| Term | Definition | | CRISPR | CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a revolutionary, precise gene-editing technology adapted from bacterial immune systems. It uses a guide RNA to direct the Cas9 enzyme to a specific DNA sequence, acting as "molecular scissors" to cut, disrupt, or replace genes, enabling treatments for genetic diseases and advancements. |
| Cryosphere | One of the interrelated components of the Earth's system, the cryosphere is frozen water in the form of snow, permanently frozen ground (permafrost), floating ice, and glaciers. Fluctuations in the volume of the cryosphere cause changes in ocean sea level, which directly impact the atmosphere and biosphere. |
| Cytoplasm | Cytoplasm is the gel-like substance, primarily water, salts, and proteins, filling cells between the membrane and nucleus. It suspends organelles, acts as the site for metabolic processes (e.g., glycolysis), supports cell structure via the cytoskeleton, and facilitates intracellular transport. |
| Darwinism | Often used interchangeably with evolution, it refers to the specific views of British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882) regarding the mechanisms of evolution, specifically concepts such as descent with modification, natural selection, and sexual selection. |
| Data | (Scientific data) any type of real-world fact or information related to a question scientists are investigating. (Note that the word "data" is the plural form). |
| Database | An organized set of data that is usually stored on a computer. |
| Deep learning | Deep learning is part of machine learning - a "deep" part, in that the computers can do even more autonomously, with less help from humans. The massive dataset that the computer is trained on is used to form a deep learning neural network: a complex, many-layered, weighted algorithm modeled after the human brain. |
| Deforestation | Those practices or processes that result in the conversion of forested lands for non-forest uses. Deforestation contributes to increasing carbon dioxide concentrations for two reasons: 1) the burning or decomposition of the wood releases carbon dioxide; and 2) trees that once removed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the process of photosynthesis are no longer present. |
| Denialism | The refusal to accept well-established scientific consensus or empirical evidence (e.g., climate change denial, evolution denial). |
| Desertification | Land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities. Further, the UNCCD (The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification) defines land degradation as a reduction or loss, in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas, of the biological or economic productivity and complexity of rain-fed cropland, irrigated cropland, or range, pasture, forest, and woodlands. |
