Las palabras de la ciencia

The term "cell", coined in 1665 by Robert Hooke, comes from "cell", the small dwelling of the monks. Many scientific words that today we believe to be a true reflection of the essence of things, are actually metaphors that have become fossilized, that have lost the vividness of their birth. Investigating the origin of each expression and its stories requires becoming a kind of bibliographical miner, eager to find the ore of the primary source to extract the most valuable information. Scientific language is a living organism in continuous evolution, a way of learning to reflect, an invitation to explore mysteries, hidden details, illuminating anecdotes, lucky breaks or unique inventions of the imagination and irony. This book explores centuries of thought and various disciplines, from ecology, molecular biology, genetics, astrobiology or neuroscience to quantum mechanics, particle physics, cosmology, oceanography or the history of science. What do you know about the quantum Cheshire cat? And what about the long-suffering alter ego of the avatar mouse? Where does the term synthetic biology come from? Who is Luke? And the relentless Matthew effect?... "On the shoulders of giants", "extraordinary claims", terrestrial analogue, the creative Big Bang, "God does not play dice with the universe", the improbable geometry of the scutoid, the Child devastating, the race of the Red Queen, the mirror neuron, directed panspermia, the cosmic experiment, the three princes of serendipity, the superbug or the stubborn vocation to kill, the particle of God... Miguel Alcíbar, professor, disseminator and expert in scientific communication, he takes us into the suggestive world of scientific language through fascinating stories, enjoy reading.