Science (journalism) metaphors: Chronaxie

In job ads for news writers, you’ll often see a reference to the ideal candidate having a “fast news metabolism”. It means: How much information can you cram into your eye holes and how quickly can you digest it all into a compact pellet of 400 words? (I apologise for taking the metaphor to its natural conclusion.) The question of whether speed should be the primary objective in science news coverage is beyond the scope of this post. (I will offer that, anecdotally, all my own worst “news pellets” were generated in greatest haste.) However, while I was in the trenches of electrophysiology history research for my book, I found an idea I liked a lot better than metabolism for how I think about my approach to science news: chronaxie. Even by electrophysiology standards, this term is a deep cut. It was introduced in 1909 by the French physiologist* Louis Lapicque, one of many physicians beguiled by the invention of a new tool known as the galvanometer, and its ability to eavesdrop on…

Commenting on Bubbles has been removed. Why? If you want to talk about this post, write to the author, use the comments on their blog if it has them, or reply with a "RE:" post on your own blog. Suggestions? feedback@bubbles.town