Ultimate Life Science Dictionary

Life Science is the study of all living things. As a broad field, it encompasses many other scientific disciplines like biology, botany, and genetics. Animals, plants, and their ecosystems are co-dependent, so many life science studies overlap. For example, geneticists and botanists may come together to study an inherited allergy to certain plants. Even divisions of anthropology can fall under the umbrella of life sciences as animals and plants influence and are influenced by their environments. When navigating through the basic concepts of life science, a glossary of terms is helpful.

Abiotic – Pertaining to non-living things.

Acellular – Organs or tissue not made of cells.

Adaptation – An inherited feature that improves and organism’s chance for survival and reproduction.

Allele – A form of a gene.

Amino Acid – Molecules that combine to form a protein.

Arthropod – Organisms whose bodies are segmented into three regions. Insects are arthropods.

Biology – The study of life and the life cycles of living things.

Biomes – A complex ecosystem that is characterized by its animals, plants, temperature, and rainfall.

Botany – The study of all forms of plant life.

Blood – A mixture of cells in a complex liquid that moves through the body collecting waste and delivering nutrients.

Breed – A group of animals that have similar features and are related through a common ancestor.

Cell – The most basic unit that makes up a living thing.

Cell Biology – The study of cells and their functions.

Chloroplast – In plants, photosynthesis takes place in these organelles that contain chlorophyll.

Daughter Cells – The cells that are produced when a cell reproduces by dividing.

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) – A double helix of bonded, sequenced proteins that contain hereditary information.

E. coli – Due to its small genome size and rapid growth, this common bacterium is often studied by scientists.

Ecosystem – A community of organisms influenced by interactions with their environment.

Embryo – The earliest stage of development for an organism.

Fungus – An organism that lacks chlorophyll and feeds on organic matter. It falls under the Fungi kingdom.

False Positive – When a scientific test shows a positive result in error.

Gamete – Mature reproductive cells that have an unpaired set of chromosomes.

Gene – A basic unit of hereditary material.

Genetics – The study of genes and inherited traits.

Hormones – A chemical secreted by the endocrine gland that blood moves from one cell or tissue to another. Hormones control certain cell and organ activity.

Hereditary – Something genetically passed down through subsequent generations.

Immune System – The cells and body systems that identify foreign threats to the body and attack them.

In vitro – Meaning “outside the body.”

Life Cycle – The stages of life during which an organism develops.

Life Science – The study of life. It encompasses other disciplines like biology, genetics, genetics, and chemistry.

Mammal – Warm-blooded, vertebrate animals from the class Mammalia.

Mendelian Inheritance – Named after Gregory Mendel, these are basic principles of genetic inheritance.

Mutation – When the sequence, number, or arrangement of a gene is changed.

Natural Selection – According to Darwinian theory, this is a process in which organisms best adapted to their environment survive to reproduce more offspring, than those that are not as well adapted.

Nucleus – The center of a cell, which contains DNA.

Organelle – A structure within a cell that has a specific function.

Osmosis – The movement of molecules through a semi-permeable membrane.

Phenotype – The observable, physical traits of an organism.

Parasite – An organism that survives by living off a host organism.

Recessive – A gene that is present, but is not expressed in phenotype unless it is matched by an identical allele.

Recombination – Creating genetic variation through the breaking and rejoining of DNA strands to form new gene sequences.

Red Blood Cells – The cells that carry oxygen through the body and deliver it to organs and tissue.

Reptile – Cold-blooded, vertebrate animals that fall under the class Reptilia.

Scientific Method – The method in which scientists make a hypothesis about a theory, then conduct an experiment to prove or disprove the hypothesis.

Sociobiology – The study of the evolution and development of animal social behavior.

Species – A group of organisms that share similar traits and are capable of breeding to reproduce offspring.

T Cells – A type of white blood cell that aids the immune system.

Trait – A hereditary, physical characteristic like hair and eye color.

Transcription – The process in which DNA is copied onto new strands of messenger RNA.

Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation – Radiation from the sun that has a shorter wavelength than light.

Unicellular – An organism made up of only one cell.

Unique DNA – A part of DNA that has no repeating DNA sequences.

Vertebrate – An animal with a supportive backbone.

Virus – An infectious, microscopic particle made up of RNA or DNA and surrounded by a protein coating.

White Blood Cells – Cells that fight off diseases as part of the body’s immune system response.

X Chromosome – One of the two sex chromosomes. Females possess two X chromosomes.

Y Chromosome – One of the two sex chromosomes. Males possess one X and one Y chromosome.

Zoology – A branch of biology that studies animals.