Haven't signed into your Scholastic account before?
Teachers, not yet a subscriber?
Subscribers receive access to the website and print magazine.
You are being redirecting to Scholastic's authentication page...
Announcements & Tutorials
Explore Primary Sources
How Students and Families Can Log In
1 min.
Setting Up Student View
Sharing Articles with Your Students
2 min.
Interactive Activities
4 min.
Sharing Videos with Students
Using Upfront with Educational Apps
5 min.
Join Our Facebook Group!
Exploring the Archives
Powerful Differentiation Tools
3 min.
World and U.S. Almanac & Atlas
Subscriber Only Resources
Access this article and hundreds more like it with a subscription to The New York TImes Upfront magazine.
Article Options
Presentation View
This Bug Was Born This Way
UI Public Affairs/L. Brian Stauffer (insect); Jennifer Graylock/PA Wire/Press Association via AP Images (Lady GaGa)
A newly discovered insect is named after Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga is known for her eye-catching style. So when Brendan Morris, a Ph.D. student at the University of Illinois, discovered a new flamboyant-looking insect, he knew he had to name it after the pop singer. Meet the Kaikaia gaga, a red and dark-purple species of treehopper from Nicaragua. Treehoppers—so named because they’re often found on trees—are one of the most diverse groups of insects on the planet, and many of them sport odd-looking bumps, antlers, and colors. “If there is going to be a Lady Gaga bug, it’s going to be a treehopper, because they’ve got these crazy horns, they have this wacky fashion sense about them,” Morris says. “They’re unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.” The singer hasn’t weighed in on the announcement yet, but Morris hopes she appreciates the name—and that the comparison ultimately helps treehoppers become more well-known.