Academic: pertaining to a school, class, or subject taught by a teacher in a formal educational institution (such as a college or university).
Bias: a tendency to hold a particular viewpoint or preference in favor of something, a group of things, or a choice. Scientists often “blind” subjects to the details of the test (without telling them what the test is about) so that their biases don’t affect the results.
Biology: the study of living organisms. Scientists who study living organisms are called biologists.
Cell: (in biology) the smallest structural and functional unit of an organism. Usually too small to be seen with the naked eye and composed of a watery fluid surrounded by a membrane or wall. Animals are made up of thousands to trillions of cells, depending on their size.
Chromosomes: single, spiraled, thread-like pieces of DNA found in the nucleus of a cell. Chromosomes are usually X-shaped in animals and plants. Some segments of DNA in chromosomes are genes. Other segments of DNA in chromosomes are landing pads for proteins. The functions of other segments of DNA in chromosomes are not yet fully understood by scientists.
Develop: (noun: development) to come into existence or come into being naturally or through human intervention such as manufacture; (in biology) as an organism grows from conception to adulthood, it often undergoes changes in chemistry, size, mental maturity, and sometimes shape.
Engineering: a field of study that uses mathematics and science to solve practical problems. People who work in this field are called engineers.
Environment: the sum of everything that exists around some organism or process and the conditions that those things create. Environment can refer to the weather or ecosystem in which some animal lives, or the temperature and humidity (or the arrangement of things near the item of interest).
Feminine: pertaining to or of women.
Field: field of study. Example: Her field of research is biology. It is also a term that describes the real-world environment in which some research takes place, such as the ocean, a forest, a mountaintop, or a city street, as opposed to an artificial environment such as a laboratory.
Sex: the complex relationship between bodies, identity, and often the ways cultures attempt to assign roles and behaviors. Gender and biological sex are often incorrectly used interchangeably. Gender identities include binary (female or male) and non-binary (gender fluid, genderqueer), etc. People share parts of their gender identity through their pronoun choices; for example, he, she, or they are common. Someone’s gender may be the same as the sex they were assigned at birth, or it may be different.
Gene: (adjective: genetic) the part of DNA that contains the code, or instructions, for a cell to make proteins. Offspring inherit genes from their parents. Genes affect how an organism looks and behaves.
High School: a designation for grades 9 through 12 in the U.S. compulsory education system. High school graduates may go on to college for further education.
Hormone: (zoology and medicine) chemicals made by glands and carried in the bloodstream to other parts of the body. Hormones control many important bodily activities, including growth. Hormones work by causing or controlling chemical reactions in the body. (botany) chemicals that act as signaling compounds that tell plant cells when and how to grow or when to age and die.
Intersex: an animal or human who exhibits characteristics other than strictly male or female reproductive anatomy. They may have extra sex chromosomes or mutations in the genital or reproductive organs that produce hormones.
Masculine: of or relating to men.
Way of Thinking: in psychology, the beliefs and attitudes about situations that influence behavior. For example, having the mindset that stress is beneficial can help you perform better under pressure.
Non-binary: meaning “not one of two.” A non-binary person may feel they are both male and female, neither male nor female, or somewhere in between. Non-binary people may choose to use the pronoun “they” instead of he or she.
Norms: attitudes, behaviors, or achievements that are currently considered normal or conventional within society (or a segment of society, e.g., teenagers).
Organ: (in biology) the various parts of an organism that perform one or more specific functions. For example, the ovaries are the organs that make eggs, the brain is the organ that understands nerve signals, and the roots of a plant are the organs that absorb nutrients and water.
Prejudice: derived from the phrase “prejudge,” this word means having a usually negative attitude toward one or more people because they belong to a group (usually defined by race, religion, or ethnicity). Prejudice against a particular race is known as racism. Prejudice against a certain gender (usually women) is called sexism. Prejudice against older people is called ageism.
Psychologist: a scientist or mental health professional who studies the mind, especially as it relates to behavior and action. Some research involves human subjects, while other research involves experiments with animals (usually rodents) to see how the animal’s mind responds to different stimuli or situations.
Reproductive Organs: the organs in an organism that produce and release eggs and sperm and, where appropriate, nurture the developing egg or fetus.
Sex: the biological status of an animal with regard to reproductive function, usually male or female. There are many indicators of biological sex, including sex chromosomes, gonads, internal reproductive organs, and external reproductive organs. Sex is also a term referring to the mating system between male and female animals, in which each parent organism contributes genes to potential offspring, usually through fertilization of an egg by sperm.
Social: (adjective) relating to a group of people. A term used to describe animals (or people) who prefer to exist in groups.
Society: typically an integrated group of people or animals who cooperate and support each other for the benefit of all.
Sociologist: a scientist who studies the behavior of groups of people, how that behavior develops, and the organizations people form to support their communities (societies).
Stereotype: a widely accepted view or explanation of something, which is often incorrect because it is an oversimplification.
Technology: the application of scientific knowledge to practical purposes, especially in industry, or the device, process, or system resulting from such an endeavor.
Characteristic: a characteristic of something. (in genetics) an inherited quality or trait.
X chromosome: part of an animal’s genetic inheritance, which appears on the sex chromosome called “X.” Most females have two X chromosomes, and most males usually have both an X and a Y chromosome.
Y chromosome: part of an animal’s genetic inheritance, which appears on the sex chromosome called “Y.” Most males have a Y and an X chromosome. Most females do not have a Y chromosome.
Source: www.snexplores.org
