Scientists Say
A weekly word defined, in a sentence and in context. Click here to find the alphabetized list.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Cellulose
Cellulose is an abundant natural polymer found in plants and algae. It’s used to make everything from paper to clothing.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Richter Scale
The Richter scale and other magnitude measures reveal the strength of an earthquake.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Dark Energy
Dark energy is the unknown force causing the universe to expand faster and faster.
- Life
Scientists Say: Eukaryote
Eukaryotes are living things whose cells package their genetic material inside a pouch called a nucleus.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Pollution
Pollution is any substance or form of energy released into the environment that is harmful to people or other living creatures.
- Math
Scientists Say: Geometry
Geometry is math that allows people to measure, analyze and compare figures in space.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Decay
This word can refer to rotting flesh or the transformation of radioactive atoms.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Voltage
Voltage is a measure of how much electricity is available to power devices.
- Life
Scientists Say: Bacteria
Bacteria get a bad rap for making people sick, but only a tiny portion of these single-celled creatures cause disease.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Silicon
The chemical element silicon is used to make everything from bricks to cookware to electronics.
- Space
Scientists Say: Solar wind
This is a powerful gust of charged particles that flows out from the sun through the solar system.
- Animals
Scientists Say: Adaptation
This word refers to a feature of a living thing that helps it better survive in its environment — or the process of that feature evolving in a population.
