Parasitic flatworm named after President Obama
Q. US scientists have discovered a new species of parasitic flatworm. Which country’s president have they named it after?- Published on 12 Sep 16a. South Africa
b. United States
c. China
d. Japan
ANSWER: United States
US scientists have discovered a new species of parasitic flatworm that infects turtles in Malaysia.
- It has been named after US President Barack Obama as Baracktrema obamai,
- It is so unusual that it merits not only a new species designation, but its own genus, too.
- This marks the first time such an action has been taken for this group of turtle parasites in 21 years
- New species was discovered by Thomas Platt, an expert on turtle parasites who retired from Saint Mary’s College in Indiana State
- He said he was inspired by the President and named the creature after him because worms face incredible obstacles in completing their journey and must content with the immune system of the host in order to mature and reproduce
- Platt also conducted research that traced the family of his ancestors and that of the US President’s to a common ancestor
- Scientists hope this discovery will improve public health by adding to research on the related flatworm that causes schistomiasis, a disease affecting 10s of millions of people around the world which can be deadly
- The NSF funded research will also create awareness about the plight of freshwater turtles increasingly vulnerable to dwindling habitat and poaching across the world
