9 science words you might be using incorrectly

Reuters

We all do our best to be accurate, responsible users of the English language, but despite our best intentions, we’ve all had the occasional slip up ("literally" or "ironic", anyone?)

It's particularly easy to get things wrong when it comes to science, because words often have a different meaning for scientists than they do for the rest of the population — and we're pretty sure we're not the only ones who've made at least one of the mistakes below.

If not, you definitely know someone who does it regularly. Read on to make sure you never get it wrong again.

1. Theory

In regular conversation, people toss around the word "theory" almost like it's meaningless (I have a theory that Katy Perry is actually JonBenét Ramsay), but in science, theory is pretty much the highest honor you can give an idea.

The long process to establish a "theory" in science goes a little something like this — scientists make an observation, come up with potential hypotheses to explain it, and then experimentally test each one. Once they have enough scientifically verified hypotheses, they can begin to put them together and come up with a theory, and by that stage it's pretty well accepted by the scientific community.

So next time someone argues that: "Yeah, but [insert rigorously tested idea here] is only a theory," don't take offense. Little does your opponent know that they actually just gave science a compliment.

2. Natural

"Oh don't worry, it's natural." That's something we hear a lot these days, with society's obsession for all things "organic" and "chemical-free" reaching all-time highs. 

But all "natural" means is that something exists in nature... which doesn't mean it's good for you — take arsenic, for example, which is totally natural but also totally deadly. And Botulinum toxin, better known as Botox, is the most acutely lethal toxin known, and also totally natural. Don't believe they hype.

3. Dinosaur

What's your favorite dinosaur? Pterodactyl? Plesiosaurus? Wrong. Many people don't realize that the word "dinosaur" only refers to ancient reptiles that lived on land, not marine or flying reptiles. 

And you think dinosaurs are extinct? Wrong again. Look out your window - all those birds descended from the common ancestor of dinosaurs. So "just as humans beings are a kind of primate, birds are a kind of dinosaur", says Mark Norell, a curator at the American Museum of Natural History.