Hull Peter, Lampert Angelika
Department of English for Academic and Special Purposes, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Institute of Neurophysiology, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University , Aachen, Germany.
J Gen Physiol. 2025 Jul 7;157(4). doi: 10.1085/jgp.202413683. Epub 2025 Jun 3.
Metaphorical language is ubiquitous throughout the life sciences, with, for example, molecules forming chains which define genetic blueprints for the development of cells and ultimately the gates in the channels forming the subject of this special issue. Indeed, metaphor is a fundamental component of scientific discourse and influences how science is both communicated and understood across all levels of expertise. This article, written for readers without a background in linguistics, first provides a brief introduction to the mechanisms of scientific metaphor and then illustrates its productive application to the sodium channel fast inactivation mechanism.
隐喻性语言在整个生命科学领域无处不在，例如，分子形成链条，这些链条定义了细胞发育的基因蓝图，最终形成了本期特刊主题的通道中的门控机制。事实上，隐喻是科学话语的一个基本组成部分，影响着科学在各个专业层面的交流和理解方式。本文是为没有语言学背景的读者撰写的，首先简要介绍了科学隐喻的机制，然后说明了其在钠通道快速失活机制中的有效应用。
