On Wednesday, the Entomological Society of America announced it was removing “gypsy moth” and “gypsy ant” as recognized common names for two insects. As a child in New Hampshire, Dr. Brooks loved watching worms and caterpillars crawl across her hand. Instead they blamed “gypsy moth caterpillars,” the species’ common name. “That’s how they see us,” Dr. Brooks remembered thinking as a child. But Dr. Brooks never imagined the pejorative could be stricken from its use in the more staid realm of science.

Source: New York Times July 09, 2021 18:33 UTC