Science & Research

An unproven proposition put forward on the basis of incomplete evidence, especially in mathematics or theoretical science.

A self-evident principle accepted as true without proof, forming the foundation of a theory or system.

A central principle or belief held by a discipline, school of thought, or theory.

A practical rule of thumb or approximate method used to reach a workable, not necessarily optimal, solution.

A warning or qualification limiting how broadly a finding or claim should be interpreted.

In research design, to distort a result by introducing an extraneous variable that obscures the true relationship.

The default statistical assumption that there is no effect or relationship, which a study attempts to reject.

A measure of how widely values in a dataset are dispersed around the mean.

A statistical measure of dispersion equal to the average of the squared deviations from the mean.

A statistical technique for estimating the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more predictors.

A study that statistically combines the results of many independent studies to draw a more robust conclusion.

Describing research that follows the same subjects over an extended period.

A group of subjects sharing a defining characteristic who are studied together, often over time.

A reference measurement taken before an intervention, against which later changes are compared.

An inert substance given to a control group so that the genuine effect of a treatment can be isolated.

Describing a trial in which neither the subjects nor the researchers know who receives the treatment.

A detailed, formalised plan specifying exactly how an experiment or procedure is to be carried out.

A laboratory procedure for measuring the presence, amount, or activity of a substance.

To determine a concentration by adding a measured reagent until a reaction reaches its endpoint; more broadly, to adjust a dose precisely.

A machine that spins samples at high speed to separate components by density.

In chemistry, to cause a solid to form and settle out of a solution.

An individual sample of material or an organism taken for examination or display.

The substance on which an enzyme acts, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows.

A substance, usually liquid, in which a solute is dissolved to form a solution.

Relating to or dissolved in water.

The combining capacity of an element, determined by the number of electrons it can lose, gain, or share.

The branch of physics concerned with heat, energy, and their transformations.

The acceleration of a chemical reaction by a catalyst.

A large molecule built from many repeating subunits, natural or synthetic.

The genetic constitution of an organism, as distinct from its observable traits.

One of two or more alternative forms of a gene occupying the same position on a chromosome.

The passing of genetic traits from parents to offspring.

The evolutionary mechanism by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and reproduce.

An inherited trait that enhances an organism's fitness in its environment, or the process producing it.

A microorganism, such as a bacterium or virus, that causes disease.

A protein produced by the immune system to recognise and neutralise specific foreign substances.

A foreign molecule that triggers an immune response and to which antibodies bind.

A living thing too small to be seen without a microscope, such as a bacterium, virus, or protozoan.

The process by which green plants convert light energy into chemical energy, producing oxygen.

The movement of solvent molecules through a semi-permeable membrane from a dilute to a more concentrated solution.

The net movement of particles from a region of higher concentration to one of lower concentration.

A thin pliable layer, especially one enclosing a cell or organelle and regulating what passes through.

A specialised cell that transmits electrical and chemical signals in the nervous system.

The junction across which a nerve impulse passes from one neuron to another.

Something that evokes a functional reaction in an organism, tissue, or sensory receptor.

Relating to particles smaller than an atom, such as electrons, protons, and quarks.

A quantum of electromagnetic radiation; the elementary particle of light.

A negatively charged subatomic particle orbiting the nucleus of an atom.

Einstein's theory describing the interdependence of space, time, motion, and gravitation.

The tendency of a body to resist changes in its state of motion.

The maximum displacement of a wave or oscillation from its equilibrium position.

A regular variation or back-and-forth movement about a central value or position.

The amplification of oscillation when a system is driven at its natural frequency.

A fluid's resistance to flow.

The bending of a wave, especially light, as it passes from one medium into another.

The maintenance of a stable internal environment by an organism despite external changes.

The science of classifying and naming organisms in ordered groups.

The branch of biology dealing with the functions of living organisms and their parts.

The study of the origin, structure, and evolution of the universe as a whole.

The variety of living organisms within a habitat, ecosystem, or the planet as a whole.

Involving or governed by randomness; describable in terms of probability.

Describing reasoning that draws general conclusions from specific observations.

Describing reasoning that derives specific conclusions necessarily from general premises.

Denoting knowledge or reasoning that proceeds from theoretical principle rather than observation.

Describing a system whose future states are fully fixed by its present state, with no randomness.

A formal system of names and terms used within a scientific discipline.

A proposition that follows naturally and with little extra proof from one already established.

An extraneous factor that correlates with both the independent and dependent variables, biasing the apparent effect.

A result judged improbable under the null hypothesis, conventionally when the p-value falls below a set threshold such as 0.05.

The observable physical and behavioural characteristics of an organism, arising from its genes and environment.

British English word for an atom's combining or bonding capacity.

British English spelling of a nerve cell that transmits electrical and chemical signals.