Glossary

Finding the actual dates of geological or archaeological objects. Normally expressed as calendar years ago.

The lowest possible temperature, equivalent to -273.15 °C. Used as the zero point of the Kelvin temperature scale.

When the incident light energy striking a material object is completely taken in by the atoms/molecules that make up the structure of the object.

The rate at which an object speeds up, slows down or changes direction.

A device to measure acceleration (the rate at which an object’s velocity changes).

The process by which the eye changes the shape of the crystalline lens to maintain a clear image of an object as its distance from the eye changes.

In science, accuracy indicates the closeness of the measurements to the true or accepted value. In general usage, accuracy can mean precise, exact or correct.

A hydrogen-containing substance that is capable of donating a hydrogen ion to another substance.

A disease that destroys the body’s ability to fight infection. It is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

A type of protein that makes up the thick filaments in a myofibril.

A series of 15 radioactive elements on the periodic table of elements with increasing atomic numbers from 89 (actinium) to 103 (lawrencium).

The ability to respond productively to individual and societal changes.

A molecule that increases the activity of a protein that increases the production of a gene product in DNA transcription.

Any location on the surface of a molecule that reacts with another molecule.

A machine that is used to create an automatic and regular action in something.

A change in the structure or function of something. In biology, a change in a species, as a result of natural selection. Individuals with a particular feature (adaptation) are more likely to survive and reproduce than individuals without this feature.

The mixing of the primary colours of light (red, green and blue) to create other colours. For example, mixing red and green light produces yellow light.

A chemical used by cells to store and transport energy.

A binding force that allows unlike particles or surfaces to cling to one another.

An agent that is added to vaccines. It stimulates the immune system and increases the response to the vaccine.

When molecules stick to a solid object as a thin film.

The binding of molecules or particles to a surface. This is different from absorption – the filling of pores in a solid. Adsorption is usually weak and reversible.

A stem cell in adult tissue, normally found in the brain, liver and bone marrow.

Substances based on metal oxides like alumina (Al₂O₃), inorganic non-metal oxides like silica (SiO₂) and nitrides like silicon nitride (Si₃N₄). Unlike traditional clay-based ceramics (pottery), advanced ceramics do not necessarily need to be earth-derived.

In machine learning, a model in which two neural networks compete with each other to become more accurate in their predictions.

Unfavourable or contrary.

A tool used to cut, shape and carve wood.

Supply or circulate oxygen or air.

A method of collecting information using an airplane, helicopter or similar. Aerial surveys are useful in remote locations.

Ability to use oxygen to provide energy.

The process through which cells obtain energy; the reactions require oxygen.

The force that acts against the motion of an object as it moves through the air. Also known as wind resistance or air resistance.

The study of how air flows over and through objects and the forces generated by the flow.

A specially shaped structure designed to produce lift for flight. It usually refers to a wing that is curved and narrows to a sharp trailing edge.

Appealing to the senses.

(Also written as estivate.) To spend a dry, hot season in an inactive, dormant state.

A gel-like substance made from seaweed, commonly used as a growth medium for microorganisms and fungi.

A sterile Petri dish that contains a jelly-like growth medium called agar (plus some nutrients), which is extracted from seaweed and used to culture microorganisms such as bacteria.

A collection of items gathered together to form a total quantity, for example, soil clumps together to form aggregates. Small aggregates can clump together to form larger aggregates called peds.

Ground-up limestone, rich in calcium carbonate, that is spread on pasture and added to soils to increase the pH of the soil. It also provides a source of calcium and improves the uptake by plants of major plant nutrients.

Cultural identity.

The structural components of air. It includes gas molecules such as oxygen and nitrogen as well as larger dust, pollen and ash particles.

The force exerted by the weight of a column of air over a given surface area.

The forces that oppose the relative motion of an object through air. Also known as drag.

The proportion of solar radiation that is reflected by the Earth’s surface, typical for white surfaces (i.e. snow, ice, clouds).

Egg white, the clear liquid inside an egg.

The protoscience of working with chemicals and elements, which led to the science of chemistry.

A large, diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. Algae have no stems or leaves and grow in water or on damp surfaces.

A rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in an aquatic system.

A gelatinous (jelly-like) compound extracted from seaweed used as a gelling agent in foods, textile printing and pharmaceuticals.

A set of rules used for calculation or problem solving, especially with a computer.

A solution that has a pH value greater than 7.

A group of naturally occurring chemical compounds, which mostly contain basic nitrogen atoms.

An alternative form of the same gene that occupies the same location on a chromosome.

The percentage of a particular allele in a population.

A disorder of the immune system; a hypersensitivity to the reintroduction of an allergen. Allergic reactions occur to normally harmless substances.

Lessen or reduce.

A mixture of a metal with one or more other elements to modify its metallic properties, for example, brass is an alloy of copper and zinc.

Land that has been built up from soil or sediments deposited by a river or other running water.

High-energy helium nucleus emitted during certain nuclear decay processes.

High in the mountains, beyond where trees grow.

A life cycle in which there are two stages – typically a spore-producing sporophyte generation and a gamete-producing gametophyte generation.

1.The height of something, usually height above sea level. 2. In astronomy, the angular distance of a natural or artificial satellite above the horizon.

The chemical compound aluminium oxide (Al2O3). Heat treatment of alumina yields a tough, hard-wearing ceramic used to make dental and surgical implants.

A mixture of metals based on mercury.

A close association between two different species where one is harmed and the other is unaffected, for example, when tall plants shade out smaller ones.

The basic building block of proteins. A short chain of amino acids is called a peptide, and a long chain of amino acids (normally more than 50) is called a protein.

A compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula NH₃. It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent smell.

An extinct marine mollusc with a coiled shell, related to squid, which became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period, 65 million years ago.

NH4+. Derived from ammonia by combination with a hydrogen ion. A nitrogen compound taken up by plants from soils.

Liquid that surrounds a developing foetus.

A primitive singled-celled animal.

The basic unit of electrical current in the International System of Units (SI).

A class of animals that includes frogs, toads, salamanders and newts.

A type of very small crustacean with no carapace and generally with a laterally compressed body.

A type of antibiotic, which is related to penicillin. It is commonly used in laboratories to test for uptake of genes by bacteria.

Something, natural or technological, that produces an output greater than the input.

To make many copies of a stretch of DNA, particularly by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

The maximum displacement from the equilibrium on an energy wave (i.e. the size of the wave).

An enzyme present in saliva that can digest starch.

Bacteria which grow in the absence of oxygen.

Ability to provide energy without using oxygen.

Oxygen is absent.

A drug used to prevent people from feeling pain. It can affect the whole body (general) or a particular part (local).

A comparison between two things, usually using something that is easy to understand to explain something that is more complicated.

A sudden, severe reaction to a substance, like a protein or drug. It can be life-threatening.

Relating to the structure of living things.

Structure of biological tissue.

A type of rock that contains moderate amounts of silica and iron. Includes rocks such as scoria. Associated with cone volcanoes or stratovolcanoes. Mt Taranaki and Mt Tongariro are examples of andesite volcanoes.

Greek for ‘out of the Earth’. Earthworms occupying the anecic niche live as far as 3 metres below the soil surface.

Having one additional or one less chromosome than normal.

An aneurysm is a localised, blood-filled dilation of a blood vessel or cardiac (heart) chamber caused by disease or weakening of the vessel or chamber wall. A ruptured aneurysm results in haemorrhage and is often fatal. Doctors can use clips placed across the aneurysm to stop the blood escaping.

The growth of new blood vessels.

A flowering plant whose seeds are enclosed within an ovary (for example, an apple or a rose).

In aerodynamics, the angle at which the wing meets the airflow. If correctly angled, the result is the force of lift.

The angle between a light ray incident on a flat surface and an imaginary line (called the normal) perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence.

The angle between the reflected ray moving away from a flat surface and an imaginary line (called the normal) perpendicular to the surface at the point of reflection.

A unit of length 10^-10 metre or 1 ten-millionth of a millimetre. Named after the Swedish scientist Anders Jonas Ångström.

Having properties that differ according to the direction of measurement.

In the context of paleoclimate proxies, resolution describes the amount of detail the proxy provides. For example, tree rings provide information about each growing season, so tree ring data shows a climate record with an annual resolution. In contrast, a proxy like ocean sediment tends to have resolution over a century, which provides less detailed data.

Something that deviates from what is normal or expected.

Regions of water in the Southern Ocean that are organised by temperature and salinity, the boundaries between them are called fronts (see also Subantarctic Front (SAF) and Antarctic Polar Front (APF).

A modified farming tractors for use in Antarctica. The tractors run on tracks instead of wheels and use aviation fuel instead of diesel. The tractors need to be robust and reliable. They work 24 hours per day when unloading gear from supply ships but sit stationary, often buried under snow, for the 8-month winter period. The tractors pull sleds and living/research containers during traverses.

Originally signed by 12 countries, the Antarctic Treaty is now a collection of documents signed by over 40 countries. These contracts explain how Antarctica can be used for things like science and tourism and the types of things that cannot be done in Antarctica (such as military use or mining).

In physics a device used to transmit or receive electromagnetic signals such as for radio or television. Also known as an aerial. A satellite dish is a type of antenna.

In biology antennae are sensory appendages that occur in pairs on the heads of insects and many other arthropods. Antenna refers to one of the jointed, movable appendages.

A chemical compound that kills or expels certain intestinal worm parasites.

Contains the pollen sacs of a plant and is the region where pollen is produced.

(Singular: antheridium) Multicellular structures in plants where male gametes form.

Pigments responsible for red, purple or blue colours in plants.

A proposed geological era marking the significant impact of human activities on Earth's geology and ecosystems.

Changes in nature caused or influenced by humans.

A substance that can kill or prevent the growth of bacteria.

An association between organisms that is injurious or harmful to one of them.

A substance produced by an organism that kills bacteria.

Any medicine that destroys or inhibits bacteria and is administered at a low, subtherapeutic dose. The use of antibiotics for growth promotion has arisen with the intensification of livestock farming.

A protein that attaches to and then destroys or neutralises harmful foreign substances in the body. Part of the immune system.

A remedy to counteract the effects of poison.

Any substance that causes the body to make an immune response against that substance. Antigens include viruses, bacteria, toxins, chemicals or other substances that come from outside of the body.

Reducing or preventing inflammation.

An alternative form of matter in which each particle has the same mass and properties as their counterparts but with opposite electrical charges. For example, the electron has an antiparticle called a positron. When they meet, an annihilation event occurs, resulting in the formation of gamma rays.

A substance that stops the growth of microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

A chemical substance that prevents oxidation by chemical means. Dietary antioxidants present in foods, like vitamins A, C and E, can assist the body to resist the damaging effects of reactive free radicals produced by the body’s metabolic processes.

An antiparticle corresponding in mass and properties to a proton but negatively charged and with the opposite magnetic moment. When an elementary particle (such as an electron, proton or neutron) and its antiparticle (such as a positron, antiproton or antineutron) collide, they destroy each other in a process known as annihilation, usually creating photons (light).

The non-coding strand of DNA that is complementary to the coding strand in double-stranded DNA. This coding strand is a template for messenger RNA synthesis.

A chemical substance that can destroy or slow down the growth of microorganisms.

A biological product used in the treatment of venomous bites or stings.

The opening to the outside at the end of the large intestine, through which faeces are egested.

The Māori name for New Zealand, meaning Land of the Long White Cloud.

A group of phosphate minerals found in some igneous and metamorphic rocks. One form of apatite, calcium phosphate, is a major component of bones and teeth.

Immediately after birth, newborns are given an Apgar score. This score evaluates the health of the newborn based on appearance, pulse, grimace, activity and breathing. The score ranges from 0 to 10.

The point in the elliptical orbit of an object (such as a planet or comet) about the Sun at which the object is at its maximum distance from the Sun.

The point in the elliptical orbit of a satellite about the Earth at which the satellite is furthest from the Earth.

A form of cell death in which a programmed sequence of events leads to the elimination of cells without releasing harmful substances into the surrounding area.

The recognisable markings of an animal that serve to warn off potential predators.

A blind-ended tube, about 10 cm long, that runs out from the caecum just below the ileocaecal valve. Its functions are not yet fully understood.

The farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants.

Growing or living in or near water (either freshwater or marine).

A layer of permeable rock or sand that contains water. An aquifer may be freshwater or saline (containing saltwater).

Land that is used for farming.

A mineral form of crystalline calcium carbonate similar to calcite. It is found in the shells of marine invertebrates such as pāua and in living coral reefs.

Spider-like. These landforms are found only on Mars and visually look like radially converging systems of branching troughs exhibiting fractal properties. 

Living in trees.

Single-celled microorganisms that often live in extreme environments. They look like bacteria but biochemically and genetically are very unlike bacteria.

(Singular: archegonium) Multicellular structures in plants where female gametes form.

Argon is a noble gas with the symbol Ar and atomic number 18. It is the third most abundant gas in the Earth’s atmosphere.

A naturally occurring element that is highly toxic to most organisms.

1. A product of human art and workmanship.

2. An object remaining from a particular period.

3. In the context of the international prototype kilogram (IPK), a 1 kilogram cylinder of platinum-iridium alloy was manufactured in France in the 1880s to serve as the mass standard.

4. Something observed during a scientific investigation that is not naturally present but has been introduced as a result of the experimental procedure. Artefacts are commonly introduced during preparation of specimens for microscopy.

Blood vessels carrying blood away from the heart.

Inflammation of joint, causing pain, swelling, and stiffness.

Phylum containing many animal species including spiders, crabs and all insects. This Greek word means jointed foot or leg, a characteristic feature of all insects, along with segmented bodies and hard exoskeleton.

Naturally occurring mineral fibre (silicate) used commercially for its desirable physical properties. The inhalation of asbestos fibres can cause cancer.

A water-soluble sugar acid with antioxidant properties. It is commonly known as vitamin C.

Free from contaminating organisms, like bacteria or viruses, which may transmit disease.

Reproduction without cell division.

Reproduction without combining gametes and can result in the production of many plants that are genetically identical.

A way of producing new organisms from a parent without the fusion of sex cells. Offspring are genetically identical to each other and to their parent.

An experiment that is carried out to detect the presence of a chemical or living organism, or to determine the amount of a chemical or living organism.

A celestial lump, hundreds of kilometres wide, composed of rock and iron, that orbits the Sun. Most asteroids lie in a belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter and are thought to be left-over bits from the formation of the Solar System.

The layer of the earth within the upper mantle and directly below the lithosphere. This layer has a semi-solid consistency that reaches to 80 to 200 km below the surface.

A common chronic inflammatory lung disease. It is an allergic disease caused by an immune disorder.

A scientist who considers what life on other worlds might be like and looks for environments that could support life on planets, other than Earth, in and beyond the Solar System.

An astronomer who studies the physics of the universe and things in it.

The study of physical aspects of stars, galaxies and the universe, such as temperature, gravity and light.

A hardening of arteries caused by a build up of fatty substances, which may limit blood flow.

1. The layer of gas around the Earth.

2. (atm) A non-SI unit of pressure equivalent to 101.325 kPa.

A thin layer of air close to the ground. It can range from 100 metres to 3,000 metres.

The force per unit area at a given location on the Earth caused by the weight of the air above it. At sea level, this pressure is about 10 N per cm² (101.3 kPa in SI units).

The smallest possible unit of matter that still maintains an element’s identity during chemical reactions. Atoms contain one or more protons and neutrons (except hydrogen (H), which normally contains no neutrons) in a nucleus around which one or more electrons move.

Caesium atomic clocks operate by exposing caesium atoms to microwaves until they start to vibrate at one of their resonant frequencies. By measuring this frequency, which is an unchanging property of matter, a time measure can be established. Caesium atomic clocks are very stable, and accuracies of 1 second in 1.4 million years have been reported.

An instrument that uses a tiny probe to ‘feel’ a surface and map its atoms.

The average mass of all isotopes of an element, taking their natural relative proportions into account. For example, chlorine has two main isotopes – 37Cl and 35Cl. In naturally occurring chlorine, 75% is 35Cl and 25% is 37Cl. Therefore, the weighted average (atomic mass) is 35.5.

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. This determines an element’s properties and location on the periodic table of elements.

The way in which atoms are arranged in a molecule

A study of something at the atomic level – a study of its atoms.

Wasting away of a tissue or organ.

The attitude (or orientation) of a satellite is the angle it makes in relation to some reference direction or point in space. To determine its attitude, a satellite usually uses a special optical sensor to locate a known visible object or pattern and measures its angle to it. Reference objects or patterns are the Sun, the Earth’s horizon or a particular combination of stars.

In Māori tradition, atua is an ancestor with influence over a particular domain.

An area of basaltic volcanism in Auckland city that is not associated with a tectonic plate boundary. It includes about 50 volcanoes over an area of 360 square kilometres.

A doctor who specialises in ear-related issues covering hearing, balance and related disorders.

A healthcare professional who helps with hearing issues, often performing tests and hearing aid fittings.

Inspection.

A technology that adds digital elements to a live view of the real world.

Also known as the northern or southern lights, auroras are an atmospheric phenomenon that results in multi-coloured light shows in the night sky near the polar regions.

Related to the south or the southern regions of the globe.

A developmental disorder that usually appears in childhood and is characterised by emotional detachment and a limited ability to socially interact and communicate. Sufferers can also have an extremely limited range of activities and interests.

When the body’s immune system attacks its own normal, healthy tissues.

A disease that arises from an overactive immune response of the body against a normally harmless substance that enters the body.

A machine that is able to operate on its own with little or no human control.

A lifeform that exists and functions as an independent organism.

Any chromosome that is not directly involved in determining the sex of the organism. For example humans have 22 pairs of autosomal chromosomes and 1 pair of sex chromosomes (XX in females, XY in males).

An organism that is able to make its own food.

A movable image that represents a person in a virtual reality environment.

The design, development, production, operation and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft.

A female aviator or person who flies an aircraft.

A fundamental physical quantity (symbol NA or L) representing the molar number of entities. It has the value 6.022 141 5 x 1023 mol-1.

Māori word for river.

The motion of an object around its own axis. For example, the Earth makes a complete rotation around an imaginary axis every 24 hours.

A long extension from a neuron that transmits signals to other cells.