'Science' is Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2013

Appropriately enough, “facts based on observation” played a central role in Merriam Webster’s naming of its 2013 Word of the Year.

 

“Science” is the dictionary’s Word of the Year, and according to Editor-at-Large Peter Skolowski, it was a well-deserved honor. "It is a word that is connected to broad cultural dichotomies: observation and intuition, evidence and tradition," said Sokolowsi.

 

The full list of Merriam-Webster’s Top 10 Words of the Year is as follows:

 

 

Science: a hot topic in 2013

 

Sokolowski attributes the selection of the word to an increased level of interest and participation in science-related discussions – a fact evidenced by a 176 percent increase in the number of times the word was looked up this year, as opposed to the previous year.

 

“A wide variety of discussions centered on science this year, from climate change to educational policy,” according to Sokolowski. “We saw heated debates about 'phony' science, or whether science held all the answers.”

 

Interestingly, Merriam-Webster’s second Word of the Year is another science-related term – “cognitive.”

 

"People are not only interested in knowing more about how injuries affect cognitive function, but also how age and other factors affect cognitive function and development," noted Sokolowski.

 

A banner year for Filipino scientists

 

Many Filipinos left their mark on the global scientific community in 2013 with their contributions and accomplishments. Science-related news items were also popular discussion topics in the Philippines this year.

 

A Filipina physicist in Washington State University, Dr. Marianne Tarun, recently made headlines by finding an effective way to significantly improve electrical conductivity.

 

Earlier this year, Judel Jay Tabsing and his project—a cure for the lethal Fusarium banana wilt disease—won fourth place at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

A Filipina pediatric immunologist, Katherine Luzuriaga, was named by Time Magazine as one of its 100 most influential people in the world.

 

The “First Pinoy Astronaut” has also been named – Chino Roque, a CrossFit trainer who won a spot on a space expedition in a contest.

 

The devastation brought about by Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas region raised many questions and theories – a video pointing to Yolanda being the result of man-made microwave pulses even went viral, but was quickly shot down by Filipino experts. — TJD, GMA News