Grateful for the inspiring talk, at the Joint New Year’s Colloquium, “The Beauty of Old Cells – Narrating Age Between Culture and Biology,” delivered by Prof. Mita Banerjee from the Obama Institute at Johannes Gutenberg University.

The talk explored how language shapes the way we communicate science. In the first part, titled “The Language of Discovery,” Prof. Banerjee masterfully guided the audience through the effective use of metaphors, highlighting how they resonate with cultural assumptions and serve as powerful tools to enhance the impact of scientific messages.

In the second part, “The Language of Aging,” we were introduced to the field of “cultural aging studies,” which examines how society interprets biological aging. Prof. Banerjee shed light on the role of societal stereotypes in shaping perceptions of aging, particularly across different genders.

The discussion then shifted to the emerging concept of “successful aging,” which emphasizes the idea of taking control of the aging process through lifestyle changes. This concept illustrates the interplay between biology and culture and how it can drive shifts in societal stereotypes around aging.

To conclude, Prof. Banerjee shared compelling examples of how cultural evolution has influenced the revision of scientific terminology, including the renaming of biological processes to better reflect cultural shifts.

It was truly fascinating to see the intricate ways in which language, culture, and science are interconnected and continuously shape one another!

Glad to have co-organised this year’s Joint New Year’s Colloquium with our fellow coordinators from the SFB1361,  4R-RTG, SFB1552, GenEvo at the IMB Mainz.