Science academic team KAAC

Tricuspid Valve

This valve separates the right atrium and the right ventricle, allowing deoxygenated blood to be directed towards the lungs. It is named for having three flaps.

Stigma

This part of the pistil is located at the tip of the carpel and serves to catch and trap pollen for germination.

Cetacea

This taxonomic infraorder of marine mammals consists of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, some of which use echolocation or are split into baleen and toothed groups.

Telomeres

These structures at the end of a chromosome consist of the hexanucleotide repeat T-T-A-G-G-G. They protect DNA but shorten with age, reaching the Hayflick limit after 50 to 70 divisions.

Facilitated Diffusion

This type of passive transport uses helper proteins, such as Aquaporins, to move substances like glucose and water through the cell membrane.

Pioneer Species

These are the first organisms to colonize a barren ecosystem during ecological succession; common examples include algae, fungi, and water lilies.

Diatoms

These photoautotrophic plankton have a silica-containing cell wall called a frustule and produce a type of ground used commercially for filtration.

Atomic Radius

This measure of the size of an atom from the nucleus to the outermost electron decreases from left to right and increases going down the periodic table; it is reduced by the lanthanide contraction.

Ammonia

This basic compound with the chemical formula NH_3 is produced using an iron catalyst and can react with bleach to produce toxic chloramines.

20 grams

This is the amount of Carbon 14 remaining from a original 160 gram sample after 17,190 years (3 half-lives of 5,730 years).

Tyndall Effect

This phenomenon involves the scattering of light by a colloid, where the scattering is proportional to the negative fourth power of wavelength, often giving substances a bluish tint.

Free Body Diagram

This type of picture shows all the forces acting on a body as arrows acting from the center of mass, such as a single arrow for an object in free fall.

Dielectric

This insulating material is inserted between the parallel plates of a capacitor to increase capacitance; its namesake strength is measured in volts per meter.

Henry Cavendish

This scientist published On Factitious Air, identified hydrogen as inflammable air, and used a torsion balance to measure the universal gravitational constant.

Edwin Hubble

This astronomer developed a galaxy classification scheme shaped like a tuning fork and discovered that distant objects recede at a faster velocity.

Rods

These photoreceptor cells are concentrated in the outer retina and are sensitive to dim light, providing black and white night vision and peripheral vision.

Rubisco

This highly abundant enzyme is responsible for attaching carbon dioxide to RuBP during the Calvin Cycle, and is more common in C3 plants than C4 plants.

Platyhelminthes

This phylum of flatworms consists of triploblastic acoelomates with bilateral symmetry, including classes like Trematoda and Cestoda.

Methionine

This amino acid is coded for by the codon A-U-G and marks the beginning of protein synthesis; it is one of two sulfur-containing amino acids.

Telophase

This is the final phase of mitosis and meiosis where chromosomes decondense into chromatin and the nuclear envelope reforms.

Synthesis Reaction

Also called a composition reaction, this occurs when two or more reagents combine to form a more complex product, represented by A + B \rightarrow AB.

10

This is the pH of a compound that has a hydrogen ion concentration ([H^+]) of 1 \times 10^{-10}.

Electron

This negatively charged subatomic particle was discovered by J.J. Thomson in cathode ray tubes and its charge was measured by the Millikan Oil Drop Experiment.

12 Amps

This is the current present in a circuit if there is a voltage output of 120 volts and a total resistance of 10 Ohms.

Torque

This rotational analog of force can be calculated by multiplying the moment of inertia by the angular acceleration.

Ferromagnetism

This property occurs in permanent magnets below the Curie point and is exhibited by elements like iron, nickel, cobalt, and neodymium.

August Kekulé

This organic chemist theorized the tetravalence of carbon and the cyclic structure of benzene after dreaming of a snake biting its tail.

Mohorovičić Discontinuity

Also known as the Moho, this region acts as the dividing line between the Earth's crust and the mantle.

Cumulonimbus

These anvil-shaped clouds are associated with cold fronts, lightning, and thunderstorms.

Pancreas

This organ, located behind the stomach, regulates blood sugar by releasing insulin and glucagon.

Notochord

This flexible rod is a precursor to the vertebral column and is present at some stage in all members of the phylum Chordata.

Mollusca

This phylum contains animals with a visceral mass and a radula, including bivalves, cephalopods, and gastropods.

Punnett Square

These tables show the possible outcomes of Mendelian inheritance, representing dominant and recessive traits with capital and lowercase letters.

Krebs Cycle

Also known as the Citric Acid Cycle, this process occurs after glycolysis and produces 3 molecules of NADH, 1 of FADH2, and 2 of CO2.

Gram Staining

This process uses crystal violet and iodine to classify bacteria based on peptidoglycan thickness; positive results appear purple.

Aufbau Principle

This principle states that electrons fill the lowest possible energy levels first; the term is German for "building up."

Hydrogen Bond

This intermolecular interaction between an electronegative atom and hydrogen explains the cohesion of water and why ice is less dense than liquid water.

Buffer

These systems, consisting of a weak acid and a conjugate base, resist changes in pH; an example is the bicarbonate system in human blood.

Boyle's Law

This gas law states there is an inverse relationship between the pressure and volume of a gas at a constant temperature.

Meter

This SI base unit of length is defined by the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1 / 299,792,458 of a second.

Maxwell's Equations

This set of four equations forms the basis for classical electromagnetism; one equation states that there are no magnetic monopoles.

Sputnik I

This small metal sphere launched in 1957 was the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth, sending radio signals for three weeks.

Dikes

These igneous formations cut vertically across layers of older rock strata, representing discordant intrusions.

Stationary Front

This type of weather front features minimal movement and prolonged precipitation, represented by alternating red triangles and blue semi-circles.

T-cells

These lymphocytes, which come in helper, cytotoxic, and regulatory varieties, develop in the thymus and are identified by the loss of CD4 or CD8 markers.

Chondrichthyes

This scientific class of gnathostomes (jawed fish) features skeletons made of cartilage and includes sharks, skates, and rays.

Tardigrade (Tardigrada)

This phylum of micro-animals, colloquially known as water bears, is capable of undergoing cryptobiosis to survive extreme conditions, including the vacuum of space.

Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21)

This chromosomal abnormality occurs when a third copy of the 21st chromosome is present, causing developmental delays and intellectual disabilities.

Peroxisomes

These organelles are responsible for breaking down fatty acids and hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water using the enzyme catalase.

Lyme Disease

Caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted by Ixodes ticks, this disease often presents with a bull's-eye shaped rash.

Bessemer Process

The first large-scale method for converting pig iron into steel, this process uses air jets to burn off impurities, producing a waste known as slag.

Isotope

These are atoms of the same element that contain the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons; examples include deuterium and tritium.

Molarity

Represented by square brackets and measured in moles per liter, this is a measure of a solution's concentration used to determine chemical equilibrium constants.

Ideal Gas Law

Represented by the equation PV = nRT, this law combines Boyle's, Charles', and Avogadro's laws to describe the behavior of a hypothetical gas.

Coulomb

The SI unit of electric charge, defined as the charge delivered by a 1 \text{ ampere} current in 1 \text{ second}; an electron has approximately -1.6 \times 10^{-19} of these units.

Work

Calculated as force applied over a distance, this quantity is equal to the change in kinetic energy according to a namesake theorem.

Semiconductors

Devices with electrical conductivity between that of insulators and conductors; they are often doped to create n-type or p-type classifications.

Subduction

This process occurs at convergent boundaries when an oceanic plate sinks under a continental plate, often creating zones for megathrust earthquakes.

Hurricane

Classified by the Saffir-Simpson scale, these storm systems rotate around a low-pressure center called an eye and do not form at the equator due to a lack of the Coriolis effect.

Xylem

This plant vascular tissue, composed of vessel elements and tracheids, transports water and nutrients from the roots to the rest of the plant via transpirational pull.

Komodo Dragon

The largest living lizard species in the world, native to Indonesia, it is known for its ability to hunt Javan Rusa deer and undergo parthenogenesis.

Malpighian Tubules

Acting as the excretory organs for insects and arachnids, these structures filter nitrogenous waste from the hemolymph.

Codominance

An inheritance pattern where two or more alleles are expressed simultaneously, such as AB blood type in humans or a roan coat in cattle.

Capsid

The protective protein shell surrounding a virus's genetic material, often taking an icosahedral shape composed of hexamers and pentamers.

Distillation

A chemical separation process based on boiling points; fractional types are used on crude oil, though it cannot separate azeotropes.

Uranium

The heaviest naturally occurring element, it is extracted from pitchblende; its 235 isotope is commonly used as nuclear fuel.

Mass Defect

The difference between the actual mass of an atom's nucleus and its predicted mass, calculated by dividing the binding energy by the speed of light squared (c^2).

Bose-Einstein Condensate

The fifth state of matter occurring when bosons are supercooled until they fall into a single ground state.

1800 Joules

The kinetic energy of a 400 \text{ kg} go-cart rolling at a velocity of 3 \text{ m/s}, calculated using \frac{1}{2}mv^2.

Kepler's Second Law

Also known as the Law of Equal Areas, it states that a line segment joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time.

Starliner

The Boeing-owned spacecraft designed to carry crew to the International Space Station which experienced malfunctions during its first crewed mission in 2024.

Apollo 1

The NASA mission that resulted in the deaths of Ed White, Roger Chaffee, and Gus Grissom after a cabin fire during a launch rehearsal.

Coriolis Effect

An effect caused by Earth's rotation that deflects moving objects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, this neurological disorder causes progressive muscle weakness and eventually paralysis.

Auxin

The first plant hormone discovered, it regulates tropisms, apical dominance, and stem elongation by stimulating ethylene production.

Archaeopteryx

A transitional fossil from the late Jurassic period found in Solnhofen limestone, regarded as the oldest known bird or bird-like dinosaur.

Lepidoptera

The order of insects containing moths and butterflies, including the peppered moth species famous for its coloration changes during the Industrial Revolution.

Eukaryote

The domain of life characterized by organisms with membrane-bound nuclei, believed to have evolved via endosymbiosis and split from Archaea.

Mutualism

A form of symbiosis where both participants receive a benefit, such as the relationship between bees and flowers or ants and aphids.

104 minutes

The time required for a 256 \text{ kg} sample with a half-life of 13 \text{ minutes} to decay to a mass of 1 \text{ kg} (8 half-lives).

Lytic Cycle

A form of viral reproduction that results in the destruction of the host cell as new viral copies are released by bursting the cell open.

Chromatography

A technique used to separate a compound into its parts based on their velocity through a stationary phase while carried by a mobile phase.

Lewis Acid

An electrophilic compound, such as boron trifluoride, that acts by accepting a pair of electrons.

Gold Foil Experiment

Conducted by Rutherford, Geiger, and Marsden, this experiment disproved the Plum Pudding Model by discovering the dense, central nucleus of the atom.

Sublimation

The process where a solid changes directly into a gas, such as the behavior of dry ice or naphthalene at room temperature.

Candela

The SI base unit of luminous intensity (abbreviated cd) that weights wavelengths by the luminous efficiency function.

3 \text{ Ohms}

The total resistance of a circuit containing two resistors in parallel with values of 12 \text{ ohms} and 4 \text{ ohms}.

Nicolaus Copernicus

The Polish scientist who authored On the Revolutions of Celestial Spheres and was the first since the ancient Greeks to describe heliocentric theory.

Voyager Program

The NASA space program involving two vessels launched in 1977 carrying golden records that have now left the solar system.

Rickets

A disease in children caused by a vitamin D deficiency resulting in skeletal deformities such as bowed legs.

Electron Transport Chain

A series of redox reactions that creates an electrochemical proton gradient across an inner membrane to drive ATP synthesis.

Rodentia

The order of mammals including beavers, mice, and capybaras, characterized by teeth that never stop growing.

Ribosome

The cellular organelle measured in Svedberg units (with 40S and 60S subunits) that acts as the site of protein synthesis via translation.

Eutrophication

A process where bodies of water gain an excess of nutrients (often nitrates and phosphates), leading to algal blooms and local anoxia.

Basidiomycota

A phylum of fungi including mushrooms and rusts that produce spores in club-like structures and feature clamp connections.

Ostwald Process

A chemical method used to produce nitric acid involving a platinum-rhodium catalyst and ammonia.

Strong Acids

A category of chemical compounds, such as sulfuric and hydrochloric acid, that completely dissociate in water.

Beta Minus Decay

A nuclear decay process mediated by the W boson where a neutron turns into a proton, releasing an electron.

Le Chatelier's Principle

A principle stating that a system at equilibrium will shift to minimize the impact of an applied stress.