• Question: what is the longest scientific word ever

    Asked by Flammable Cow to Arthur, Clare, Daniel, David, Tora on 11 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Clare Harding

      Clare Harding answered on 11 Nov 2014:

      So the longest one (according to the internet) can be summarised as: C785H1220N212O248S2, it is the full name of a protein from a virus, but to write the whole thing is:

      acetylseryltyrosylserylisoleucylthreonylserylproly lserylglutaminyl-
      phenylalanylvalylphenylalanylleucylserylserylvalyl tryptophylalanyl-
      aspartylprolylisoleucylglutamylleucylleucylasparag inylvalylcysteinyl-
      threonylserylserylleucylglycylasparaginylglutaminy lphenylalanyl-
      gluaminylthreonylglutaminylglutaminylalanylarginy lthreonylthreonyl-
      glutaminylvalylglutaminylglutaminylphenylalanylser ylglutaminylvalyl-
      tryptophyllysylprolylphenylalanylprolylglutaminyls erylthreonylvalyl-
      arginylphenylalanylprolylglycylaspartylvalyltyrosy llysylvalyltyrosyl-
      arginyltyrosylasparaginylalanylvalylleucylaspartyl prolylleucylisoleucyl-
      threonylalanylleucylleucylglycylthreonylphenylalan ylaspartylthreonyl-
      arginylasparaginylarginylisoleucylisoleucylglutamy lvalylglutamyl-
      asparaginylglutaminylglutaminylserylprolylthreonyl threonylalanylglutamyl-
      threonylleucylaspartylalanylthreonylarginylarginyl valylaspartylaspartyl-
      alanylthreonylvalylalanylisoleucylarginylserylalan ylasparaginylisoleucyl-
      asparaginylleucylvalylasparaginylglutamylleucylval ylarginylglycyl-
      threonylglycylleucyltyrosylasparaginylglutaminylas paraginylthreonyl-
      phenylalanylglutamylserylmethionylserylglycylleucy lvalyltryptophyl-
      threonylserylalanylprolylalanylserine

      However, the longest one ive used in an exam is pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism, I was so proud!

    • Photo: Tora Smulders-Srinivasan

      Tora Smulders-Srinivasan answered on 11 Nov 2014:

      I think Clare’s answered that!

      I use the words Drosophila melanogaster a lot — that’s the scientific name of the fruit flies I use. Those are long enough for me! 😀

    • Photo: Daniel Parsons

      Daniel Parsons answered on 11 Nov 2014:

      Ha-ha…great question.

      I am not sure that is a word Clare! If you can say it I will let you off! 🙂

      The longest word I know of in my area of science is “Micropachycephalosaurus”, which was a dinosaur that lived 80 million years ago and was about a meter long and looked like a lizard!

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