Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Control Variable | Any factor deliberately kept the same throughout an experiment to ensure it does not influence the dependent variable. Science |
| Coral Bleaching | The process in which a coral colony, under environmental stress expels the microscopic algae (zooxanthellae) that live in symbiosis with their host organisms (polyps). The affected coral colony appears whitened. Climate Change Denial |
| Correlation | A relationship between two trends in the data, when the two change in sync with each other: as one increases, the other increases too (if it's directly correlated) or the second one decreases (if it's inversely correlated). Correlations are easy to demonstrate - you just need to plot the data. They do not, by themselves, prove causation. Science General |
| Corroboration | Finding independent secondary sources to confirm the facts or claims made in an original report. Science |
| COVID | COVID-19 is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. COVID |
| Creationism | In its broadest sense, the belief that the universe was created by a Supreme Being; in common usage, the belief that all life on earth is not descended from a common ancestor. Evolution |
| 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. GMOs |
| 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. Climate Change Denial |
| 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. Vaccines |
| 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. Evolution |