Pop quiz: this Google Trends chart represents searches for what word or phrase?
the answer? a word that the vast majority of people never use - except on Thanksgiving.
Go chemistry! :)
bioephemera
a blog about the intersection of science, art, and culture by Jessica Palmer, PhD
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Jessica Palmer has a PhD in Molecular Biology and has been blogging about the intersection of art and biology since 2006.
read the first BioE post.
The contents of this blog are the personal opinions of the author, independent of any organizations with which she is affiliated, and should not be construed as professional advice.
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« TGIF: Annals of Gullibility | Main | Rejected Greeting Cards: Appropriate for No Occasion »
It's that time of year
Category: Conspicuous consumption • Ephemera • Events • Frivolity • Science in Culture & Policy • Web 2.0, New Media, and Gadgets
Posted on: November 22, 2009 11:09 AM, by Jessica Palmer
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TrackBack URL for this entry: http://scienceblogs.com/mt/pings/114485
Comments
Is the answer Tryptophan?
(Do I get a prize?)
Posted by: Alicia Lyman-Holt | November 22, 2009 11:55 AM
That's totally fucking hilarious!
Posted by: Comrade PhysioProf | November 22, 2009 12:41 PM
Is it just me, or is that graph on a slow downward trend?
Posted by: Brad Pitcher | November 22, 2009 1:07 PM
Indeed, Alicia! Brad, I have no explanation for the downward trend, but an optimist might suggest the American public is gradually learning at least one of its amino acids. :)
By the way, I had another comment on Facebook that this could be the trend for "turkey." It's not; "turkey" also peaks (much lower) at Christmas. I assume that's from novelty-seeking (or lazy) cooks who Google a recipe each time they prepare, or maybe from hosts who didn't cook at Thanksgiving, and need to Google a recipe for Christmas.
Posted by: Jessica Palmer
| November 22, 2009 2:02 PM
The Google trendline shows that "Tryptophan" is definitely ephemeral.
The baseline seems to be on a downward trend, but the Thanksgiving spikes might be on a three-year cycle. Maybe people are using Trytophan less now than five years ago?
Posted by: John | November 22, 2009 2:14 PM
I notice a smaller pre-spike, which I assume correlates with the Canadian holiday.
Posted by: Jason Thibeault | November 22, 2009 3:01 PM
Heh. I had guessed "the war on christmas".
Posted by: Anon | November 22, 2009 3:48 PM