This glossary is for a student who wants to know what Biotechnology is about.
bioethics
noun
a field of study concerned with the ethics and philosophical implications of certain biological and medical procedures, technologies, and treatments, as organ transplants, genetic engineering, and care of the terminally ill.
Example: Too often in bioethics debates, we forget the people who are actually going to be affected by a new procedure.
en: bioéthique
cytology
noun
the study of the microscopic appearance of cells, especially for the diagnosis of abnormalities and malignancies.
Example: Cytology (cell word), the study of the cell, the constituent unit of organisms.
en: cytologie
DNA
abbreviation
deoxyribonucleic acid: an extremely long macromolecule that is the main component of chromosomes and is the material that transfers genetic characteristics in all life forms.
Example: DNA tests were used to confirm Albert's status as father in both cases, following protracted legal battles.
en: ADN
enzyme
noun
any of various proteins, as pepsin, originating from living cells and capable of producing certain chemical changes in organic substances by catalytic action, as in digestion.
Example: Women also make less of an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase, which breaks down alcohol before it hits the bloodstream.
en: enzime
genome
noun
a full set of chromosomes; all the inheritable traits of an organism.
Example: They tend to be in places in the genome which do not have a known disease-related function.
en: génome
GMOs
abbreviation
a genetically modified organism: an organism or microorganism whose genetic material has been altered by means of genetic engineering.
Example: In the United States, an ABC News poll found that 93 percent of Americans want GMO labels.
en: OGM
immunology
noun
the branch of science dealing with the components of the immune system, immunity from disease, the immune response, and immunologic techniques of analysis.
Example: She came to the U.S. in 1996 to study for a Ph.D. in immunology at the University of Iowa.
en: immunologie
macromolecule
noun
a very large molecule, as a colloidal particle, protein, or especially a polymer, composed of hundreds or thousands of atoms.
Example: When imaging macromolecules, a large region, about 100 square nanometers, of the AFM tip makes contact with the molecules.
en: macromolécule
microorganism
noun
Any organism too small to be viewed by the unaided eye, as bacteria, protozoa, and some fungi and algae.
Example: Microorganism causes many diseases but can cure many others.
en: micro-organisme
mutagenic
adjective
capable of inducing mutation or increasing its rate.
Example: Another 20,000 are being drip fed mutagenic and carcinogenic chemicals from their tube wells, whilst Dow refuses to clean up.
