term
stringlengths 1
63
⌀ | category
stringclasses 15
values | label
int64 0
1
| definition
stringlengths 5
3.18k
⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|
antibiotic | Biology | 1 | A type of antimicrobial drug used in the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections. |
archaea | Biology | 1 | One of the three recognized domains of organisms, the other two being Bacteria and Eukaryota. |
artificial selection | Biology | 1 | The process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively control the development of particular phenotypic traits in organisms by choosing which individual organisms will reproduce and create offspring. While the deliberate exploitation of knowledge about genetics and reproductive biology in the hope of producing desirable characteristics is widely practiced in agriculture and experimental biology, artificial selection may also be unintentional and may produce unintended (desirable or undesirable) results. |
asexual reproduction | Biology | 1 | A way of producing new organisms from a parent without the fusion of sex cells. Offspring are genetically identical to each other and to their parent. |
astrobiology | Biology | 1 | The branch of biology concerned with the effects of outer space on living organisms and the search for extraterrestrial life. |
autoimmunity | Biology | 1 | The system of immune responses of an organism directed against its own healthy cells and tissues. |
autotroph | Biology | 1 | An organism that is able to make its own food. |
b cell | Biology | 1 | A type of lymphocyte in the humoral immunity of the adaptive immune system. |
bacteria | Biology | 1 | (Singular: bacterium) Single-celled microorganisms that have no nucleus. |
bacteriophage | Biology | 1 | A virus that infects bacteria. |
barr body | Biology | 1 | The inactive X chromosome in a female somatic cell, rendered inactive in a process called lyonization, in those species in which sex is determined by the presence of the Y chromosome (including humans) or W chromosome rather than by the presence of two X chromosomes or two Z chromosomes. |
basal body | Biology | 1 | An organelle formed from a centriole, and a short cylindrical array of microtubules. Also called a basal granule, a kinetosome, and in older cytological literature, a blepharoplast. |
behavioral ecology | Biology | 1 | The study of the evolutionary basis for animal behavior due to ecological pressures. |
bile | Biology | 1 | A dark green to yellowish-brown fluid, produced by the liver of most vertebrates, which aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. Also called gall. |
binary fission | Biology | 1 | A form of asexual reproduction and cell division used by all prokaryotes. It is the process by which a single cell after replicating its genetic material, divides into two nearly equal sized daughter cells. |
binomial nomenclature | Biology | 1 | A formal system of classifying species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages. |
biocatalysis | Biology | 1 | The process of catalysis in biological systems. In biocatalytic processes, natural catalysts, such as protein enzymes, perform chemical transformations on organic compounds. |
biochemistry | Biology | 1 | A branch of science that studies how chemical processes occur in living things. |
biodiversity | Biology | 1 | The range of species found in a particular region. The more species that exist (the higher the biodiversity), the more likely it is that an ecosystem will survive episodes of change. |
bioengineering | Biology | 1 | The application of concepts and methods of biology to solve real-world problems related to the life sciences or the application thereof. |
bioenergetics | Biology | 1 | The study of the transformation of energy within and between living organisms. |
biogeography | Biology | 1 | The study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area. |
bioinformatics | Biology | 1 | The use of information technology and computers to capture, record and interpret complex biological data, for example DNA sequences and patterns of gene expression. |
biological organization | Biology | 1 | The hierarchy of complex biological structures and systems, designed to define life through a reductionist approach. |
biology | Biology | 1 | The science of living things. |
biomass | Biology | 1 | 1. Organic matter, such as trees, plants, reject fruit, straw, algae, dairy effluent or tallow (waste fat), which can be turned into biofuel. 2. The mass of living biological organisms in a given area or ecosystem at a given time. |
biomathematics | Biology | 1 | The theoretical use of mathematical models and abstractions of living systems to understand and predict biological problems. |
biome | Biology | 1 | Any very large ecological area on the Earth's surface containing fauna and flora (animals and plants) adapting to their environment. Biomes are often defined by abiotic factors such as climate, topographical relief, geology, soils, and water resources. |
biomechanics | Biology | 1 | The study of the structure and function of biological systems by means of the methods of "mechanics", which is the branch of physics involving analysis of the actions of forces. |
biomedical engineering | Biology | 1 | The application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g. diagnostic or therapeutic). |
biomedical research | Biology | 1 | The pursuit of answers to medical questions. These investigations lead to discoveries, which in turn lead to the development of new preventions, therapies, and cures for problems in human and veterinary health. Biomedical research generally takes two forms: basic science and applied research. |
biomolecule | Biology | 1 | Molecules and ions that are present in organisms, essential to some typically biological process such as cell division, morphogenesis, or development. |
biophysics | Biology | 1 | The branch of biology that applies the methods of physics to the study of biological structures and processes. |
biotechnology | Biology | 1 | Biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use" (UN Convention on Biological Diversity). |
bipedal | Biology | 1 | A form of terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by means of its two rear limbs or legs. |
blastocyst | Biology | 1 | An early embryo, about 4–7 days after fertilisation, which consists of a hollow ball of cells filled with fluid. |
blood | Biology | 1 | A body fluid that circulates in humans and other vertebrate animals and is generally responsible for delivering necessary substances such as oxygen and nutrients between the cells and tissues of the body and transporting metabolic waste products away from those same cells and tissues. |
blood–brain barrier | Biology | 1 | A semipermeable membrane separating the blood from the cerebrospinal fluid, and constituting a barrier to the passage of cells, particles, and large molecules. |
botany | Biology | 1 | The branch of biology that studies plants. |
building biology | Biology | 1 | A science that leads to natural healthy ecological homes, schools, and workplaces that exist in harmony with the environment. |
calvin cycle | Biology | 1 | A series of chemical reactions which occurs as one of two primary phases of photosynthesis, specifically the phase in which carbon dioxide and other compounds are converted into simple carbohydrates such as glucose. These reactions occur in the stroma, the fluid-filled area of the chloroplast outside the thylakoid membranes. In the Calvin cycle, the products of previous light-dependent reactions (ATP and NADPH) undergo further reactions which do not require the presence of light and which can be broadly divided into three stages: carbon fixation, reduction reactions, and ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) regeneration. |
carbon fixation | Biology | 1 | The process by which inorganic carbon, particularly in the form of carbon dioxide, is converted to organic compounds by living organisms. Examples include photosynthesis and chemosynthesis. |
carbonate | Biology | 1 | Any member of two classes of chemical compounds derived from carbonic acid or carbon dioxide. |
carotenoid | Biology | 1 | One of a class of organic pigments produced by algae and plants, as well as certain bacteria and fungi. |
catalase | Biology | 1 | An enzyme found in nearly all living organisms exposed to oxygen, including bacteria, plants, and animals. |
cell | Biology | 1 | 1. Building block of the body. A human is made of millions of cells, which are adapted for different functions and can reproduce themselves exactly. 2. A simple electrolytic device that enables chemical energy to be transformed into electrical energy. |
cell biology | Biology | 1 | The branch of biology that studies the structure and function of living cells, including their physiological properties, metabolic processes, chemical composition, life cycle, the organelles they contain, and their interactions with their environment. This is done at both microscopic and molecular levels. |
cell cycle | Biology | 1 | The ordered series of events which take place in a cell leading to duplication of its genetic material and ultimately the division of the cytoplasm and organelles to produce two or more daughter cells. These events can be broadly divided into phases of growth and division, each of which can vary in duration and complexity depending on the tissue or organism to which the cell belongs. Cell cycles are essential processes in all unicellular and multicellular organisms. |
cell division | Biology | 1 | Any process by which a parent cell divides into two or more daughter cells. Examples include binary fission, mitosis, and meiosis. |
cell membrane | Biology | 1 | The semipermeable membrane surrounding the cytoplasm of a cell. |
cell nucleus | Biology | 1 | The "control room" for the cell. The nucleus gives out all the orders. |
cell plate | Biology | 1 | Grown in the cell's center, it fuses with the parental plasma membrane, creating a new cell wall that enables cell division. |
cell theory | Biology | 1 | The theory that all living things are made up of cells. |
cell wall | Biology | 1 | A tough, usually flexible but sometimes fairly rigid layer, that surrounds some types of cells. |
cellular | Biology | 1 | Of or relating to a cell. |
central dogma of molecular biology | Biology | 1 | A framework for understanding the movement of genetic information between information-carrying biopolymers within biological systems. Popularly (though simplistically) stated as "DNA makes RNA and RNA makes protein", the principle attempts to capture the notion that the transfer of genetic information only naturally occurs between certain classes of molecules and in certain directions. |
centriole | Biology | 1 | A cylindrical cell structure found in most eukaryotic cells, composed mainly of a protein called tubulin. |
centrosome | Biology | 1 | An organelle that is the primary site at which microtubules are organized. They occur only in plant and animal cells and help to regulate cell division. |
chemical compound | Biology | 1 | A chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemically bonded elements, with a fixed ratio determining the composition. The ratio of each element is usually expressed by a chemical formula. |
chemical equilibrium | Biology | 1 | The state in which both reactants and products are present in concentrations which have no further tendency to change with time in a chemical reaction. |
chemical reaction | Biology | 1 | A process that leads to the transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. |
chemistry | Biology | 1 | A branch of the physical sciences that studies the composition, structure, properties, and change of matter. Chemical interactions underlie all biological processes. |
chlorophyll | Biology | 1 | The green pigment found in most plants that allows some of the energy from sunlight to be captured and transformed into chemical potential energy. |
chloroplast | Biology | 1 | A type of highly specialized organelle in the cells of plants and algae, the main role of which is to conduct photosynthesis, by which the photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll captures the energy from sunlight and converts and stores it in the molecules ATP and NADPH while freeing oxygen from water. |
cholesterol | Biology | 1 | A type of lipid molecule that is biosynthesized by all animal cells because it is an essential structural component of animal cell membranes, essential for maintaining both membrane structural integrity and fluidity. |
chromosome | Biology | 1 | A structure within the cell nucleus made of a single coiled piece of DNA that contains the genetic blueprint of an organism. |
citric acid cycle | Biology | 1 | A series of chemical reactions used by all aerobic organisms to generate energy through the oxidation of acetyl-CoA derived from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins into carbon dioxide and chemical energy in the form of guanosine triphosphate (GTP). In addition, the cycle provides the chemical precursors for certain amino acids as well as the reducing agent NADH that is used in numerous other biochemical reactions. Its central importance to many biochemical pathways suggests that it was one of the earliest established components of cellular metabolism and may have originated abiogenically. |
clonal selection | Biology | 1 | A scientific theory in immunology that explains the functions of cells (lymphocytes) of the immune system in response to specific antigens invading the body. The theory has become the widely accepted model for how the immune system responds to infection and how certain types of B and T lymphocytes are selected for destruction of specific antigens. |
cloning | Biology | 1 | The process of producing individual organisms or molecules with identical or virtually identical DNA, either naturally or artificially. Many organisms, such as bacteria, insects, and plants, are capable of naturally producing clones through asexual reproduction. In biotechnology, cloning refers to the artificial creation of copies of cells, DNA fragments, or other biomolecules by various laboratory techniques. |
coat, coating | Biology | 1 | In the context of virus capsid, may refer colloquially to the defined geometric structure of a capsid, or the membrane of an endosome containing an intact virion. The coat of a virus is used in descriptions for the general public. Related slang: uncoating. |
comparative biology | Biology | 1 | The use of comparative methods to study the similarities and differences between two or more biological organisms (e.g. two organisms from the same time period but different taxa, or two organisms from the same taxon but different times in evolutionary history). The side-by-side comparison of morphological or molecular characteristics of different organisms is the basis from which biologists infer the organisms' genetic relatedness and their natural histories. It is a fundamental tool in many biological disciplines, including anatomy, physiology, paleontology, and phylogenetics. |
conservation biology | Biology | 1 | The scientific study of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions. |
convergent evolution | Biology | 1 | Occurs when unrelated organisms develop similar adaptations for similar environmental niches. |
countercurrent exchange | Biology | 1 | The crossover of some property, usually heat or some component, between two fluids flowing in opposite directions to each other. The phenomenon occurs naturally but is also frequently mimicked in industry and engineering. |
crista | Biology | 1 | A fold in the inner membrane of a mitochondrion. |
cryobiology | Biology | 1 | The branch of biology that studies the effects of low temperatures on living things within Earth's cryosphere or in laboratory experiments. |
cytology | Biology | 1 | The scientific study of the structure and function of cells. |
cytoplasm | Biology | 1 | All of the material within a cell and enclosed by the cell membrane, except for the nucleus. The cytoplasm consists mainly of water, the gel-like cytosol, various organelles, and free-floating granules of nutrients and other biomolecules. |
cytosine | Biology | 1 | One of the four main nitrogenous bases found in both DNA and RNA, along with adenine, guanine, thymine, and uracil (in RNA); it is a pyrimidine derivative, with a heterocyclic aromatic ring and two substituents attached (an amine group at position 4 and a keto group at position 2). |
cytoskeleton | Biology | 1 | The network of proteins that form the internal scaffolding in a cell. |
darwinian fitness | Biology | 1 | The genetic contribution of an individual to the next generation's gene pool relative to the average for the population, usually measured by the number of offspring or close kin that survive to reproductive age. |
deciduous | Biology | 1 | Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and it is typically used in botany in order to refer to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally (most commonly during autumn) and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruits when ripe. |
decomposition | Biology | 1 | The process by which the organic compounds of deceased organisms are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars, and mineral salts. These reactions occur naturally by both biotic means (biodegradation, such as that practiced by many bacteria and fungi) and abiotic means (basic physical and chemical processes, such as hydrolysis). Decomposition recycles matter present in the biosphere, making it an essential part of the nutrient cycle. Organisms that facilitate decomposition are known as decomposers; the scientific study of decomposition is known as taphonomy. |
decomposer | Biology | 1 | An organism that breaks down dead matter. |
dehydration reaction | Biology | 1 | A chemical reaction that involves the loss of a water molecule from the reacting molecule. |
denaturation | Biology | 1 | A process in which the structure and shape of large biomolecules such as proteins or nucleic acids are altered due to exposure to some external stress such as heat or changing pH. |
dendrite | Biology | 1 | A long extensionof a neuron that receives nerve signals and transmits them to the main body of the cell. |
denitrification | Biology | 1 | The microbially facilitated process of nitrate reduction that ultimately produces molecular nitrogen (N2) through a series of intermediate gaseous nitrogen oxide products. It is performed by a large group of heterotrophic facultative anaerobic bacteria and is a fundamental component of the nitrogen cycle. |
deoxyribonucleic acid | Biology | 1 | A nucleic acid polymer that serves as the fundamental hereditary material in all living organisms. Each DNA molecule is composed of long sequences of nucleotides, each of which includes one of four nitrogenous bases – adenine (abbreviated A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T) – attached to a sugar-phosphate complex which acts as a "backbone" for the long-chain polymer. DNA most commonly occurs in "double-stranded" form, i.e. as a pair of nucleotide polymers bound together by complementary base pairing. |
dna | Biology | 1 | Deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that carries genetic information in living organisms. |
depolarization | Biology | 1 | The process of reversing the charge across a cell membrane (such as that of a neuron), thereby causing an action potential. In depolarization, the inside of the membrane, which is normally negatively charged, becomes positive and the outside becomes negative. This is brought about by positively charged sodium ions rapidly passing into the axon. |
desmosome | Biology | 1 | A cell structure specialized for cell-to-cell adhesion. |
developmental biology | Biology | 1 | The branch of biology that studies the processes by which living organisms grow and develop over time. The field may also encompass the study of reproduction, regeneration, metamorphosis, and the growth and differentiation of stem cells in mature tissues. |
disease | Biology | 1 | Any particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of a living organism and that is not the result of any immediate external injury. Diseases are medical conditions that are often identifiable by specific signs and symptoms. They may be caused by external factors such as infectious pathogens or by internal dysfunctions such as immune deficiency or senescence. |
dna replication | Biology | 1 | The unwinding and copying of both strands of DNA prior to cell division. |
dna sequencing | Biology | 1 | The process of determining the precise order of nucleotides within a DNA molecule. |
drug | Biology | 1 | Any substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs may be naturally occurring or artificially produced, and consumption may occur in a number of different ways. Drugs are typically distinguished from substances that provide nutritional support such as food. |
dimorphism | Biology | 1 | The existence of a morphological distinction between organisms of the same species, such that individuals of that species occur in one of two distinct forms which differ in one or more characteristics, such as colour, size, shape, or any other phenotypic trait. Dimorphism based on sex – e.g. male vs. female – is common in sexually reproducing organisms such as plants and animals. |
dynein | Biology | 1 | A motor protein in cells which converts the chemical energy contained in ATP into the mechanical energy of movement. |
ecological efficiency | Biology | 1 | The efficiency with which energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next. It is determined by a combination of efficiencies relating to organismic resource acquisition and assimilation in an ecosystem. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.