Gay Parasitic Hairworm Named After Obama

September 9, 2016I don't make the news. I just report it. Really Maybe the oddest creature to bear Obama’s name, though, is Paragordius obamai, a parasitic hairworm that originates near the area in Kenya where the president’s grandfather was raised. This particular hairworm, which infects crickets, is notable because the species reproduces without a male.University of New Mexico professor Ben Hanelt, who bestowed the moniker, told Yahoo News that he and his colleagues were aware that the announcement of “a gay parasite named after the president” might generate some unfortunate news coverage.Hanelt said two factors led to putting the name of the president of the United States on the hairworm. First, the grant money for his research came from the 2009 economic stimulus bill that Obama championed. Second, he and his colleagues discovered the creature not far from where Obama’s grandfather grew up and some relatives still live.After Jan. 20, 2017, when “hopefully he won’t be getting thousands of letters a day but maybe hundreds,” Hanelt said he would write to Obama again.“I will not quit! I want the president to know about this parasite!” he said.Millions of Americans already know about this parasite. Though the actual parasite is almost as repulsive as its namesake The scientists found clusters of tens to hundreds of fluke eggs in the turtles’ lung alveoli, the tiny sacs where blood receives oxygen and gets rid of carbon dioxide. How these eggs get outside to hatch and infect new hosts isn’t clear, although making the turtles cough is probably involved.They have a great GOTV operation.