Scientist names newly discovered millipede species after Taylor Swift

In addition to her 11 Grammy Awards, 34 American Music Awards, and 56 Guinness World Records, Taylor Swift now has a millipede species named after her.

The Nannaria swiftae, meaning Swift Twisted-Claw Millipede, is one of 17 new species recently named by Virginia Tech scientists Derek Hennen, Jackson Means, and Paul Marek. Hennen, the team’s lead author and avowed Swiftie, decided to name one of the new Arthropods after his favourite musician saying:

“I'm a big fan of her music, so I wanted to show my appreciation by naming this new species from Tennessee after her. A high honour! Her music helped me get through the highs and lows of graduate school, so naming a new millipede species after her is my way of saying thanks.”

The new species can only be found in a certain region of the Appalachian Mountains in Tennessee. Millipedes are an important part of the ecosystem as they help the decomposition process by eating decaying leaves and other dead plant matter. However, they are often difficult to find due to their underground dwelling and many more species are believed to yet be undiscovered.

In addition to the country/pop icon, Hennen also named another millipede after his wife.

BIG NEWS! Our new paper describing 17 new species of Twisted-Claw Millipedes from Appalachia is published! I spent 5 years of my life searching for them with @Nannaria1 and @apheloria. I named a new species after my wife, and another after @taylorswift13! https://t.co/QXRT6gk1Px pic.twitter.com/kL4T56P4Qd

— Derek Hennen, Ph.D. (@derekhennen) April 15, 2022

In other news, Taylor Swift is set to receive a Doctorate of Fine Arts, honoris causa, from New York University before addressing a graduation event for class of 2022 at Yankee Stadium on May 18th.

Her new song 'Carolina' will be featured in the upcoming film Where the Crawdads Sing.