Scientists Say
A weekly word defined, in a sentence and in context. Click here to find the alphabetized list.
- Brain
Scientists Say: Hallucination
Humans are not the only ones who can hallucinate. When a chatbot confidently generates a plausible but incorrect response, this error is called a hallucination.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Haboob
Thunderstorms in the desert create downdrafts that lift desert sand into a moving, wall-like cloud.
- Life
Scientists Say: Taxonomy
This field of study does more than just organize living things. It also reflects the history of life's evolution.
- Math
Scientists Say: Logarithm
Think of this math function as just another way to solve equations involving exponents.
- Materials Science
Scientists Say: Tenebrescence
Under ultraviolet light, some minerals adopt long-lasting new hues.
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- Humans
Scientists Say: Chronohygiene
Artificial lights and other aspects of modern life can confuse our body’s internal sleep clock. But a few minor changes may grant us much-needed control.
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- Earth
Scientists Say: Van Allen belts
Astronomers have detected these radiation belts around Earth and beyond. Jupiter’s belt is thousands of times as intense as Earth’s.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Blue whirl
Four types of smaller flames create the perfect firestorm of elegantly efficient combustion.
- Animals
Scientists Say: Kleptotrichy
Based on the Greek words for theft and hair, kleptotrichy is a more common bird behavior than people thought.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Supermoon
This supersized lunar event occurs when a full moon or new moon coincides with the moon’s perigee — the point where it is the closest to Earth.
