Science is the Word of the Year:

Words. They are more than just letters placed on a page. They are more than just sounds emanating from our mouths. Words have meaning. They have significance. They allow us to communicate with one another a better understand the world around us. Consider:

Science is my life.

and

Reality TV is my life.

Now on the surface, these statements might seem similar. Both tell you a little bit about someone; they offer an insight into a person’s interests. However, the two assertions are wildly different, and this difference in meaning *greatly* impacts our view of the individual that uttered the respective statements.

If you were to hear the first statement, you might expect the person to be rather intellectual and to be fascinated with the wonders of nature and of the universe. They probably have a couple of copies of “The Universe in a Nutshell” in their library. If you were to ask them for an interesting fact, they might tell you that if Canis Majoris (the largest known star) were in the center of our solar system, it would extend far beyond the orbit of Saturn. If you asked them about the most important news, they might discuss the discovery of the Higgs. If you asked them where they’d like to visit, they might say Mars, and they probably have a strong opinion about whether or not Pluto should be a planet. They search the internet for things like “quarks” and “quasars” (see what I did there?).

If you were to hear the second statement, you might expect the person to be rather concerned with popular culture and to be fascinated by the lives of celebrities. They probably have a few copies of “Us Weekly” on their TV stand. If you were to ask them for an interesting fact, they might tell you that Misha Collins is the most interesting person on twitter (he totally is). If you asked them about the most important news, they might tell you that “Catching Fire” broke Thanksgiving records for ticket sales (it did). If you asked them where they’d like to visit, they might say the mall, and they probably have very strong opinions about shoes. They search the internet for things like “celebrity gossip” and “reality tv.”

Read about why this discussion matters at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/science-is-the-word-of-the-year/