audio: Having to do with sound.
behavior: The way something, often a person or other organism, acts towards others, or conducts itself.
colleague: Someone who works with another; a co-worker or team member.
COVID-19: A name given the coronavirus that caused a massive outbreak of potentially lethal disease, beginning in December 2019. Symptoms included pneumonia, fever, headaches and trouble breathing.
data: Facts and/or statistics collected together for analysis but not necessarily organized in a way that gives them meaning. For digital information (the type stored by computers), those data typically are numbers stored in a binary code, portrayed as strings of zeros and ones.
feces: A body's solid waste, made up of undigested food, bacteria and water. The feces of larger animals are sometimes also called dung.
gauge: A device to measure the size or volume of something. For instance, tide gauges track the ever-changing height of coastal water levels throughout the day. Or any system or event that can be used to estimate the size or magnitude of something else. (v. to gauge) The act of measuring or estimating the size of something.
immune: (adj.) Having to do with the immunity. (v.) Able to ward off a particular infection. Alternatively, this term can be used to mean an organism shows no impacts from exposure to a particular poison or process. More generally, the term may signal that something cannot be hurt by a particular drug, disease or chemical.
immune system: The collection of cells and their responses that help the body fight off infections and deal with foreign substances that may provoke allergies.
infection: (adj. infectious) A disease that can spread from one organism to another. It’s usually caused by some type of germ.
organism: Any living thing, from elephants and plants to bacteria and other types of single-celled life.
pandemic: An epidemic that affects a large proportion of the population across a country or the world.
psychologist: A scientist or mental-health professional who studies the human mind, especially in relation to actions and behaviors.
recruit: (noun) New member of a group or human trial. (verb) To enroll a new member into a research trial. Some may receive money or other compensation for their participation, particularly if they enter the trial healthy.
social: (adj.) Relating to gatherings of people; a term for animals (or people) that prefer to exist in groups. (noun) A gathering of people, for instance those who belong to a club or other organization, for the purpose of enjoying each other’s company.