The How and the Why: Glossary
Dobzhansky Prize |
Adrenal glands: Triangular endocrine glands on top of the kidney that produce hormones such as adrenaline (also called epinephrine, adrenaline stimulates the heart muscle during the fight-or-flight response by increasing glucose levels in the blood and providing quick energy).
Amenorrhea: Absence of the menstrual period in women of reproductive age.
B cells: Lymphocytes (immune system cells) that make antibodies (proteins that bind to and initiate the removal of foreign substances in the body).
Bonobos: Sometimes called Pygmy Chimpanzees, found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and currently endangered. Very closely related to humans. They are studied for a variety of reasons, one being their active and varied sexual lives (they use sex for more than reproduction, for example, to negotiate, as therapy, etc).
BRCA 1: Gene officially called breast cancer 1, early onset. It is a tumor suppressing gene that produces proteins which prevent cells from growing/dividing too rapidly and repair broken DNA strands. Mutations or variations of BRCA 1 can lead to increased risk of breast cancer.
Carcinogen: Any substance, radionuclide, or radiation, that is an agent involved in causing cancer.
Cervix: Lower, narrow portion of the uterus that joins with the top of the vagina. It opens to allow menstrual blood to flow out and dilates during childbirth. During pregnancy, however, is closes to keep the fetus inside the uterus.
Chromosome: Threadlike structure composed of coiled DNA and proteins that contains genetic information.
Cortisol: Steroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland. It is released in response to stress and increases blood sugar.
Dobzhansky Prize: Theodosius Dobzhansky Prize is awarded annually by the Society for the Study of Evolution to recognize the accomplishments and future promise of an outstanding young evolutionary biologist. The prize was established in memory of Professor Dobzhansky by his friends and colleagues, and reflects his lifelong commitment to fostering the research careers of young scientists. http://www.evolutionsociety.org/awards.htm
Edna St. Vincent Millay: American poet, playwright, and feminist, born in 1892 and died in 1950. She was the third woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry.
Endometrial layer: Inner layer of the uterus. During the menstrual cycle and pregnancy the endometrium grows into a thick layer of tissue full of blood vessels.
Ernst Mayr: Leading evolutionary biologist of the 20th century; identified two parts of scientific problems, the how and the why. http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/may1bio-1
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/06/2/l_062_01.html
First trimester: Time from last period to 13th week of a pregnancy in human females. There are three trimesters in a human pregnancy.
Hadza: Hunting-gathering ethnic group from Tanzania. They are the last group of full-time hunter-gatherers and have a language unrelated to any other. Because of their unique lifestyle (not much in their way of life has changed in the last 10,000 years) they are the source of many studies of human nature and biology. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/12/hadza/finkel-text
Hypothesis: Proposed explanation of an observable phenomenon.
Hormone: Chemical released by a cell or gland in one part of the body that sends out messages that affect cells in other parts of the body.
Hormone replacement therapy: Treatment for women at or around menopause that involves medication containing female hormones that are no longer being produced by the body. While it lessens the discomfort of menopause and has proven health benefits, some treatments increase the risk of cancer and heart disease.
Hysterectomy: Surgical removal of the uterus.
George C. Williams: American evolutionary biologist. His paper, Pleiotropy, Natural Selection, and the Evolution of Senescence, contains an early outline for the grandmother hypothesis.
Gestation: Carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female.
Grandmother Hypothesis: Theory explaining why menopause arose in humans and not other species as well as possible evolutionary benefits to a lengthy post-fertile period.
Lactoferrin: Protein in the immune system that binds to and transports iron. Lactoferrin is an antibacterial agent for human infants (its iron binding properties prevent the growth of bacteria).
Lamaze: Prepared childbirth technique (focus on breathing and relaxation).
http://www.livestrong.com/article/116087-lamaze-breathing-exercises/
Lymph nodes: Organs of the immune system. Found all through the body, they filter/trap foreign particles.
Macrophages: White blood cells that ingest foreign materials. They are a key player in the body’s immune response.
Mastectomy: Surgical removal of one or both breasts.
Max Gluckman: South-African born British social anthropologist, put research emphasis on case studies and promoted conflict studies.
Menses: Monthly flow of blood and cellular debris from the uterus (another name for menstruation/the discharge during menstruation).
Mitochondria: Organelle (a structure within a cell that has a specific function) that converts energy into forms usable by the whole cell.
Nascence: Coming into being, a birth.
Nomadic: Moving from one place to another without settling anywhere.
Oncologist: Physician who studies, diagnoses, and treats cancerous tumors.
Ovulation: Release of a mature egg from the ovarian follicle.
Pathogen: Infectious agent; a germ that causes disease in its host.
Permeable: Having pores/openings that allow liquids and gases to pass through.
Petri dish: Small, shallow dish biologists use to culture (multiplying organisms by letting them reproduce in controlled lab) cells.
Phylogeny: Evolutionary history of a particular group of organisms or their genes.
Physiology: Subcategory of biology, a science of the function of living systems. Linked with anatomy, human physiology focuses on the organs and systems within systems.
Placenta: Organ that connects the developing fetus to the uterine wall to allow nutrient uptake and waste elimination.
Pleistocene: Epoch from 1.9 million-10,000 years ago, marked by glacial cycles. It also was the period of evolution and expansion of Homo sapiens. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/change/deeptime/pleistocene.html
Primordial: Pertaining to or existing at/from the beginning.
Protoplasm: Living content of a cell that is surrounded by a plasma membrane.
Prototype: Original form, serving as an example.
Ruth L. Kirschstein award: (National Research Service Award) for individual predoctoral/postdoctoral fellows given by the National Institute of Health.
Senescence: Biological aging that occurs in an organism after it reaches maturity. In evolutionary biology it is theorized that we have favored biological functions that increase our reproductive rate at a younger age, but which might contribute to an overall shorter lifespan. Mutations that prove fatal later in life are not selected out for a few reasons: the older we are the more likely we are to be vulnerable to many different risks, and we are also not as reproductively volatile the older we are.
Sexual proclivity: Natural/habitual tendency in sexual behavior.
Simian: “Higher primates” including humans.
Stockholm syndrome: In psychology, a paradoxical phenomenon where victims exhibit positive feelings towards their captors.
T cells: White blood cells involved in the cell-mediated immune response. They have special receptors on their surface, T cell receptors (TCR), that help other cells in the immunologic process.
Tangential: Touching lightly; of little relevance.
Toxicity: Degree to which a substance can damage an organism.
Trajectory: Path a moving object follows through space as a function of time.
Yerkes Primate Center: (Yerkes National Primate Research Center) located at Emory University. The Yerkes National Primate Research Center conducts essential basic science and translational research to advance scientific understanding and to improve the health and well-being of humans and nonhuman primates. http://www.yerkes.emory.edu/
Distinctions:
Primate: Biological order including: apes, monkeys, humans, prosimians.
Mammal: Air-breathing, vertebrate animals with fur/hair and females with mammary glands.
Monkey: (Non-hominoid) all primates that are not prosimians or apes.
Ape: (Hominoid) includes chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, and humans.
Harvard’s School for Evolutionary Biology
Princeton Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Life: The Science of Biology Glossary
