Scientists Say
A weekly word defined, in a sentence and in context. Click here to find the alphabetized list.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Ring of Fire
This horseshoe-shaped path on the fringes of the Pacific Ocean holds most of the world’s active volcanos and earthquake sites.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Photon
This word describes light as a particle. A photon is the tiniest possible bit of electromagnetic radiation.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Enzyme
This word describes a molecule that speeds up chemical reactions in living things. Enzymes work by lowering the energy needed for a reaction to occur.
- Brain
Scientists Say: Brainwaves
These patterns of electrical activity in the brain look like spikes or waves.
- Climate
Scientists Say: Meteorology
This word describes the study of processes in the Earth’s atmosphere, including the weather.
- Space
Scientists Say: Light-year
This is the distance light travels in one year — about 9.48 trillion kilometers. Light-years are used to measure vast distances, like those in space.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Fermentation
Fermentation breaks down carbohydrates, such as sugars, producing energy and making gases, acids or alcohol. This process can help make foods and fuels.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Fossil
Under the right conditions, living things or traces they’ve left behind can be preserved in rock for a long time — millions or billions of years.
- Planets
Scientists Say: Gas giant
These gargantuan planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn, are mostly made up of hydrogen and helium gas.
- Climate
Scientists Say: Glacier
Glaciers are massive ‘rivers of ice’ that move slowly over land. But climate change is shrinking them.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists Say: Outbreak, Epidemic and Pandemic
These terms can describe what is happening as a disease spreads across communities, countries and the world.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Decibel
A decibel is a unit of measurement that describes a sound’s volume. It’s used for sounds that are in the range of human hearing.
