Science Dictionary
Do you know what a meteor is, or what scientists mean when they are talking about cryogenics? Our collection of science terms explains the meaning of some of the most common scientific ideas.
What Is Solar Wind?
What Existed Before the Big Bang?
What Kind of Technology Could Dark Matter Research Lead To?
Can You Nominate Yourself for a Nobel Prize?
How Do You Win a Nobel Prize?
How do the Ig Nobel Prizes work?
8 Native American Scientists You Should Know
5 Facts About Marie Curie and the Winningest Nobel Prize Family in History
10 Things You Should Know About Rachel Carson
How do polymer crystals work and why do they absorb so much water?
What is a carat, and how does it relate to a karat?
The Mpemba Effect: Does Hot Water Really Freeze Faster Than Cold Water?
4 Quantum Physics Misconceptions, Busted
Quantum Entanglement Is the Strangest Phenomenon in Physics, But What Is It?
Learn More / Page 3
Midnight Sun, a name given the sun when it can be seen at midnight during the Arctic or Antarctic summer.
Nebular Hypothesis, an explanation of how the solar system was formed, proposed by Pierre Simon de Laplace in 1796.
Nova, (plural: Novae), a star that rapidly increases in brightness and then fades again.
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Perihelion and Aphelion, The perihelion is the point on the orbit of a planet or comet that is closest to the sun.
Perturbation, in astronomy, is a disturbance in the orbit or motion of a heavenly body.
Planetarium, is an educational device for showing the locations and movements of the planets and other objects in the universe.
Planetesimal hypothesis is a theory of the origin of the solar system. It was proposed by Forrest R.
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Twilight is the light diffused over the sky from sunset to darkness and from darkness to sunrise.
Van Allen Radiation Belts, two zones encircling the earth in which there are relatively large numbers of high-energy (fast-moving) charged particles.
The man immortalized on the left was behind the three laws of motion and the universal law of gravitation. He was also competitive, temperamental and fascinated with alchemy. How well do you know Newton?
We take much for granted about our universe, like it's getting bigger. What if the universe stopped expanding and started collapsing inward with a giant crunch?
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Whether you invented a revolutionary pair of skivvies or a way to turn cow manure into vanilla flavoring, we have an award for you. The Ig Nobels are proving that science isn't all seriousness and superstring theory.
By Robert Lamb
Bessey, Charles Edwin (1845-1915), an American botanist and administrator, developed world-class botanical programs in the United States.
Just, Ernest Everett (1883-1941) was an internationally known American biologist, zoologist, and physiologist who made major contributions to the field of biology through his pioneering research into fertilization, experimental parthenogenesis, and cell physiology.
Rowley, Janet (1925-) is an American geneticist, a scientist who investigates the structure, function, and transmission of genes.
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Margulis, Lynn Alexander (1938-), an American biologist, helped advance the study of the origins of cells.
Meyerhof, Otto Fritz (1884-1951), a German-born American biochemist, shared the 1922 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his research into oxygen consumption by muscles, and the relationship of oxygen consumption and the metabolism of lactic acid (a chemical produced in the body by muscular activity) and carbohydrates within the muscle.
Berg, Paul (1926-), an American biochemist and molecular biologist, has been at the forefront of genetic engineering, both as an inventor of a pioneering procedure and as an advocate concerned about the risks of genetic research.
Hubbard, Ruth (1924-) is an Austrian-born American biologist and biochemist whose contributions to the study of the biochemistry and photochemistry of vision in vertebrates and invertebrates have greatly advanced the understanding of the field.
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Benzer, Seymour (1921-), an American geneticist, is one of the founders of modern behavioral geneties.
Nebulae are collections of dust and gases scattered across the galaxy. They're the sites where stars are born and what's left behind after they die.
The big bang theory is well-known, but there are many misconceptions about it. Like what? Let's start with this one: There was no bang.
Modern science allows us to break atoms down into tiny components. But can scientists use their mighty machines to recreate the foundation of the universe?
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Some scientists believe that space is infinite. But is it? If it isn't, what form does space take? Is it a dodecahedron or a triple torus?
Space collisions are the universe's car wrecks. Only in outer space, it's stars, asteroids and even galaxies doing the smashing.
By John Fuller