Glossary
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Motivated Reasoning | A emotion-driven verification process where people pre-determine a conclusion and pick facts to support it. Antiscience |
| Moving the Goalposts | Changing the standard of proof after it has been met, so that no amount of evidence is ever enough. Antiscience |
| MRNA | Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a type of single-stranded RNA molecule that plays a fundamental role in biology by carrying instructions from DNA to the ribosomes, where proteins are synthesized. Vaccines |
| MRNA vaccine | A vaccine that delivers messenger RNA instructing cells to make a harmless antigen, such as a virus's spike protein, triggering an immune response. The mRNA breaks down within days and does not enter the cell nucleus or alter DNA. Vaccines |
| Mucosal immunity | Immune protection in the moist linings of the nose, mouth, gut, and other surfaces where many pathogens enter. Oral and nasal vaccines can stimulate it more effectively than injections. Vaccines |
| Multimodal AI | AI that can process and generate more than one type of data, such as text, images, and audio. Artificial Intelligence |
| Mumps | A viral disease causing fever and swollen salivary glands that can lead to deafness, meningitis, and inflammation of the testes or ovaries. It is prevented by the MMR vaccine. Vaccines |
| Mutagenesis | A process by which an organism is genetically changed, resulting in a mutation, which is a change in the DNA sequence of a gene. It may occur naturally, for example, due to natural exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light or chemicals; or it can happen deliberately for the purpose of increasing genetic variation of a species. Genetics |
| Mutation | A change in the DNA sequence. Mutations can be harmful, neutral, or occasionally beneficial, and they are a source of genetic variation. Science General |
| Myocarditis | Inflammation of the heart muscle. A rare, usually mild form has been linked to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, mostly in young males; COVID-19 infection itself carries a higher risk of myocarditis. Vaccines |