Glossary
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Longitudinal study | A study that collects data from the same subjects repeatedly over a long period. Science General |
| Loss and damage | Climate impacts that cannot be avoided through emissions cuts or adaptation, such as destroyed homes or lost livelihoods. At COP27 in 2022 countries agreed to create a fund to help vulnerable nations respond. Climate Change |
| Loss Function | A mathematical formula that measures how far an AI's output is from the correct answer during training.
Artificial Intelligence |
| Low-carbon energy | Energy sources that produce little greenhouse gas over their life cycle, including wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, and nuclear power. Climate Change |
| Lymph node | A small organ of the immune system where immune cells gather, encounter antigens, and launch responses. Swollen lymph nodes can be a normal reaction to vaccination. Vaccines |
| Lysenkoism | The Soviet-era suppression of genetics in favour of Trofim Lysenko's politically favoured but false theories, which contributed to agricultural failures. A classic example of ideology overriding science. Antiscience |
| Machine learning | A branch of artificial intelligence in which computers learn patterns from data rather than following explicitly programmed rules. Science General |
| Machine learning (ML) | Machine learning is a subfield of artificial intelligence. Instead of computer scientists having to explicitly program an app to do something, they develop algorithms that let it analyze massive datasets, learn from that data, and then make decisions based on it. Artificial Intelligence |
| Magnetism | A force produced by moving electric charges that attracts or repels certain materials. Science General |
| Magnified minority | Giving the impression that a small number of dissenting scientists represents significant disagreement within the scientific community. Science Literacy |