"One of the most difficult impulses for scientists to curb is the tendency to use specialized language that no one else understands. Every scientific facility I’ve worked in has had its own specific vocabulary, and every scientist has had their own inscrutable, hyperspecific terms for aspects of their project."
Rui, sounds fun! You should start! Lead by example... 💪
@miguelgf an obvious example is “epigenetics”… useful, apparently easy to define, and yet… ;)
@martinho_lab @miguelgf That was not so much the low hanging as it was the rotting on the floor fruit, Rui.
I can try with a current immunological one, also vaguely fruity: Original Sin & perhaps prod a reaction out of @victoralab
@cyrilpedia @miguelgf Thiago, still waiting for your suggestion, meanwhile, another fuzzy but useful concept “gene regulatory network” (still low hanging fruit, I suppose…)
@martinho_lab ...and we all agree that it encompasses all that is not contained in the primary sequence of the DNA. But some people call it for their own, I guess?
@miguelgf the part that bothers me with your statement is the “all” bit :) are all self-organizing properties of cell components epigenetic? For example, the tendency of phospholipids to form a bilayer membrane, is it epigenetic? :)
@martinho_lab I would say, at the very least, that the concept extends well beyond histone and DNA modifications. You favorite system, determination of germ cells in flies (or maternal effects derived from nurse cells), represents good epigenetic mechanisms. Are they not?
@miguelgf absolutely! Germ plasm determination of primordial germ cells is epigenetics :) but i am unsure if many “hardcore” epigenetics labs would agree with me…
@martinho_lab That is their problem! 🙂
@miguelgf but going back to the beginning of this conversation, “fuzzy” but useful concepts… ok, back to stock flipping :)
@cyrilpedia i have a challenge to you :) make a list of the most commonly used scientific jargon terms and afterwards try to find a commonly accepted definition. For many, it will be impossible ;) their usefulness is to help us ignore the “small” and “meaningless” disagreements (for now!), and give the foggy perception of common ground. This is in my opinion crucial for scientific advances … further discussion on this topic demands beer and nice place to hang out…