Scientists discover a new shrimp that kills with sound, name it after Pink Floyd.
Let's imagine you are a shrimp researcher, and you come across this little guy:
Image from Sammy De Grave/Oxford University.
It's a new species! Which means you get to name it!
So, what do you have in mind?
If you're like this researcher at Oxford University, there's only one moniker that'd fit.
"I have been listening to Floyd since The Wall was released in 1979, when I was 14 years old," professor Sammy De Grave said in a press release. "This new species of pistol shrimp was the perfect opportunity to finally give a nod to my favourite band."
In honor of the London band, the shrimp has been given the official moniker Synalpheus pinkfloydi.
In honor of the new discovery, Oxford University even commissioned custom artwork. Check out "Another Shrimp in the Wall." Image from Kate Pocklington/Oxford University.
The name's apt in more than one way. Just like its prog rock namesake, this little guy packs an incredible sonic punch.
Shrimp Floyd, which was discovered on the Pacific coast of Panama, is what's known as a pistol shrimp. Though they're usually only an inch or two long, they pack gigantic — and in this case, fluorescent pink — claws.
The neon-colored claw may have inspired the name, but it's more than just decoration. The shrimp can actually cock it like a pistol. When it fires, well, you better get out of the way. The action launches a superheated, imploding bubble that can be as loud as 220 decibels.
A related species' weapon in action. GIF from BBC Earth Unplugged/YouTube.
Even the original Pink Floyd would have trouble matching that kind of acoustic power. Your typical rock concert only reaches about 120 decibels.
The claw's sound is so loud that anything nearby, such as a small fish, is in danger of being stunned or even killed, leaving a tasty snack for the tiny shrimp. In fact, the animals are so noisy that they can even hide the sound of military submarines.
Shrimp Floyd is here to prove that the rock 'n' roll lifestyle isn't just for musicians.
Check out this reimagined take on Pink Floyd's "Animals" album cover. Image from Chris Jarvis/Oxford University.
This little shrimp is a badass rocker acoustic monster. The Earth is full of superstar animals, and it's cool that scientists made sure this one had a fitting name.
The new species was described in the scientific journal Zootaxa.



A Generation Jones teenager poses in her room.Image via Wikmedia Commons
An office kitchen.via
An angry man eating spaghetti.via 



An Irish woman went to the doctor for a routine eye exam. She left with bright neon green eyes.
It's not easy seeing green.
Did she get superpowers?
Going to the eye doctor can be a hassle and a pain. It's not just the routine issues and inconveniences that come along when making a doctor appointment, but sometimes the various devices being used to check your eyes' health feel invasive and uncomfortable. But at least at the end of the appointment, most of us don't look like we're turning into The Incredible Hulk. That wasn't the case for one Irish woman.
Photographer Margerita B. Wargola was just going in for a routine eye exam at the hospital but ended up leaving with her eyes a shocking, bright neon green.
At the doctor's office, the nurse practitioner was prepping Wargola for a test with a machine that Wargola had experienced before. Before the test started, Wargola presumed the nurse had dropped some saline into her eyes, as they were feeling dry. After she blinked, everything went yellow.
Wargola and the nurse initially panicked. Neither knew what was going on as Wargola suddenly had yellow vision and radioactive-looking green eyes. After the initial shock, both realized the issue: the nurse forgot to ask Wargola to remove her contact lenses before putting contrast drops in her eyes for the exam. Wargola and the nurse quickly removed the lenses from her eyes and washed them thoroughly with saline. Fortunately, Wargola's eyes were unharmed. Unfortunately, her contacts were permanently stained and she didn't bring a spare pair.
- YouTube youtube.com
Since she has poor vision, Wargola was forced to drive herself home after the eye exam wearing the neon-green contact lenses that make her look like a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament and recorded a video explaining it all on social media. Since then, her video has sparked a couple Reddit threads and collected a bunch of comments on Instagram:
“But the REAL question is: do you now have X-Ray vision?”
“You can just say you're a superhero.”
“I would make a few stops on the way home just to freak some people out!”
“I would have lived it up! Grab a coffee, do grocery shopping, walk around a shopping center.”
“This one would pair well with that girl who ate something with turmeric with her invisalign on and walked around Paris smiling at people with seemingly BRIGHT YELLOW TEETH.”
“I would save those for fancy special occasions! WOW!”
“Every time I'd stop I'd turn slowly and stare at the person in the car next to me.”
“Keep them. Tell people what to do. They’ll do your bidding.”
In a follow-up Instagram video, Wargola showed her followers that she was safe at home with normal eyes, showing that the damaged contact lenses were so stained that they turned the saline solution in her contacts case into a bright Gatorade yellow. She wasn't mad at the nurse and, in fact, plans on keeping the lenses to wear on St. Patrick's Day or some other special occasion.
While no harm was done and a good laugh was had, it's still best for doctors, nurses, and patients alike to double-check and ask or tell if contact lenses are being worn before each eye test. If not, there might be more than ultra-green eyes to worry about.