Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| AMOC | The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a vital system of ocean currents, including the Gulf Stream, that transports warm surface water from the tropics to the North Atlantic, regulating global climate. It acts like a "conveyor belt," bringing heat to Europe and the Arctic, while deep, cold water returns south. Climate Change Denial |
| Anomaly Hunting | Hunting for anomalies not to gain a deeper understanding, but to contest and reverse engineer scientific conclusions. Start with a desired conclusion and then look for evidence and twist logic to support that conclusion. Antiscience |
| Anthropogenic | Made by people or resulting from human activities. Usually used in the context of emissions that are produced as a result of human activities. Antiscience |
| Anti-Intellectualism | A general mistrust of scientists, experts, and academic institutions. Science General |
| Antigen | Any substance foreign to the body that evokes an immune response. GMOs |
| Antiscience | Antiscience refers to attitudes or beliefs that reject or oppose scientific ideas, methods, and principles, ranging from skepticism about specific technologies to outright denial of established scientific consensus. Antiscience |
| Appeal to Authority | Citing an authority figure as evidence for a claim, without evaluating the quality of the underlying evidence. Becomes fallacious when the authority cited is outside their domain of expertise. Science Misinformation |
| Artificial Selection | Artificial selection (or selective breeding) is the intentional, human-driven process of breeding plants or animals to enhance specific, desirable, inherited traits over generations. Unlike natural selection, where the environment determines survival, humans act as the selective force to promote traits like increased food yield, specialized aesthetics, or functionality. Evolution |
| Atmosphere | The gaseous envelope surrounding the Earth. The dry atmosphere consists almost entirely of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%), together with a number of trace gases, such as argon (0.93%), helium, radiatively active greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (0.042%), and ozone. The atmosphere also contains water vapor. Climate Change Denial |
| B cells | Specialized white blood cells and crucial components of the adaptive immune system, responsible for humoral immunity by producing antibodies. Originating and maturing in the bone marrow, they detect foreign antigens, differentiate into plasma cells to secrete specific antibodies, and form memory cells for long-term immunity. Vaccines |