Science Diction: Knock On Wood And Tsunami
The origin of a superstitious phrase, and a Japanese word that’s staked its place in English.
Science Diction is a bite-sized podcast about words—and the science stories behind them. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and sign up for our newsletter.
Journalists Kevin McLean and Shalina Chatlani join us for a round of Diction Dash, where Johanna tries—and usually fails—to guess the true meaning or origin of a word.
If you’re curious about a word, get in touch! Give us a call, leave a message, and we might play it on the show. The number is 929-499-WORD, or 929-499-9673. Or, you can always send an email to podcasts@sciencefriday.com.
A transcript of this episode is being processed and will be available within a week.
Guests:
Kevin McLean is a producer at the Science Communication Lab based in Davis, California.
Shalina Chatlani is the health care reporter for the Gulf States Newsroom.
Footnotes & Further Reading:
Read the full study on the link between a desire for control, and reliance on superstitions under stress.
Credits:
This episode was produced by D Peterschmidt, Johanna Mayer, and Senior Producer Elah Feder. D Peterschmidt is our composer and mastered this episode. We had fact checking help from Robin Palmer. Nadja Oertelt is our Chief Content Officer.
Meet the Writers
About Johanna Mayer
@yohannamayerJohanna Mayer is a podcast producer and hosted Science Diction from Science Friday. When she’s not working, she’s probably baking a fruit pie. Cherry’s her specialty, but she whips up a mean rhubarb streusel as well.
About Elah Feder
@ElahFederElah Feder is the former senior producer for podcasts at Science Friday. She produced the Science Diction podcast, and co-hosted and produced the Undiscovered podcast.
About D Peterschmidt
@dpeterschmidtD Peterschmidt is a producer, host of the podcast Universe of Art, and composes music for Science Friday’s podcasts. Their D&D character is a clumsy bard named Chip Chap Chopman.