lem•ming (n.)

Any of various small, thickset rodents, especially of the genus Lemmus, inhabiting northern regions and known for periodic mass migrations that sometimes end in drowning.

Lemmings are widely ridiculed for their apparent need to run off cliffs and quite illogically kill themselves.

According to several sources, lemming suicide is a myth. Overpopulation leads to scarcity of food and overcrowding, in turn causing the animals to migrate in search of food. The lemmings embark on their single-minded quest, swimming lakes and rivers, crossing mountains, eating all vegetation in their path. When they reach the sea, they try to swim it as they would a river and drown in the attempt.

The Legend of the Lemming started when Dr. Marnett moved from Wayne State University to Vanderbilt. Several lab members accompanied him to Nashville, and on unpacking day they unveiled "Larry's Lemmings" t-shirts and presented him with a "Lemming Leader" t-shirt. From then on, Marnett group members have been known as the lemmings. However, these lemmings have a fiercely independent streak when it comes to critical thinking and experiments.