CARTA Glossary

Foreign objects embedded beneath the skin of the penis.

A covalent chemical bond that forms between two amino acids, linking them together in a peptide or protein chain. It occurs when the carboxyl group (-COOH) of one amino acid reacts with the amino group (-NH2) of another amino acid, releasing a molecule of water (a process called dehydration or condensation).

Around the time of ovulation.

Intentional permanent or semipermanent alterations of the living human body for reasons such as ritual, folk medicine, aesthetics, or corporal punishment. In general, voluntary changes are considered to be modifications, and involuntary changes are considered mutilations.

Observable traits of an organism that result from interactions between genes and environment during development.

Molecules that are produced by one individual and have signal value for another individual of the same species.

A biochemical process in which a phosphate group (PO₄ ³-) is added to a molecule, typically a protein, by an enzyme called a kinase. This addition of a phosphate group often occurs at specific amino acids in the protein, such as serine, threonine, or tyrosine, and it can significantly change the protein’s structure, function, or activity. Phosphorylation is a crucial mechanism of cellular regulation and plays a key role in controlling various cellular processes.

Historical relationships of species or loci.

A branched chain fatty acid produced during the digestion of chlorophyll, especially in foregut fermenting species (ruminants) that consume plant materials. Humans obtain phytanic acid by consuming dairy products, ruminant animals, and some fish.

1. The deliberate creation of a hole in the skin and/or flesh, often to hold an ornament such as an earring. 2. perforation itself. (e.g., “I changed the jewelry in my piercing”). 4. The ornament that is worn in a perforation of the tissue. More accurately described as piercing jewelry, body piercing jewelry, or body jewelry. (e.g., “My piercing fell out”).

A flattened circular organ, primarily of fetal origin, in the uterus of pregnant eutherian mammals, nourishing and maintaining the fetus through the umbilical cord.

A genus of single-celled organisms that are obligate parasites of vertebrates and insects. In humans, malaria is caused by multiple species of Plasmodium and transmitted by mosquitos (commonly female Anopheles mosquitos).

A village in Honduras occupied from before 700 BCE to ca. 200 BCE. It also refers to the style of figurines produced and used there.

A fine particulate matter (particles or droplets less than 3 microns in width) air pollutant that causes haze, reduces air quality, and can cause short- and long-term negative health effects.

The idea that some genes are more easily expressed because of their chromatin state.

Ovaries that contain a large number of small, fluid-filled sacs called follicles, or cysts, just under the surface. These cysts are usually immature follicles that failed to develop properly during the menstrual cycle and did not release an egg (ovulate).

Relating to a trait determined by two or more genes. Most traits of organisms are polygenic.

A mating system where males regularly mate with multiple females.

The “many forms,” or genetic variants, of a single gene that exist and are maintained in a population at a frequency of 1% or higher.

A homopolymer of sialic acids abundant in the brain and fish eggs and found on certain pathogenic bacteria.

A defined group of similar individuals among whom interbreeding occurs.

A functional imaging technique used to observe metabolic process in the body.

Alter mature protein.

The period of time after a woman has ceased ovulating. This life-stage is unique to humans and not expressed in non-human primates.

The product of work and speed (velocity).

A small rodent found across central North America, particularly in prairies and grasslands where they feed on grasses, seeds, and roots. They play a significant role in the ecosystem by dispersing seeds and aerating the soil. Prairie voles are social, live in small colonies, and form strong, monogamous pair bonds with their mates.

Any of a complex of symptoms (including emotional tension and fluid retention) experienced by some women in the days immediately before menstruation.

A pregnancy associated disorder characterized by high blood pressure and large amounts of protein in urine, typically accelerating during the third trimester.

The transport of vesicles containing neurotransmitters on the presynaptic side prior to release of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft (chemical synapse).

A region of the brain located in the frontal lobe, specifically along the precentral gyrus. It is responsible for the initiation and control of voluntary movements by sending signals to muscles throughout the body, directing them to contract and execute movements.

A group of mammals that include humans, apes, monkeys, and prosimians.

A type of abnormal, pathogenic protein that can cause other, normal, proteins to similarly misfold. Prions are involved in many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), also known as “mad cow disease.”

The open-ended ability to combine meaningful linguistic units into new higher order units of meaning: for example, roots, prefixes (e.g. anti-), and suffixes (e.g. -ish) into words, and words (or signs) into phrases and sentences (Kluender, 2020).

Unicellular organisms that lack a membrane-bound nucleus, mitochondria, or any other membrane-bound organelle. This definition is now debated as some “prokaryotes,” such as archea (“extremophiles”), are more closely related to eukaryotes.

A protein hormone primarily produced by the pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain. It plays a key role in stimulating milk production in females after childbirth. Prolactin also has other functions in both men and women, including regulating reproductive health, immune system function, and metabolism.

Predictor of positive outcome under most conditions, whether risk is low or high.

A short-acting medication, believed to work at least partly via GABA receptors, that is used for the starting and maintenance of general anesthesia, sedation for mechanically ventilated adults, and procedural sedation. Effects include decreased level of consciousness and a lack of memory for events.

A group of primates that includes all living and extinct galagos, lemurs, lorises, and tarsiers. They are considered to have characteristics that are more “primitive” (ancestral) than those of monkeys, apes, and humans.

One of the four classes of major biomolecules. Proteins are molecules encoded by DNA sequences and composed of amino acids connected by peptide bonds. These range in size from a few amino acids (short peptides) to large molecules (long polypeptides) comprised of thousands of amino acids.

A section of DNA or RNA that codes for protein.

A ribosomal subunit that is activated by intracellular cascades and therefore used as a marker for neuron activity. This subunit is physically attached to RNA molecules that are being translated into protein and therefore can also provide information about which genes are expressed in active neurons.

An approach to machine intelligence that also incorporates other features of human intelligence such as causal reasoning, intuitive psychology, and physics.

The study of mental disorders.

High blood pressure in the blood vessels that supply the lungs. Also affects the right side of the heart.

An evolutionary model in which pronounced change takes place in short bursts followed by periods of evolutionary continuity. Compare with Continuity.

An infant transport behavior in which the mother uses her mouth to gently carry a pup by the back of the neck. Mothers do this if pups crawl out of the nest or if she has to move her pups to a new nest location. In the laboratory, this behavior can be used as an index of maternal motivation because it is a proactive, voluntary response to an infant.

Pertaining to quantity-related cognition (e.g., subitizing) that is shared by many species and which provides biological evolved preconditions for numerical cognition and arithmetic, but is itself not about number or arithmetic. Quantical processing seems to be about many sensorial dimensions other than number, and does not, by itself, scale up to produce number and arithmetic.

Relating to, measuring, or measured by the quantity of something rather than its quality.