Glossary
Partial-word, boolean (AND, OR, NOT) and "exact phrase" searches are supported.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Label | The correct answer attached to a training example in supervised learning, such as 'cat' for a photo of a cat. Artificial Intelligence |
| Land use change | Conversion of land from one use to another, such as forest to farmland. It can release or store carbon and is a significant source of emissions. Climate Change |
| Large language model (LLM) | A very large neural network trained on vast amounts of text to predict the next word or token, enabling it to generate and respond to human language. Artificial Intelligence |
| Latency | Latency is the time between sending an input to a model and receiving the output. Artificial Intelligence |
| Lateral Reading | The practice of leaving a website or publication to search elsewhere and see how other reputable news outlets or Fact-Checking Sites are reporting the same story. Science General |
| Laws | Scientific laws describe what happens in nature under specific conditions, often using mathematical formulas, while scientific theories explain why or how these phenomena occur. Science General |
| Leaky Vaccine | A vaccine that reduces disease severity or infection risk without completely preventing infection or transmission. Vaccines |
| Leveling | One of three three cognitive and media biases (leveling, pseudosymmetry and sharpening) evaluated together in psychology and science literacy. Leveling is the exact opposite of sharpening; it is the omission, simplification, or toning down of details to make a narrative easier to digest. Science Misinformation |
| Liar's Dividend | The benefit that liars gain from public awareness of deepfakes: genuine evidence can be dismissed as fake, undermining accountability. Science Misinformation |
| Light | Electromagnetic radiation visible to the human eye. In a vacuum it travels at about 300,000 kilometers per second. Science General |