Scientists Say
A weekly word defined, in a sentence and in context.
- Math
Scientists Say: Statistical significance
Statistical significance is a phrase that describes how often a scientific difference might occur by accident.
- Space
Scientists Say: Orbit
An orbit is the path one object in space takes around another, such as a planet, star or the center of an atom.
- Plants
Scientists Say: Nectar
Nectar is a fluid filled with sugar that plants — especially flowers — produce. They use it to attract animals that will then spread their pollen to another plant.
- Space
Scientists Say: Multiverse
The multiverse is an idea that there are many universes out there, including the one we live in. Each universe has an alternate reality.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists Say: Quarantine
This is a restriction on where people or animals who are sick — or suspected of being sick — can go. Doctors use quarantine to try to prevent a disease from spreading.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists Say: Parasite
Lots of organisms live in pairs, benefitting from each other. But when one organism benefits while the other suffers? That first organism is a parasite.
- Ecosystems
Scientists Say: Understory
A forest isn’t made just out of the tallest trees. Shorter trees and shrubs thrive in their shade. This layer is called the understory.
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Scientists Say: Data
Data are a group of facts that are collected together for analysis.
- Space
Scientists Say: Yellow dwarf
Yellow dwarf is a term used for a medium-sized star. Our sun is a yellow dwarf.
- Humans
Scientists Say: Neandertal
This extinct species is a close relative of modern humans. Neandertals lived in Europe and Asia, and made tools and jewelry — just like us.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Kelvin
Kelvin is a temperature scale. It’s based around the concept of “absolute zero,” a temperature so cold that molecules stop moving.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Peptide
Peptides are short chains made of smaller molecules called amino acids. These chains can form proteins, and they can also do work on their own.
