Here is an exercise: Think of a piece of music that you love or hate.  Got it?  Can you hear that wonderful (or annoying) rhythm in your head?  But here is the million dollar question — Were you able to recall that tune without remembering the title of that music?  If you were (or even if you weren’t), there may be a very good reason why and it has very little to do with the number of records sold and everything to do with brain physiology.  Interested in learning more?  Read what researchers have recently discovered about the connection between music and naming in this article at Scientific American. They conducted a scientific study to find out which parts of the brain are important for naming a famous song.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is an internationally recognized leader in the international fight against deadly diseases. What few people know, however, is that the WHO is also involved in the bestowing names to illnesses. As any scientist can tell you, naming a disease is no easy task. The moniker chosen must not only be unique, descriptive, and accurate. Ideally, it will also avoid causing any unnecessary offense to people, places, and animals. To help the disease name-givers in their task, the WHO has a whole set of official guidelines for the naming of newly discovered human infectious diseases, as reported in Science magazine. However, not everyone is pleased about the rules and recommendations.

Among the existing monikers that its new guidelines “for the Naming of New Human Infectious Diseases” would discourage: Ebola, swine flu, Rift Valley Fever, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and monkey pox. Instead, WHO says researchers, health officials, and journalists should use more neutral, generic terms, such as severe respiratory disease or novel neurologic syndrome.

While the controversy continues in Washington, D.C., the state of California has introduced a new law (AB-30) prohibiting all public schools from using the name “redskins” for sports teams and mascots. American Indians regard the term as offensive. Calaveras High School, in Calaveras County, chose to drop the name it used for decades and decided that it would no longer have a mascot at all.

The new law is called the “California Racial Mascots Act“.  To read the exact text of this landmark piece of legislation, click through to the California Legislative Information website.

Pluto has not been having an easy time of it.  There was all that nasty controversy over whether it could retain the name “planet”. The year 2017 seems to be looking up for Pluto though; the International Astronomical Union has recently announced that Pluto’s lovely heart-shaped region will finally be receiving an official name of its own.  And if that wasn’t exciting enough, several other topographical features of this heavenly body are up for naming.  Interested in learning more? Click through to this Scientific American article to catch up on Pluto news!

Beijing fortune-teller Mao Shandong offers Chinese parents an auspicious name for their newborn but he faces competition from tech-savvy entrepreneurs who have turned the ancient tradition into a lucrative online business

For many Chinese parents, making the right choice for their child’s name has become even more imperative as they seek to help their children stand out in the world’s most populous country. These days, they are more likely to turn to online businesses than to more traditional resources like fortune tellers. According to this article at the news site Phys.org, a quick web search reveals more than a hundred such businesses in China, each promising names that will pave the way for future success. But what kinds of names do they suggest? Read on to find out.

Zealandia, a landmass about two-thirds the size of Australia (of which 94% is under water), is a step closer to being recognized. A paper published in GSA Today, the journal of the Geological Society of America, contends that the vast, continuous expanse of continental crust, which centers on New Zealand, is distinct enough to constitute a separate continent. Will we see the introduction Zealandia in this century?

A new report by UK pregnancy & parenting website Bounty has uncovered that baby names inspired by Netflix characters are on the up. The report, which reviewed the 340,000 names Bounty’s members gave to their babies in recent months, found that as well as more common-place character names increasing in popularity, there’s been a sharp rise in unique names featured on shows this year. So which are the most popular – Piper, Walter, Jessica? Did your favorites make the list?