Foreward
More and more, humanity is equipping itself with the knowledge and methods to modify the molecular world around and within us.
This is taking shape in the form of new diets, new supplements, new medicines, new do’s and don’ts for our health. And then there’s the coming tide of nanotechnology, which we can reasonably expect to burst beyond the fortresses of research and academia.
As it stands now, different breeds of scientists are the only ones who seem to understand what’s going on. But what about everyone else? This is a problem, and I’m convinced that the solution lies partially in rethinking the language used to describe nanoscale systems.
Who’s this for?
Primo Gothic aims to make chemical pathways as easy as possible for anyone to understand. However, the people who actually describe these pathways will most likely be scientists, lab techs, teachers, content writers, and citizen scientists.
One can imagine this being used in magazines, articles, books, product websites, and anywhere else where chemical concepts are needed to be communicated.
I am not a scientist myself — not a trained biologist, chemist, or nanotechnologist. I’m a systems designer with a thin background in plant biotech and deep interests in improving how science is communicated, both inside and outside our walled fortress.
So if you’re a scientist yourself reading this, I humbly ask you to read it with a constructive eye and provide your feedback. Only good things can come from abolishing “science face”, and it’s a struggle that needs to be won.
What is a language?
One way of transmitting ideas is through language, and science is no exception. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about language:
Language consists of the development, acquisition, maintenance and use of complex systems of communication, particularly the human ability to do so; and a language is any specific example of such a system.
Given this definition, perhaps it’s best to look across the diverse examples of languages used in various domains:
- Architecture — A Pattern Language is a highly influential book that describes a lexicon for thinking about architectural systems all the way from the state level to the materials used to build the system.
- Wine Tasting — With the introduction of the Wine Aroma Wheel, winos now had a way to speak the same language. Similar systems are also used in beer, coffee, and other connoisseur-related indulgences.
- Engineering — The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a standardized modeling language in the realm of cybernetics.
- Computing — Programming languages have climbed the ladder of abstraction over the decades. Beginning with low-level languages like Assembly for managing slots of memory, now with higher-level languages and libraries such as jQuery that increasingly reflect natural language.
- Music — Musical notation allows us to orchestrate (literally) complex rhythms and melodies for dozens of participants. It too has evolved over time, in some very interesting ways. And the notation itself is aesthetically mesmerizing.
- Synthetic Biology — Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) is a newer language system designed to improve communication among people working with genetic systems. Major props to this group for tackling this need in such an effective, open sourced manner.
- Math & Physics — Different approaches to mathematical notation have been used by various cultures throughout time. Babylonian numerals and various other numeral systems are examples of this. And in our increasingly interactive world, new possibilities for interactive languages are coming about: Bret Victor’s KillMath is a great example of this.
- Software Design — Material Design is a self-described visual language that improves interaction clarity for people who use software. There are other design language systems, which sometimes blend together in ways that resemble creole languages.
And then there’s chemistry. What’s interesting is that chemistry notation is rarely described as a “language”, yet it serves the same goal: Communicate the right things to the right people.
A Brief History of Science Languages
Some interesting efforts have been put into the thought and communication of science and chemistry over the years. What follows are some examples — by no means causally connected — in the same vein of thought as Primo Gothic.
Sometime in the late 1600s, the polymath Gottfried Liebnitz idealized a universal, pictographic language that was capable of describing the world in detail. He called it Characteristica universalis. Dig it.
A century or so later, John Dalton unveiled A New System of Chemical Philosophy, in which he presented a system for thinking about and communicating chemical systems. Dalton was a designer and didn’t know it.
Fast forward to the 1940s and 50s, and we arrive at The Macy Conferences, the birthplace of an intellectual revolution. The output of these conferences was a universal language for describing systems called Cybernetics, introducing the world to an entirely new mode of systems thinking. This magnificent period formalized concepts such as feedback loops and sensors, bridged multiple academic areas, and spawned a plethora of new theoretical fields.
A little before that time, Richard Feynman describes in his book how he toyed with creating his own symbols for mathematics in high school:
It sounds like his effort fell a little flat, but it’s the thought that counts.
Then in the 1970s, Primo Levi — chemist, author, and survivor of Auschwitz — wrote The Periodic Table. In it, he pulled chemistry into familiar territory for an audience of non-chemists using anecdotes from his life.
And it’s in the spirit of Primo’s approach that this system finds its namesake. Gothic aims to draw parallels with the mindset of historical typemakers and the usability of early sans-serif fonts. Thinking of the system as an evolution of font faces reminds us of the various forms this visual language can take.
Without further ado, this thing called Primo Gothic.
Future Releases
This is of course a work in progress, and like any language, should be in a state of constant evolution and improvement. In contrast with Liebnitz’s Characteristica universalis (described earlier), this is a system intended to communicate less rather than more.
Challenges
Chemistry isn’t “designed”, so taking a purposeful approach towards explaining how it works may be futile in some scenarios. But when it is possible, we need to enable it.
Chemistry also works at various levels, similar to programming. For this reason describing functions of proteins may be easier from a metaphorical standpoint than low-level, functional groups.
The question of precision is one that I expect some scientists may struggle with, as is the natural result of abstracting away components, and is a point that may be improved in the future.
Help! Become an Early Participant
Simply trying out this system out on your own scientific work is a first step. Here are a few ways to help:
- Discuss and share feedback on Twitter under #primogothic.
- Building support for more formats.
- Extend the library into the software you use.
- Describe key scenarios that you’d like to use it for.
- Come up with a better system.
Current supported formats:
