This special issue of "International Journal of Science Education" is based on the theme "Conceptual Metaphor and Embodied Cognition in Science Learning." The idea for this issue grew out of a symposium organized on this topic at the conference of the European Science Education Research Association (ESERA) in September 2013. The eight papers collected in this issue reflect the emergence of a critical mass of studies in science education applying ideas from the perspective of "embodied cognition" in cognitive science. It is hoped that by bringing together these papers and commentaries on conceptual metaphor and embodied cognition in science learning, others will be encouraged to further exploration, discussion, and debate regarding these issues.