Contemporary Issues in Biology Exam 1 Vocabulary Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards generated from Lectures 1 through 8 study guide notes for Contemporary Issues in Biology.

Pseudoscience

Ideas presented as scientific without using the scientific method, which can mislead the public (e.g., snake oil or tobacco ads).

Peer Review

The gold standard for scientific credibility, where less than $9\%$ of submissions pass in top journals.

Sperm Pathway

The anatomical route where sperm are produced in the testes, stored in the epididymis, travel through the vas deferens, and exit through the urethra.

PSA Test

A screening test used to detect prostate cancer early, though controversial because elevated levels have multiple causes and absolute risk reduction is small ($0.6\%$ to $0.5\%$).

Menopause

The stage occurring usually between ages $45\text{--}55$ when estrogen production stops, ending the menstrual cycle and increasing osteoporosis risk due to accelerated bone loss.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

A treatment for menopausal symptoms currently viewed as safe for most women under $60$ for up to $5$ years.

Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Study

A landmark $2002$ study on HRT that caused widespread fear, though limited because it only studied older women (60s–70s) rather than women just entering menopause.

Intersex Conditions

Reproductive anatomy or chromosomal configurations that do not fit typical male ($XY$) or female ($XX$) definitions, affecting an estimated $0.018\%\text{--}1.7\%$ of people worldwide.

PDE5 Inhibitor (Viagra)

A medication discovered during heart trials that suppresses the PDE5 enzyme—which normally breaks down cyclic GMP—allowing increased blood flow necessary for an erection.

Viral STIs

Sexually transmitted infections (HIV, herpes, HPV, Hepatitis B/C) that have no cure and require medications to manage symptoms.

Bacterial STIs

Sexually transmitted infections (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis) that can be treated and cured with antibiotics.

Cell Differentiation

The developmental process by which unspecialized cells become specialized into the approximately $\sim 210$ tissue types in the human body.

Blastocyst

A structure formed $3\text{--}5$ days after fertilization that contains embryonic stem cells capable of differentiating into any tissue type.

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (IPSCs)

Adult skin cells that are reprogrammed to behave like embryonic stem cells, avoiding the ethical controversy of destroying embryos.

BRCA1 and BRCA2

Tumor suppressor genes whose mutations significantly raise the risk of breast cancer (up to $55\%\text{--}65\%$ with BRCA1) and ovarian cancer.

Prophylactic Mastectomy

Preventive surgical removal of breast tissue performed for women with BRCA mutations to dramatically lower cancer risk before it develops.

Dolly the Sheep

The first cloned mammal, born in $1996$ after $277$ attempts, proving that adult DNA can be restarted as if it were a zygote.

Therapeutic Cloning

Cloning performed specifically for stem cell production that does not produce a baby, distinguishing it from banned human reproductive cloning.

Nondisjunction

An error in chromosome separation during meiosis that leads to chromosomal abnormalities such as Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21).

Cystic Fibrosis

A recessive genetic disorder requiring two carrier parents, where each pregnancy carries a $25\%$ chance of producing an affected child.

Hemophilia

A sex-linked genetic disorder on the X chromosome where males require only one copy of the recessive allele to be affected, meaning men cannot be carriers.

CRISPR

A revolutionary gene-editing tool capable of cutting and modifying DNA sequences to treat diseases like sickle cell.