From the Community: Precision metaphors in a messy biological world – Making Science Public

Precision metaphors in a messy biological world

The promises of nanoscience and nanotechnology have been framed by a variety of future oriented metaphors, such as the those of the fantastic voyage or the master builder. The former metaphor has been especially prominent in early reports on the promises of nanomedicine, but it is still in use today. What happens when real breakthroughs are announced? Is this fictional backdrop still used, or do other metaphors become more prominent, especially those used traditionally to talk about the work of medicine? What does this mean for the public understanding of nanomedicine? And what can current developments in gene editing and, what one may call, genomic medicine learn from thinking about these metaphors?