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In the history of science, many individuals are honoured by having technical terms named after them. To modern sensibilities, this is sometimes regrettable.

Poet Dr Sam Illingworth looks at the challenges of scientific terms named after people we perhaps wouldn\'t celebrate today. Who gets to choose them anyway?

It\'s one thing to quietly change the name of a scientific prize, a research facility or a lecture theatre. But how would you rename an element or a famous equation? With a book, a record or a painting we can choose to leave them on the shelf if we so wish, but some scientific names seem as hard-wearing as concrete...

Photo: The Pillars of Creation as captured by NASA\\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope/JWST Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Written and presented by Sam Illingworth \\nProduced by Alex Mansfield \\nWith contributions from: \\nDr Emma Chapman, University of Nottingham author of "First Light" \\nSam Kean, historian of science and author of "The Disappearing Spoon" and "The Icepick Surgeon". \\nProf Natalie Bann, University of Victoria, British Columbia \\nDerek Robertson, artist, co-author of "Bho Bheul An E\\xf2in / From The Bird\'s Mouth" Derek\'s exhibition of the project is at the Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh until Dec 31st 2022.