovered the new species of beautiful, but misunderstood orchid bee
that bears a striking resemblance to the Euglossa ignita, (or more common
Western Brazilian orchid bee). Because the bees share so many similar
characteristics, their existence as a separate species eluded scientists for
years. Hence, the bees' grand 'bazinga' on the world of science!
Steven Molaro, one of The Big Bang Theory's executive producers,
acknowledged the unprecedented honor on behalf of the show and Dr. Cooper.
"We
are always extremely flattered when the science community embraces our show.
Sheldon would be honored to know that Euglossa bazinga was inspired by him. In
fact, after "Mothra" and griffins, bees are his third-favorite flying
creatures."