Essential Vocabulary

Advance

Make a Claim

Assert

Make a Claim

Conjecture

Make a Claim

Posit

Make a Claim

Postulate

Make a Claim

Speculate

Make a Claim

Hypothesize

Make a Claim

Bolster

Support a Claim

Buttress

Support a Claim

Corroborate

Support a Claim

Proponent

Support a Claim

Substantiate

Support a Claim

Attribute

Provide Sources

Cite

Provide Sources

Underscore

Emphasize

Grapple with

Think About

Mull over

Think About

Ruminate about

Think About

Infer

Draw a Reasonable Conclusion

Surmise

Draw a Reasonable Conclusion

Coalesce

Coming Together or Agreement

Consensus

Coming Together or Agreement

Converge

Coming Together or Agreement

Reconcile

Coming Together or Agreement

Acknowledge

Recognize the Truth of a Claim

Concede

Recognize the Truth of a Claim

Detractor

Disagree with or Question a Claim

Discord

Disagree with or Question a Claim

Discount

Disagree with or Question a Claim

Diverge

Disagree with or Question a Claim

Skeptic

Disagree with or Question a Claim

Rebut

Argue Against or Disprove

Refute

Argue Against or Disprove

Undermine

Argue Against or Disprove

Recant

Take Back a Claim

Rescind

Take Back a Claim

Confound

Confuse

Perplex

Confuse

Abundance

Large Amount

Bevy

Large Amount

Copious

Large Amount

Multitude

Large Amount

Myriad

Large Amount

Plethora

Large Amount

Prodigious

Large Amount

Profusion

Large Amount

Dearth

Small Amount or Lack

Devoid

Small Amount or Lack

Paucity

Small Amount or Lack

Advantageous

providing an advantage

Empirical

relying on hard data

Fauna

animal life

Flora

plant life

Hierarchy

system of rank

Indigenous

native

Inhibit

prevent or impede; for example a response

Innate / Intrinsic

inborn

Isotope

alternate form of an element

Metabolism

the process of converting food to energy

Methodology

system of methods or procedures

Microbial

relating to microscopic organisms

Pigment

color

Predisposed

having a tendency toward

Regenerate

regrow

Replicate

repeat with the same result

Saturate

to become completely soaked with

Simulation

realistic computer model

Stimulus

something that provokes a specific response

Symbiosis

interaction between two organisms living close together that benefits both

Taxonomy

classification system

Trait

characteristic

Vegetation

plants; not vegetables

Velocity

speed

Vestige

part of an organism that no longer has a use

Astronomy

study of stars and planets

Botany

study of plants

Cognitive Science / Neuroscience

science of the brain

Ecology

study of the natural world

Entomology

study of insects

Epidemiology

study of diseases and public health

Genetics

study of genes

Geology

study of rocks

Ornithology

study of birds

Paleontology

study of fossils

Zoology

study of animals

Anthropology

study of human behavior and social organization; usually on a large scale; can include linguistics; biology; and archaeology

Archaeology

study of historical human activity through the recovery or excavation of physical objects

Economics

study of monetary systems

Ethnography

study of individual cultures

Folklore

study of traditional stories and myths

Sociology

study of everyday human social behaviors and interactions at a specific time