Last month, Science Diction received a letter from a listener named Ben. He wanted to know about ambergris, a strange substance that washes up on beaches from time to time.
So today, we’re talking about this thing that for centuries, rich people coveted, rubbed on their necks, and even ate, all without having any idea what it really was. If they had known, they might have put their forks right down.
Plus, Science Diction now has a phone number! If you, like Ben, want us to cover a certain word, you can call in, leave us a message, and we might play it on the show. Call 929-499-WORD or 929 499 9673. Or send us an email at podcasts@sciencefriday.com.
Guest: 
Christopher Kemp is the author of Floating Gold: A Natural (and Unnatural) History of Ambergris.
Special thanks to Ben Gartner for emailing us and inspiring this episode. 
Footnotes & Further Reading: 
To learn more about ambergris, read Christopher Kemp’s book Floating Gold.
Credits: 
Science Diction is produced by Johanna Mayer and senior producer Elah Feder. Daniel Peterschmidt is our composer. Robin Palmer helped fact check this episode. Nadja Oertelt is our Chief Content Officer.

Ambergris: How Constipation Becomes A Luxury Product

What does the word “meme” have to do with evolutionary biology? And why do we call it “Spanish flu” when it was never Spanish? Science Diction is a podcast about words—and the science stories within them. If you like your language with a side of science, Science Diction has you covered. Brought to you by Science Friday and WNYC Studios.

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Dear Science Diction listeners,
It is with sadness that we announce the finale of the Science Diction podcast. Starting with a simple newsletter and a passionate audience, the Science Diction podcast grew to serve up episodes on topics as varied as meme, ketchup, and juggernaut. It has been a joy to share these stories with you for the last two years. In celebration of Science Diction, we are sharing with you now a final mini-episode, a look back on this labor of love. You can relisten and read past editions of Science Diction anytime by visiting www.sciencefriday.com/ScienceDiction. If you find yourself longing for more science esoterica, we invite you to join us at our weekly trivia nights. Hosted by Diana Montano and a variety of guest experts, they are a free, and absolutely nerdy, delight.
On behalf of Johanna, Elah, and everyone that has contributed to making Science Diction, thank you for listening!

Saying Goodbye To Science Diction

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At the turn  of the 20th century, the American chestnut towered over other trees in Eastern  forests. The trees would grow as much as 100 feet high, and 13 feet wide. According to legend, a squirrel could scamper from New England to Georgia on the canopies of American chestnuts, never touching the ground.
And then, the trees began to disappear, succumbing to a mysterious fungus. The fungus first appeared in New York City in 1904—and  then it spread. By the 1950s, the fungus had wiped out billions of trees, and effectively finished off the American chestnut.
Now, some people are trying to resurrect the American chestnut—and soon. But not everyone thinks that’s a good idea.
Guests: 
Sara Fitzsimmons is Director of Restoration, North Central Regional Science Coordinator, and Regional Science Coordinator Supervisor at the American Chestnut Foundation. 
Susan Freinkel is the author of American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree.
​​Neil Patterson Jr. works at the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at SUNY, and is a member of the Tuscarora Nation. 
Bart Chezar is a chestnut enthusiast, and volunteers with the Prospect Park Alliance.
Footnotes & Further Reading: 
Listen to oral histories from people who grew up with the American chestnut.
Credits:
This episode of Science Diction was produced by Shahla Farzan and Johanna Mayer. Elah Feder is our Editor and Senior Producer. Daniel Peterschmidt is our composer, and they sound designed this episode. Lauren J. Young contributed research, and Danya AbdelHameid fact checked the episode. Our Chief Content Officer is Nadja Oertelt.

American Chestnut: Resurrecting A Forest Giant

For decades, vocal fry lived a relatively quiet existence. It was known to linguists, speech pathologists and voice coaches, but everyday people didn’t pay much attention to it. But then in 2011, people started noticing it everywhere. So what happened? What is vocal fry? Why does host Johanna Mayer use it? What's her problem? And is it really that bad?
Guest: 
Lisa Davidson is the chair of the Linguistics Department at NYU.
Footnotes & Further Reading: 
Check out this article on young women as linguistic trendsetters. 
Read the full study from 2011. 
Learn more about people’s negative reactions to vocal fry.
Credits: 
This episode was produced with Kevin McLean, along with Johanna Mayer. Elah Feder is our Editor and Senior Producer. Daniel Peterschmidt is our Composer, and they sound designed and mastered the episode. Nadja Oertelt is our Chief Content Officer.

Vocal Fry: Why I’m Not Getting A Voice Coach

In 2014, a grad student in Kolkata named Ujaan Ghosh came across an old book by a Scottish missionary. And as Ghosh paged through the book, he noticed the missionary kept using a word over and over: Juggernaut. But the missionary wasn’t using it the way we do today—to mean an unstoppable, overwhelming force. He  was using it to talk about a place: a temple in Puri, India. So Ghosh dug further, and as he grasped the real story of where the English word, juggernaut, had come from, he realized there was just no way he could keep using it.
A transcript of this episode is being processed and will be available within a week.
Guests: 
Chris Egusa is an audio producer and 2020 KALW Audio Academy fellow.
Dylan Thuras is co-founder of Atlas Obscura, and host of the Atlas Obscura podcast.
Ujaan Ghosh is a PhD candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Footnotes & Further Reading: 
Read Ujaan Ghosh’s article on the origins of the word “juggernaut.” 
Learn more about Jagannath Temple in Atlas Obscura. 
Listen to more episodes of the Atlas Obscura podcast. 
Credits: 
This episode was a collaboration between Science Diction and Atlas Obscura. It was produced by Johanna Mayer and Chris Egusa, and edited by Elah Feder and John DeLore. Daniel Peterschmidt is our composer, and Danya AbdelHameid fact checked the episode. It was mixed by Luz Fleming.

Ambergris: How Constipation Becomes A Luxury Product

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