AerospaceA field of research aimed at studying the Earth’s atmosphere and the outer space beyond, or aircraft flying in the atmosphere or space.
astronautA person trained to travel into space for research or exploration.
biologyThe study of living organisms. Scientists who study living organisms are called biologists.
cancer: Any of more than 100 different diseases, all characterized by the rapid, uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. The development and growth of cancer, also called malignant tumors, can lead to tumors, pain, and death.
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.
colleague: A person who works with another person, a colleague or team member.
commercial: adjective describing things ready for sale or already for sale. Commercial goods are those that are captured or produced for others and not just for personal consumption.
meeting: The branch of the U.S. federal government responsible for writing laws, developing the U.S. budget, approving presidential appointments to the courts, representing U.S. government interests abroad, and running the executive branch. The U.S. Congress is made up of two parts: the Senate, with two members elected from each state, and the House of Representatives, with at least one member elected from each state (with dozens more in more populous states), totaling 435 members.
dataThese are facts and statistics collected for the purposes of analysis, but not necessarily organized in a meaningful way.
Database: An organized collection of related data.
Develop: appearing or coming into existence naturally or through human intervention such as manufacture.
DNA: (short for deoxyribonucleic acid) A long, double-stranded, spiral-shaped molecule that carries genetic instructions inside most living cells. It is built on a backbone of phosphorus, oxygen, and carbon atoms. In all living organisms, including plants, animals, and microorganisms, these instructions tell the cell which molecules to make.
Ethical: (noun: ethics) an adjective describing standards of behavior regarding how people interact with other people and the environment. To be ethical, a person must treat others fairly, avoid any form of injustice or dishonesty, and avoid taking or using resources beyond their fair share (i.e., avoid greed). Ethical behavior also involves not putting others at risk without warning people of the danger in advance and allowing them to choose to accept the potential risk. Professionals who work in this field are known as ethicists.
exotic: an adjective describing something very unusual, strange, or foreign (e.g. Invasive plants).
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.
Gene expressionThe process by which cells use the information coded in genes to instruct cells to produce specific proteins.
genetically: It has to do with chromosomes, DNA, and the genes that DNA contains. The branch of science that deals with these biological instructions is known as genetics. People who work in this field are geneticists.
Immune system: A collection of cells and their responses that help the body fight infections and deal with foreign substances that may cause allergies.
Immunity: The ability of an organism to resist a particular infection or toxin by providing cells that remove, kill, or neutralize dangerous substances or infectious bacteria. Or, when used colloquially, it means the ability to avoid other kinds of negative consequences (such as being fired from a job or being bullied).
International Space Station: An artificial satellite that orbits Earth. Operated by the United States and Russia, the station provides laboratories where scientists can conduct biological, physical, and astronomy experiments and observe Earth.
Low Earth Orbit: An orbit fairly close to the Earth’s surface, usually at an altitude of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) or less, and usually no higher than 160 kilometers (99 miles). In contrast, commercial airlines tend to fly at altitudes of 14 kilometers or less, or less than one-tenth of the minimum low-Earth orbit.
Mars: It is the fourth planet from the Sun, just one planet away from Earth. Like Earth, it has seasons and humidity, but its diameter is only about half that of Earth.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)Abbreviation for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Founded in 1958, this U.S. agency has been a pioneer in space research and public interest in space exploration. It is through NASA that the U.S. has put humans into orbit and ultimately to the Moon, and has sent research craft to study planets and other celestial bodies in the solar system.
Nucleic AcidThe genetic material of all life on Earth, usually in the form of DNA and RNA.
Orbit: The curvilinear orbit of a celestial body or spacecraft around a galaxy, star, planet, or moon. One complete revolution around a celestial body.
philosopher: A researcher (often studying at a university) who ponders fundamental truths about the relationships between things, including people and the world. The term is also used to describe truth seekers in the ancient world, people who tried to find meaning and logic by observing the workings of society and the natural world, including the universe.
MenstruationThe branch of biology that deals with the daily functioning of living organisms and the functions of their various parts. Scientists working in this field are known as physiologists.
radiation: (physics) One of the three main ways energy is transferred. (The other two are conduction and convection.) In radiation, electromagnetic waves carry energy from one place to another. Unlike conduction and convection, which require matter to transfer the energy, radiation can transfer energy into empty space.
range: The complete extent or distribution of something.
danger: The chance or mathematical probability of something bad happening. For example, the risk of getting cancer from exposure to radiation. Or the danger, or harm itself. (For example: Among the cancer risks people faced were radiation and arsenic-contaminated drinking water..
rocket: something that is propelled into the air or into space; sometimes used as a weapon of war. Rockets are usually launched by the gases released from burning fuel. (verb) Something that is propelled into space at high speed as if fueled by combustion.
screenHealth tests: Getting health tests, often before symptoms appear. Such tests can help catch diseases when they are most treatable. Tests may include blood tests (such as for HIV, diabetes, high cholesterol), x-rays, and scans (such as mammograms for breast cancer).
stress: (biology) Factors that affect the health of a species or ecosystem, such as extremes of temperature, movement, moisture, or pollution. (psychology) The mental, physical, emotional, or behavioral response to an event or situation (a stressor) that disturbs a person’s or animal’s normal state or places excessive demands on the person or animal. Psychological stress can be positive or negative.
system: A network of parts working together to accomplish some function. For example, blood, blood vessels, and the heart are the main components of the human body’s circulatory system. Similarly, trains, platforms, tracks, road signals, and overpasses are some of the potential components of a country’s rail system. System can also apply to a process or idea that is part of some method or ordered series of steps to complete a task.
Telomere: The natural protective caps at the ends of chromosomes. They are made from a continuous sequence of six nucleotide chemicals. This chemical sequence is only found at the ends of chromosomes. It is known as TTAGGG, where each T corresponds to a thymine molecule, each A to an adenine molecule, and each G to a guanine molecule. Over time, telomeres shorten as cells make more copies. If the length of the telomeres gets too short, the cell stops dividing and dies.
Organization: The different types of material made up of cells that make up animals, plants, and fungi. Cells within tissues function as units that perform specific functions in the body. For example, the various organs of the human body are often made up of different types of tissue.
