Vocabulary: Scientific fields

Elisa Moolecherry: Hello, and welcome to our Business Spotlight podcast for the 17th of January 2012. I’m Elisa Moolecherry.

Elisa: Do you enjoy birdwatching? Counting the stars? Or playing computer games? Then you can put your leisure time to work in a very useful way. You can become a “citizen scientist”.  The work of scientists involves analyzing and interpreting data. But collecting the data often requires hundreds of hours. This is where volunteers can help. Now, to help you in your search for the perfect project, we’ll go through some science vocabulary together. Here’s Ken Taylor.

Ken Taylor: In this exercise, we’ll describe a branch of science, and a choice of two terms. At the tone, choose the correct one. Then I’ll give you the answer. The English names are similar to the German words, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble. That is, if you know the scientific fields! Ready?

1.    This branch of science studies planets and stars in the universe.
Is this “astronomy” or “climatology”?
+     Astronomy is the study of the planets, stars and other celestial bodies. Climatology is the study of weather conditions over time.

2.    This branch of science studies animals.
Is this “paleontology” or “zoology”?
+     Zoology is the study of animals. Paleontology is the study of dinosaurs and prehistoric life.
 
3.     This branch of science studies heredity and genes.
Is this “genetics” or “geology”?
+     Genetics is the study of heredity and genes. Geology is the study of the earth and its structures.

4.    This branch of science studies energy and matter.
Is this “physics” or “botany”?
+     Physics is the study of energy, matter and the relationship between them. Botany is the study of plants.

Ken Taylor: Did you know them all? If you’re interested in learning more about the world around you, and maybe contributing to scientific knowledge, learn the language of the different branches of science.

Elisa Moolecherry: You can read more about citizen science in the Technology section of Business Spotlight 1/2012. You can also find links to various projects on our website, at www.business-spotlight.de. And join us for another podcast next Tuesday!

• Exercise: How green is your computer?