Questions tagged [terminology]
How terms are used or the meaning of words as used in scientific literature. Questions should ideally include a link or quote as context for where the term was encountered.
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2answers
29 views
What's the difference between reaction norms and phenotypic plasticity?
I'm trying to understand better these two concepts, but I cannot see a clear difference yet.
Reaction norm: "set of phenotypes that can be produced by an individual genotype when exposed to different ...
2
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1answer
54 views
What does substrate mean?
I have been reading some literature on measurements related to biofilms.
In some articles the word "substrate" seems to stand for the material on which a biofilm is growing. In other articles, it ...
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1answer
20 views
Is “muscular attachment” synonymous to tendon? (when talking about the insertion of glutei medius and minimus to greater trochanter of the femur)
I have read the following two terms in an MRI report (both points refer to the insertion of gluteus medius/minimus to greater trochanter of the femur):
mild degeneration of the muscular attachment ...
4
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2answers
77 views
What is a myotube?
If I understand correctly, the following images show the main components in a human skeletal muscle:
From Life: The Science of Biology:
From Human Physiology/The Muscular System in wikibooks:
...
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0answers
23 views
Term for animal behavior that will lead to their demise?
Moths and salmon. I recognize these are two entirely different impulses, but in both case the end result is the animal dies.
Is there a term for such a behavior? If not one term for both, then is ...
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0answers
42 views
‘Inoculum’ vs ‘inoculant’ – which one is it?
I’m currently writing the report of a study which looked at commercial soil inoculants (Rhizobium sp.). However, I’m confused about the differences between the words inoculum and inoculant and when to ...
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1answer
50 views
Spatially Encoded GPCRs?
I'm reading this paper, and I'm already lost in terms of what they mean by GPCR signaling is spatially encoded.
The trafficking of G protein coupled‐receptors (GPCRs) is one of the
most exciting ...
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2answers
99 views
What is a “pan-specific” antibody?
I am new to biology. I searched a lot to find an article that explains what "pan-specific" antibody is but I could not find anything substantial that would help me understand what it is.
An example ...
2
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1answer
51 views
What do we call these containers used in biotechnology?
I'm translating an autoclave instruction from Russian, and it says that these containers (ванночки) (see the black circle on the below photo) are to be sterilized in the autoclave. I'm not sure what ...
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1answer
96 views
Is this model of understanding of what's natural selection and what's not, correct? [closed]
Here in this account I just want to make sure, that I've grasped the concept of natural selection as is usually spoken by evolutionary biologists, truly the wording here are non standard and in some ...
2
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1answer
78 views
What is meant by “heads” and “tails” in the context of gene orientation?
I have a hard time understanding what this paper is talking about when it says:
We observed maximal cleavage at sites oriented tail-to-tail and separated by -10 bp to +30 bp (Fig. 2d). Finally, ...
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4answers
2k views
What is the definition of “Natural Selection”?
Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype.
Natural selection, a process that results in the adaptation of an organism to its ...
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0answers
152 views
What's a “constitutionally small penis”?
I'm reading some urology papers and came across one involving penis growth (Kim & Song, 2008); here's an intro passage that I'm confused about:
A total of 58 patients with constitutionally ...
2
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1answer
78 views
What is the reason behind the subphylum name “Urochordata” for tunicates?
There are two major invertebrate subphyla of the chordates (phylum Chordata):
Cephalochordata (the lancelets)
Urochordata, aka Tunicata (the tunicates)
My understanding is that the cephalochordates ...
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0answers
11 views
What soft tissue separates bones of toes?
I need to know a little about the "knuckles" of toes; specifically the 4 areas that separate the 5 proximal/metatarsal joins.
I'd like to know the terms for areas that might be damaged if the width ...
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1answer
57 views
What does the number after Vitamin B signify?
Does the number after Vitamin B signify anything? For example what is the significance of 12 in Vitamin B12?
6
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1answer
63 views
Branch taking over a tree trunk
I stumbled upon a birch growing in sandy soil in a coniferous forest in central Russia.
It looks like over time the tree trunk got bent towards the trail and one of the branches became the new trunk ...
6
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2answers
120 views
Why is ATP synthase sometimes referred to as ATPase?
Quite a few times I have seen the term ‘ATPase’ used for what I would consider ATP synthase. For example, my text has:
“The phosphorylation of ADP to ATP is also catalysed by the enzyme ATPase.”
I ...
2
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1answer
154 views
Why is xylem a tissue and not an organ?
My textbook "CGP AS-Level Biology Exam Board: Edexcel Complete Revision & Practice" says xylem is a tissue.
Then I read from this website that "[Xylem's] major components include xylem parenchyma,...
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2answers
39 views
GEN file format, SNPs and alleles
I have a few questions I can't seem to get a straight answer to, regarding the .gen file format and also biology in general.
The ...
4
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0answers
58 views
What's inside the perinuclear space?
The cell proper contains the cytoplasm in general and the cytosol in particular when referring to the fluid/gel without notable organelle.
Once we move inside the nucleus there is the nucleoplasm and ...
0
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1answer
47 views
Notation for repetitive nucleic acids
With regard to nucleic acids with repeating residues, could anyone provide a description of what the following sequences are, and the key differences between them:
Poly(dA)
Oligo(dA)
Poly(A)
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2answers
94 views
Why is photosynthesis described as a “physico-chemical” process? [closed]
In my textbook it is given that photosynthesis is a physico-chemical process. How can it be a physical process?
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1answer
53 views
Is there an adjective I can use to describe body parts like hands, feet, eyes, and ears that exist on both sides of the body's sagittal plane?
Body parts like human hands, feet, ears, eyes, etc. exist on either side of the human body's sagittal plane and can therefore be specified with the adjectives left and right. Is there a special ...
1
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1answer
23 views
Is there a word for the length of time an animal stays with parents before going off on their own?
Gestation is a word describing the pregnancy for animals, and you can use 'gestation period' to describe how long a pregnancy generally takes for a species. I'd like to know if there's a corollary ...
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1answer
45 views
More general term than “adaptation”
The Wikipedia article about adaptation states:
Adaptation differs from flexibility, acclimatization, and learning.
What is a more general term than adaptation? For example, is there an umbrella ...
0
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1answer
61 views
What do the acronyms in C.elegans neuron names stand for? [closed]
In this site, I see a variety of acronymic names for C.elegans neurons but what do these names mean (for example AVAL, AVAR)?
3
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1answer
42 views
Difference between crossover rate and recombination rate?
I am not a biology student and therefore, need clarification if crossover rate and recombination rate are the same thing. So if the text says 'recombination rate per base pair per generation' or '...
0
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1answer
41 views
The reproduction patterns of fungi: what’s the difference between them?
I am going to take TOEFL, and am getting perplexed by the difference between cell division and budding and fragmentation of fungi.
Those three terms seem like all the same all to me, so could anyone ...
1
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1answer
95 views
What does 'proper' mean in the anatomical context?
I've seen the word 'proper' in websites, lectures, etc., in the context of human anatomy. But I'm unsure as to what its definition is. For example, the 'oral cavity proper'.
2
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0answers
22 views
Veins in Plant Leaves (terminology)
Why do we call the vascular bundles in plant leaves "veins"? I think its probably because the xylem and pholem serve circulatory function analogous to the human body's circulatory system with arteries ...
4
votes
2answers
562 views
What is a synonym of the word design that can be used in context of evolution?
For example let's take two sentences; "engineer made a design for camera", "evolution made an X for eye". What is the best X that could be used?
I need it for an essay about evolution.
2
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1answer
61 views
Is there a name for the use of sunlight in metabolic processes?
"Photosynthesis" is what is used to describe how plants use sunlight to synthesize sugars, but, I also heard some animals like humans use sunlight in the process of creating vitamin D. Is there a ...
2
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1answer
37 views
Is studying chemical and physical properties of chemical substances that make up organisms really a task of molecular biology?
I have read in a high school textbook that (translated into English by myself): "Branch of science that concerns itself with studying chemical and physical properties of substances that make up ...
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1answer
86 views
Are cell biology and cytology the same science?
According to Wikipedia, the terms can be used interchangeably, but according to my college professors, cytology is exclusively the study of chromosomes and identification of their abnormalities.
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2answers
121 views
Loss of function in inflammation
The Wikipedia-article about Inflammation says
The five classical signs of inflammation are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and loss of function (Latin calor, dolor, rubor, tumor, and functio laesa).
...
4
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2answers
81 views
What is the meaning of 'state of nature' in On the Origin of species by Charles Darwin?
I have started reading "On the origin of species" by Charles Darwin.
The beginning paragraph is:
When we look to the individuals of the same variety or sub-variety of our older cultivated plants ...
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1answer
25 views
What is the term for a given interpretation of a fossil record?
There exists a term, that I have heard and forgotten it appears, for taking a described species in paleontology and creating a version of what it was like in life.
For example, a prior ...
2
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1answer
107 views
How to tell petiole apart from stem?
How to tell petiole apart from stem? Is it by the rule that there is usually a pair of stipules at the base of a petiole?
17
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4answers
3k views
Why do both the mango and the bee have “Indica” in their binomial name?
In my textbook, it is written that the binomial name of mango is Mangifera indica and the binomial name of a bee is Apis indica. Now in the name the second part is the name of species. But mango and ...
3
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1answer
440 views
What does the acronym ‘PIN’ stand for referring to PIN proteins in plants?
There are so called PIN proteins, or PIN-formed proteins, in plants. What does this acronym mean?
Wikipedia briefly explains the function of the protein but not the origin of the name. It's not ...
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1answer
37 views
Common english name for tissues which are separated from the blood by blood-tissue barriers
Which general term is used to denote such organs/tissues as: brain, testis, thymus etc., which are separated from the blood by blood-tissue barriers?
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1answer
126 views
What means a vírus prototype strain?
Whats means the term (prototype vírus strain)is a first virus isolated and without mutations?
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0answers
54 views
an umbrella term for homeolog and ohnolog?
Is there a word that refer to homologous chromosomes within a polyploid species? If I have AABB species, what is A to B?
The words "homeolog" and "ohnolog" are reserved for the cases if the ...
2
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0answers
31 views
Why plant tissues end in -enchyma?
Many plant tissue types end in the affix -enchyma.
Etymology: enkhyma "infusion," from en- "in" + khein "to pour"
Examples are parenchyma, collenchyma, and sclerenchyma
(meaning "to pour beside," ...
2
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1answer
79 views
Who are Ursprungliche Eukaryoten?
The school textbook of my daughter (the textbook is written in German) describes the five kingdoms of life: prokaryota, plants, fungi, animals and "Ursprungliche Eukaryoten". These are defined as "...
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1answer
93 views
Exact terminology of natural selection
You don't need to explain to me what the theory of evolution is, or how it works. This question is purely about what exact meaning the word "natural selection" is ascribed to.
There seem to be ...
6
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1answer
487 views
Is there logic in this sentence? “Authors discovered a gene as one of the genes evolved through natural selection”
From a news report:
PhD candidate Daiki Sato and Professor Masakado Kawata have discovered SLC18A1 (VMAT1), which encodes vesicular monoamine transporter 1, as one of the genes evolved through ...
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2answers
145 views
A synthetic sieve organ known as kliver?
in this video at 5:28, the narrator talks about a "vat-grown all-purpose sieve organ" called Kliver that would do away with both liver and kidney transplant. But i don't seem to find online resources ...
4
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1answer
178 views
Is there a specific suffix for “within a cell”? i.e. in a similar manner to how -aemia refers to within the blood
Words like hyperglycemia and hyponatremia refer to the relative level of each component in the blood, not in the cell. Is there a suffix for within the cell? For reference I would like one word as an ...
