Author: Michelle Francl
Source: Nature Chemistry. 12, 879â880 (2020).
Publication type: Editorial material
Abstract: âBecquerels are the SI units for a radionuclideâs activity, grays are the unit for absorbed doseâ. Iâm in the middle of an introductory lecture on radiochemistry, but whatâs really running through my mind is not metrology but a line from the King James Bible: âLet us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat usâ. Becquerels and grays, joules and newtons. I deal daily in numbers and with those numbers come units, compelling me to ceaselessly praise the famous men. What, I wonder, begat our practice of naming units for famous scientists â and in this moment, when we are working toward making science a more diverse, equitable and inclusive space, should we be rethinking it?