Fame, money and power are a recipe for bad behaviour, but some household names stay relatively grounded, focus on their craft and have inspired more than a new generation of like-minded stars. Universally loved, notoriously generous and admired by many, Keanu Reeves is one of those celebrities and now – in addition to an impressive resume, he now has a new bacteria named after him.
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While he’s known as Canada’s gentle giant, Reeves is an action-scene icon and has played some seriously badass characters. From Neo in The Matrix to John Wick, it was actually his alter ego as the sharp-shooting protagonist that influenced a team of German scientists.
Discovered back in January, “keanumycins” is able to kill plant fungal diseases and human-pathogenic fungi without harming their cells and could, in the future, be an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides.
“The lipopeptides kill so efficiently that we named them after Keanu Reeves because he, too, is extremely deadly in his roles,” said Sebastian Götze, a researcher with Germany’s Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology.
The best part? The actor has actually responded and just as you’d expect, was honoured.
“They should’ve called it John Wick…” he wrote in response to a comment made via Lionsgate’s Ask Me Anything Reddit Thread.
“That’s pretty cool…and surreal for me. But thanks, scientist people! Good luck, and thank you for helping us.”
Honestly, we couldn’t have come up with a better name – or better response and can’t wait to see what the future holds for “keanumycins.”
Science really does rule and so does Keanu Reeves. What a combo.
