cortex The outermost layer of neural tissue of the brain.
hippocampus (pl. hippocampi) A seahorse-shaped region of the brain. It is thought to be the center of emotion, memory and the involuntary nervous system.
hypothesis (v. hypothesize) A proposed explanation for a phenomenon. In science, a hypothesis is an idea that must be rigorously tested before it is accepted or rejected.
navigate To find one’s way through a landscape using visual cues, sensory information (like scents), magnetic information (like an internal compass) or other techniques.
neuroscientist Someone who studies the structure or function of the brain and other parts of the nervous system.
olfaction (adj. olfactory) The sense of smell.
orbitofrontal cortex A region of the brain located just behind your eye sockets. It’s part of the cortex — the area of the brain that is involved in planning and decision-making. The orbitofrontal cortex plays a role in emotions, in controlling your impulses and in decisions driven by the positive feelings that come from a reward of some kind. This brain area may also affect how we experience emotions, such as becoming anxious when preparing to take a risk.
spatial An adjective for things having to do with the space where something is located or the relationships in space between two or more objects.
virtual Being almost like something. An object or concept that is virtually real would be almost true or real — but not quite. The term often is used to refer to something that has been modeled — by or accomplished by — a computer using numbers, not by using real-world parts. So a virtual motor would be one that could be seen on a computer screen and tested by computer programming (but it wouldn’t be a three-dimensional device made from metal).