President Barack Obama is a parasite, officially.
Scientists have named a tiny flatworm after the commander-in-chief, insisting it’s an honor. Thomas Platt, a retired biology professor at Saint Mary’s College in Indiana, told the Associated Press he discovered the 2-inch parasite and named it Baracktrema obamai because it reminds him of the President—in a good way.
“It’s long. It’s thin. And it’s cool as hell,” he said Thursday. Platt added that Baracktrema obamai, which lives in turtles’ blood, are “phenomenally incredibly resilient organisms.”
The study about the new parasite was recently published in the Journal of Parasitology.
[AP]
More Must-Read Stories From TIME
- Want to Do More Good? This Movement Might Have the Answer
- What to Know About the Monkeypox Drug TPOXX—And Why It's So Hard to Get
- The Year's Final Supermoon Reminds Us Why We Love the Night Sky
- A Hotter World Means More Disease Outbreaks in Our Future
- How The Sandman Author Neil Gaiman Drew Inspiration From His Nightmares
- Candace Parker Is a Force in Basketball and Beyond
- Dropbox Tossed Out the Workplace Rulebook. Here’s How That’s Working
Read More From TIME
