Glossary
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Light-year | The distance light travels in one year, about 9.46 trillion kilometers. It is a unit of distance, not time. Science General |
| Lipid nanoparticle | A tiny fat-based bubble that protects mRNA in a vaccine and helps it enter cells. Lipid nanoparticles were key to the success of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccines |
| Literature Review | A comprehensive survey and analysis of previously published research on a specific topic. Science General |
| Live attenuated vaccine | A vaccine containing a weakened form of a living virus or bacterium that can replicate without causing disease in healthy people. It often gives strong, long-lasting immunity. Examples include MMR and varicella vaccines. Vaccines |
| Live Vaccine | A vaccine in which live virus is weakened (attenuated) through chemical or physical processes in order to produce an immune response without causing the severe effects of the disease. Live vaccines currently licensed in the United States include measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, rotavirus, yellow fever, smallpox, and some formulations of influenza, shingles, and typhoid vaccines. Also known as an attenuated vaccine. Vaccines |
| LLM | A large language model (LLM) is an AI model trained on massive amounts of text so it can predict the most appropriate next token (output). LLMs can be prompted, fine-tuned, or used as tool-calling agents, and they power many of the most popular AI tools you'll encounter, like chatbots and AI assistants. Artificial Intelligence |
| Loaded question | A question that contains an unjustified assumption, so that any direct answer seems to accept it. Science Literacy |
| Logical Fallacies | The use of faulty reasoning (e.g., ad hominem attacks on scientists, appealing to emotion) to dismiss scientific findings. Antiscience |
| Logical fallacy | An error in reasoning that makes an argument invalid or unsound, even if it may seem persuasive. Science Literacy |
| Long-lived plasma cell | A B cell that settles in the bone marrow and produces antibodies for years or even decades after vaccination or infection. Vaccines |