Harry Potter

If the wizarding gene is dominant, as J.K. Rowling says in her famous series of Harry Potter books, then how can a wizard be born to muggle parents (non-magical people)? And how can there be squibs (non-magical people born into wizarding lines)?

It seems these baffling genetic questions have finally been answered, thanks to Andrea Klenotiz, a biology student at the University of Delaware.

In a six-page paper, which she sent to Rowling, Klenotiz outlines how the wizarding gene works and even explains why some witches and wizards are more powerful than others.

It helps to actually attend class instead of going off on ill-advised adventures with your friends. If you think about it, Harry was really a terrible student.

There are Percy Jackson fans?

A group of college students had the real-life Professor Snape.

His name was Henry Lloyd Snape, and while he didn't wield a wand—far as we know— fawn after Lily Potter, or make a mad magical potion; he did claim his expertise in the field of Chemistry. So, he was pretty much the Half Blood Prince. Check him out, pictured in the center, below.

In The Irish Times, the real-life Professor Snape is described as uncannily lenient towards a dark but charismatic disposition, much like the demeanor of Severus as played by Alan Rickman in the 'Harry Potter' flicks.

What gets the bit between the teeth on the connection between Henry Lloyd and JK's Severus Snape, is Rodger's discovery of a recent lecture that was titled 'The Philosopher of Stone.' This immediately brings to mind the title of the first 'Harry Potter' book, 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.'

As a final resounding note we'll add that Henry Lloyd taught at Aberystwyth University, an old college building that had Gothic spires and turrets eerily similar to Hogwarts.

If you are familiar with the Harry Potter series, you probably remember the dementors: dark, ghost-like beings that suck every positive feeling away leaving nothing but an empty shell. These awful creatures have now made the transition from fantasy to scientific literature, as they are now the namesake of a newly discovered species of cockroach wasp. The name Ampulex dementor was chosen through public voting and has been described by Stefanie Krause and her team at the Natural History Museum in Berlin.