ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS: Have several newly discovered animals been named after The Muppets?

QUESTION Have several newly discovered animals been named after The Muppets?

Scientists discover new species all the time and they have a penchant for naming them after famous characters. 

A species of fossil trilobite discovered in China in 2007 was called Geragnostus waldorfstatleri after Statler and Waldorf, the cantankerous duo that heckle the other Muppets from the box seats. Another trilobite of the genus was named after Han Solo.

There is a Tasmanian tube-dwelling spider named Ariadna gonzo after The Great Gonzo, the Muppets' long-nosed, passionate, yet hopeless, stuntman.

Kermit the Frog has been honoured with an entire genus. Kermitops is an extinct genus of amphibian whose fossil was discovered in Texas in 1984. 

As yet only one species is known, Kermitops gratus, but if further relatives are discovered they will bear the name. Another species of frog was named Hensonbatrachus kermiti in 2015.

The extant glass frog Hyalinobatrachium dianae is popularly known as the Kermit Frog because of its resemblance to the Muppet.

Simon Forrest, Cirencester, Glos.

QUESTION Given ideal conditions, how long could a soap bubble remain intact?

Soap bubble experiments were popular at the turn of the 19th-20th century. They were used to demonstrate the properties of liquid, gas and fats, as well as to study the phenomenon of diffusion.

There was something of a competition to create the most long-lasting bubble. 

The expert in the field was the Scottish scientist James Dewar (1842-1923), best known for his invention of the vacuum flask.

In 1916 Dewar managed to create a twelve-and-a-half-inch wide bubble that lasted for 108 days. To achieve the feat the bubble was contained within a sealed container with purified air. 

There is a photograph of Dewar admiring his bubble, taken by Olive Edis.

Bubbles burst when the membrane becomes too thin, as the water in the membrane flows to the bottom due to gravity, or it simply evaporates. Horizontal films can be maintained for much longer, and Dewar kept a soap film disk with a diameter of seven and a half inches for more than three years.

According to the Guinness Book Of Records, the longest-lasting bubble is one year and 100 days, achieved by Aymeric Roux and colleagues at the University of Lille, France, as verified in 2021. This was no conventional soap bubble. It was formed using a high concentration of glycerol and contained plastic particles to cling to the bubble film to support its integrity.

A. E. Rowley, Rugby, Warks.

QUESTION What is the story of the Elizabeth Canning kidnap case, a criminal mystery that happened in the 18th century?

Elizabeth Canning, an 18-year-old maid, disappeared on January 1, 1753, and reappeared almost a month later, on January 29, in a distressed and emaciated state. She claimed she had been abducted near Moorfields in London and held captive in a house in Enfield, where she was imprisoned in a loft by Susanna 'Mother' Wells and accomplices.

Canning alleged that one of the accomplices was a gipsy woman called Mary Squires who gave her only crusts of bread and some water to survive. Her account sparked public outrage and led to the arrest of Wells and Squires.

The pair were put on trial and, despite conflicting testimonies and evidence, Squires was convicted of kidnap and theft and sentenced to death by hanging, while Wells was sentenced to branding on the thumb and six months' imprisonment.

The case soon unravelled. The trial judge Sir Crisp Gascoyne found Canning's story fanciful. He'd been disgusted by Canning's supporters' rowdy behaviour, taunting the accused and intimidating witnesses. He then led a private investigation that revealed inconsistencies, including alibis for Squires, who was purportedly far from London during the alleged kidnapping.

Public opinion became sharply divided, with 'Canningites' supporting Elizabeth and 'Egyptians' (named after Squires' supposed gipsy ethnicity) doubting her account. One notable Canningite was the magistrate Henry Fielding, famed for his 1749 comic novel The History Of Tom Jones, A Foundling.

Under mounting pressure, the case was retried, and Squires was acquitted, while Canning was prosecuted for perjury. In May 1754, Canning was found guilty and sentenced to transportation to America for seven years. She never returned.

The Elizabeth Canning case remains a historical enigma, reflecting deep societal divides and prejudices of the time. It highlights issues of class, gender, and the judicial system's vulnerabilities.

Ashley Farquar, Holmfirth, West Yorks.