Science Diction
Science Diction is a podcast about words and the science stories behind them.
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Each episode of Science Diction takes a word or phrase, and with the help of historians, authors, etymologists, and scientists, serves up language with a side of science.
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The Origin Of The Word ‘Alcohol’
“The cause of (and solution to) all life’s problems” is derived from Arabic. But the word ‘alcohol’ originally referred to a method of manufacturing makeup, among other things.
The Origin Of The Word ‘Meme’
What does LOLcats have to do with evolutionary biology?
The Origin Of The Word ‘Quarantine’
‘Trentino’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
The Origin Of The Word ‘Cocaine’
It’s a tale of a leaf, a graduate student, and alkaloid science.
The Origin Of The Word ‘Quark’
It’s a tale of particle physics, Aristotle, and James Joyce.