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Her group is renaming some of the most objectionable names

Assuming that this article is accurate, I think that what it describes is just pathetic. It's a long standing tradition in science that someone early in the discovery/ invention process of a new item gets to name it. The entire genus of Rickettsia is named that way because Dr. Ricketts, who discovered that genus, decided that would be a good name for it (guess why). X-rays have that name because Roentgen decided to call them that. Historically, some committee, that had nothing valuable to contribute to the actual discovery or invention of an object, has not had a say in what those objects are called. It's one of the many meager incentives to be in science; you find or invent something, you get to name it.

Based on my reading of this article, it appears that Dr. Sue Povey is bothered by the names chosen for genes by people who actually did the work to find those genes. It also appears that Dr. Povey did not actually find those genes herself, or she would have already named them whatever she wanted to. If she wants to have soothing, comforting names for these genes, then maybe she should discover them herself, and name them whatever she wants. In my opinion, the same goes for any MD or patient who is disturbed by the name chosen by the discoverers of those genes.