Scientists Say
A weekly word defined, in a sentence and in context.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Humidity
Feel sticky when you step outside on a summer day? Blame humidity — water in the air.
- Genetics
Scientists Say: DNA
Short for deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA is the molecule that determines how each living thing looks and works.
- Psychology
Scientists Say: Trauma
No one experiences trauma the same way. Its effects can be physical or emotional. Immediate or delayed. Brief or long-lasting.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Pigment
From fruits to fur to fine art, many materials get their colors from compounds called pigments.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Proton
These positively charged particles are important building blocks in atoms.
- Planets
Scientists Say: Habitable Zone
The habitable zone is the region around a star where temperatures could be right for worlds to host liquid water.
- Computing
Scientists Say: Supercomputer
These ultrafast computers perform complex calculations for research on cancer, quantum physics and more.
- Tech
Scientists Say: Virtual reality
Virtual reality is an immersive, 3-D artificial environment created by a computer.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Fault
A fault is a crack in Earth’s crust where pieces of rock scrape past each other.
- Humans
Scientists Say: Denisovan
The Denisovans were a recently discovered population of ancient hominids.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Inertia
Inertia is the tendency of objects to resist changes in their motion.
- Materials Science
Scientists Say: Silicone
Silicone is a generic term for a whole slew of humanmade polymers with many different forms and applications.
