Sign Language for Science

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Credit Wikimedia Commons

Imagine trying to learn astrophysics without using the word “light-year”. Or study biology without being able to say “photosynthesis”.  That’s the dilemma facing deaf students hoping to pursue careers in the sciences—where new terminology is being coined and communicated on a daily basis. 

Douglas Quenqua is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Wired, Fast-Company, and the New York Times—where he wrote about how users of sign language are working to expand their scientific lexicon.