Bad Religion vocalist Greg Graffin will be teaching evolution this fall semester at his alma mater of Cornell University. He recieved a PhD in zoology from the school and has served as a life sciences and paleontology lecturer at UCLA. Graffin says,
This is the first year of three that I am slated to help develop the course and lecture at Cornell. I have a colleague who is a gifted geneticist, Richard Harrison, who will be co-teaching with me. I only have to lecture on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That leaves plenty of time to head overseas on the weekends!
In this month’s Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society in London, paleontologists who discovered an ancient bird fossil in the Gansu province of China have named the find “Qiliania graffini” in honor of Graffin. Dr. Jingmai O’Connor says,
The species name is in honor of Dr. Gregory Graffin, PhD: paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, professor, rock star and inspiration to numerous budding and established scientists around the world.
Graffin responds,
I am so happy that they have given me the privilege of having an important fossil bird named in my honor. My love of birds now must pass to the Cretaceous and the wonderful finds from China that [the authors] are elucidating.