A University of Michigan study dives into the world of minerals and finds very few of them are named after women compared to men.
According to the study, only 7% of all known minerals are named after women. Study lead Dr. Chris Emproto says, while it’s ideal to aim for gender parity in mineral naming, it may not be realistic anytime soon. He says an alternative solution would be to name minerals based on their physical features or location instead.
“At the end of the day, a mineral named after a person absolutely does not convey any scientific information. We are naming these as part of a scientific nomenclature system, and so therein lies the problem that I have with naming minerals after people.”
Emproto adds descriptive names can also help categorize related minerals, although, he says, he does expect pushback from others in who prefer to name discoveries after themselves or people they know.
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