CRV Science Wiki

Aardvark

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is a nocturnal, burrowing mammal of sub-Saharan Africa that digs into termite mounds.

Aardwolf

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The aardwolf (Proteles cristata) is a small, striped member of the hyena family that eats termites. Its name means 'earth wolf' in Afrikaans, and it lives on the grasslands and savannas of eastern and southern Africa.

Abiogenesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Abiogenesis is the natural biophysical and geochemical process by which living organisms arise from non-living matter, representing the evolutionary transition from planetary geochemistry to autonomous, self-replicating biochemistry.

Actin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Actin is a conserved 42-kilodalton globular ATPase protein that polymerizes into polar 7-nanometer helical microfilaments, driving eukaryotic cell motility, cortical mechanics, endocytosis, cytokinesis, and muscle contraction.

Actinium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Actinium is a silvery-white, radioactive f-block metal on the periodic table designated by the symbol Ac, atomic number 89, and reference mass number 227 u.

Action Potential

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An action potential is a rapid, self-regenerating reversal of transmembrane electrical potential driven by voltage-gated ion channels across excitable cell membranes.

Activation Energy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Activation energy (Ea, or Gibbs activation free energy ΔG‡) is the minimum energy barrier along a reaction coordinate that reacting chemical species must surmount to traverse the transition state and form products.

Active Galactic Nucleus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An active galactic nucleus is a compact central region of a galaxy whose non-stellar bolometric luminosity, ranging from 10 to the 40th to over 10 to the 48th ergs per second, is powered by mass accretion onto a supermassive black hole.

Active site

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The active site typically comprises only a minute fraction of the total volumetric mass of the enzyme, usually consisting of fewer than 20 amino acid residues.

Active Transport

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Active transport is the thermodynamically uphill translocation of ions or molecules across a biological membrane against their electrochemical gradient, coupled to an exergonic energy source such as ATP hydrolysis or a pre-established ion gradient.

Adaptive Introgression

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Adaptive introgression is the permanent incorporation of beneficial genetic variants from one species or diverged population into the gene pool of another through hybridization, backcrossing, and positive selection.

Adaptive Radiation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Adaptive radiation is the rapid evolutionary diversification of a single ancestral lineage into multiple species adapted to distinct ecological niches.

Adelie Penguin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) is a small penguin that breeds all around the Antarctic coast. The French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville named it for his wife, Adèle, in 1840.

Adenine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Adenine (symbol A or Ade, systematic name 9H-purin-6-amine) is a purine nucleobase (chemical formula C5H5N5) that functions as a structural and informational monomer in nucleic acids and as the heterocyclic core of cellular bioenergetic cofactors.

Adenosine Diphosphate

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Adenosine diphosphate (abbreviated ADP; systematically named `[(2R,3S,4R,5R)-5-(6-aminopurin-9-yl)-3,4-dihydroxyoxolan-2-yl]methyl phosphono hydrogen phosphate`, molecular formula `C10H15N5O10P2`, molecular mass `427.20 Da`) is a purine...

Adenosine triphosphate

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a complex organic nucleotide that serves as the primary molecular unit of currency for intracellular energy transfer across all known domains of life.

ADMET

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

ADMET is the integrated pharmacokinetic and toxicological framework encompassing Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity that governs drug bioavailability, target tissue exposure, clearance rates, and safety in living organisms.

Advanced Earth System Modeling (ESM)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Advanced Earth System Models (ESMs) are coupled numerical architectures that integrate atmospheric and oceanic fluid dynamics with prognostic marine and terrestrial biogeochemical cycles, dynamic vegetation, and interactive atmospheric chemistry.

Advanced Immunotherapy (CAR-T and TCR)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Advanced immunotherapy encompasses genetically engineered adoptive cell therapies—principally Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells and T-Cell Receptor (TCR) engineered lymphocytes—that redirect cytotoxic effector pathways against hematological and solid malignancies.

Adverse Drug Reaction

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An adverse drug reaction (ADR) is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as any noxious and unintended response to a medicinal product that occurs at doses normally administered in humans for the prophylaxis, diagnosis, or therapy of...

Aedes

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Aedes is a cosmopolitan genus of culicid mosquitoes comprising over 950 species, including Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, the primary global arthropod vectors of dengue, yellow fever, Zika, chikungunya, and Rift Valley fever viruses.

Aedes aegypti

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The species originated in Africa as a forest mosquito that bred in tree holes and fed on a range of animals.

Aedes albopictus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

In medical entomology, Aedes albopictus is a major vector of chikungunya virus, and it is a competent vector of dengue virus and Zika virus.

Aerobic Respiration

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Aerobic respiration is the multi-stage catabolic process of cellular respiration by which living cells oxidize organic fuel molecules—prototypically the hexose sugar `D`-glucose, as well as fatty acids and amino acids—into carbon dioxide...

Aerobraking

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Aerobraking is a spaceflight orbital maneuver that reduces the high point (apoapsis) and orbital period of an elliptical orbit by making repeated controlled passes through a planet's upper atmosphere using aerodynamic drag instead of rocket propellant.

Aerosols (atmospheric)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Atmospheric aerosols are solid or liquid particulates suspended in the troposphere and stratosphere that alter shortwave planetary albedo, cloud microphysics, and regional radiative forcing across residence times of days to weeks.

African Baobab

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The African baobab (Adansonia digitata) is the largest and most widespread species of the genus Adansonia (family Malvaceae, subfamily Bombacoideae), native to the semi-arid thorn woodlands and tropical savannas of mainland sub-Saharan Africa.

African Clawed Frog

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) is an aquatic frog of southern Africa that became one of the workhorses of developmental biology and cell biology. Its large eggs can be injected, manipulated and observed easily.

African Eye Worm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The African eye worm (Loa loa) is a filarial nematode of the rainforests of West and Central Africa, transmitted by deer flies. Adult worms migrate under the skin and sometimes across the surface of the eye.

African Penguin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) breeds on islands and coasts of South Africa and Namibia. It is also called the jackass penguin because of its donkey-like braying call, and it has declined steeply.

Alanine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Alanine (Ala, A) is the smallest chiral aliphatic alpha-amino acid, bearing a non-polar methyl side chain (-CH3) that confers the highest intrinsic alpha-helix propensity among proteinogenic amino acids and mediates interorgan nitrogen transport via the glucose-alanine cycle.

Albedo

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Albedo is the dimensionless, quantitative measure of the diffuse and specular reflectivity of a surface or planetary body.

Algae

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Algae are a large and varied group of photosynthetic organisms, mostly aquatic, that range from single-celled plankton to giant kelp tens of meters long.

Alkaline Hydrothermal Vent Hypothesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The alkaline hydrothermal vent hypothesis proposes that life originated within porous iron-nickel sulfide mineral chimneys at Hadean submarine serpentinizing vents, driven by natural proton gradients and dissolved molecular hydrogen.

Allee Effect and Minimum Viable Population

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Allee effect describes positive density dependence at low population sizes, interacting with demographic, environmental, and genetic stochasticity to define a species' minimum viable population threshold.

Allele

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An allele (or allelomorph) is one of two or more alternative nucleotide sequence variants of a gene or non-coding genetic locus occupying the same physical position on homologous chromosomes.

Allele Frequency

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Allele frequency is the proportion of all copies of a gene in a population that are a particular allele. It is usually written as a number between 0 and 1, and the change in allele frequency over generations is the technical definition of evolution.

Allelic Richness

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Allelic richness is a fundamental measure of genetic diversity defined as the number of distinct alleles per locus standardized to a uniform sample size via hypergeometric rarefaction, providing high sensitivity to recent demographic population bottlenecks.

Alligator Snapping Turtle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is the largest freshwater turtle in North America, weighing up to about 100 kilograms. It lives in rivers of the southeastern United States and was reassessed as Endangered by the IUCN in 2025.

Allopatric Speciation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Allopatric speciation is the geographic mode of speciation in which an extrinsic physical barrier partitions an ancestral population, reducing gene flow to near zero and enabling independent evolutionary divergence of reproductive isolation.

Allosteric Regulation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Allosteric regulation is the thermodynamic control of a protein's catalytic or ligand-binding activity through the reversible binding of an effector molecule at a regulatory site topographically distinct from the active site.

Almandine Garnet

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Almandine is the iron-aluminum end member of the garnet group, Fe₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃, a deep wine-red, isometric silicate with a hardness of 7 to 7.5. It is the most common garnet and an important index mineral of regional metamorphism.

Alpha Helix

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The alpha helix is a right-handed coiled secondary structure of polypeptide chains stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonds between the carbonyl oxygen of residue i and the amide hydrogen of residue i + 4.

Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Diversity Metrics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Alpha, beta, and gamma diversity partition biological diversity across local communities, inter-site spatial turnover, and regional landscapes using information-theoretic indices and Hill numbers.

Alphaproteobacteria

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Alphaproteobacteria is a large, phylogenetically and metabolically diverse class of Gram-negative bacteria within the phylum Pseudomonadota (formerly Proteobacteria).

Alternative Splicing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Alternative splicing is the regulated co-transcriptional and post-transcriptional process in eukaryotes by which exons and introns of a primary precursor messenger RNA are differentially joined to produce multiple mature mRNA and protein isoforms from a single gene.

Aluminum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Aluminum is a lightweight Group 13 post-transition metal (Al, Z = 13) and the most abundant metallic element in Earth's crust, defined by its face-centered cubic ductility, self-healing Al2O3 passivation film, and Hall-Héroult cryolite smelting.

Amazonian Giant Centipede

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Amazonian giant centipede (Scolopendra gigantea) is one of the largest centipedes, reaching up to about 30 centimeters. It lives in the rainforests of northern South America and the Caribbean and hunts animals as large as small mammals, lizards and bats.

Amborella

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Amborella trichopoda is a shrub found only in the rainforests of New Caledonia, and the single living species of a lineage that branched off first from all other flowering plants. Its genome offers a glimpse of what the ancestor of flowering plants was like.

American Alligator

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is a large crocodilian of the southeastern United States, up to about 4 meters long.

American Bullfrog

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) is the largest frog in North America, up to about 20 centimeters, and is native to the eastern United States and Canada.

American Cockroach

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) is the largest common house-infesting cockroach, about 4 centimeters long. Despite its name it came from Africa and spread worldwide on ships.

American Dog Tick

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) is a common tick of eastern and central North America. It is the main vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the eastern United States and of tularemia.

American Giant Millipede

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The American giant millipede (Narceus americanus) is a large, smooth, cylindrical millipede of eastern North American woodlands, up to about 10 to 12 centimeters long. It is a slow-moving forest-floor recycler.

American Hookworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The American hookworm (Necator americanus) is a blood-feeding intestinal roundworm of humans. Despite the name it is thought to have originated in the Old World, and it is now the main hookworm in much of Africa, the Americas and Asia.

American Kestrel

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The American kestrel (Falco sparverius) is the smallest and most widespread falcon in North America, no larger than a jay. The male has blue-gray wings and a rusty back, while the female is rusty with bars.

American Lobster

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The American lobster (Homarus americanus) is a large crustacean of the cold waters of the northwestern Atlantic and the basis of an important fishery from Maine to Atlantic Canada. It has asymmetrical claws, a crusher and a cutter.

American Paddlefish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) is a large, scaleless freshwater fish of the Mississippi River basin, named for the long paddle-shaped snout (rostrum) that extends in front of its eyes.

Americium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Americium (Am, Z = 95) is a synthetic Period 7 transplutonium actinide (243 u, [Rn] 5f⁷ 7s²) with a non-magnetic J = 0 Am³⁺ ground state, applied in ²⁴¹Am ionization smoke detectors and spacecraft radioisotope power systems.

Amino acid

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An amino acid is an amphoteric organic molecule containing amino and carboxyl functional groups that serves as the monomeric subunit of polypeptides and proteins.

Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS, EC 6.1.1.x) are a family of twenty housekeeping enzymes that establish the fidelity of the genetic code by covalently charging each amino acid onto the 3'-CCA terminus of its cognate transfer RNA via an ATP-dependent two-step reaction.

Ammonia

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The physicochemical properties of ammonia are determined by its molecular geometry and its polarized covalent bonds.

Amphibian

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Amphibians constitute the vertebrate class Amphibia, an ectothermic, non-amniote tetrapod clade comprising approximately 8,700 extant species in subclass Lissamphibia characterized by a permeable glandular integument, cutaneous gas exchange, and biphasic metamorphosis.

Amphibian Chytrid Fungus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, Bd) is a microscopic fungus that infects the skin of amphibians and has caused the greatest documented loss of biodiversity attributable to a disease.

Anammox

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Anammox (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) is a chemolithoautotrophic microbial process in which Planctomycetota bacteria oxidize ammonium directly with nitrite to dinitrogen gas via a hydrazine intermediate inside a ladderane-enclosed organelle.

Andean Condor

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) is a huge South American vulture, with a wingspan of up to about 3.2 meters, that soars over the Andes and the Pacific coast. It is among the largest flying birds.

Andesite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Andesite is a grey, fine-grained volcanic rock with roughly 57 to 63 weight percent silica, the characteristic lava of subduction-zone volcanoes. It is named for the Andes, where it forms many of the great stratovolcanoes.

Andromeda Galaxy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31 or NGC 224) is an SA(s)b barred spiral galaxy located approximately 765 kiloparsecs (2.50 million light-years) from Earth, making it the largest and most massive member of the Local Group.

Aneuploidy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Aneuploidy is a numerical chromosome abnormality in which a cell or organism possesses a chromosome complement that deviates from an exact multiple of the haploid karyotype, driving embryonic lethality, congenital syndromes, and cancer evolution.

Anfinsen's Dogma

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Anfinsen's dogma, formally known as the thermodynamic hypothesis of protein folding, is a foundational principle of molecular biophysics stating that the native three-dimensional conformation of a globular protein at physiological temperature...

Anhydrite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Anhydrite is the water-free form of calcium sulfate, CaSO₄, and the rock made of it. It occurs in evaporite beds and as nodules in arid coastal flats, and it is harder and denser than its hydrated relative gypsum.

Anna's Hummingbird

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) is a stocky hummingbird of the Pacific coast of North America, with a rose-red head and throat in the male. Unlike most hummingbirds, it stays through the winter.

Anopheles

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Anopheles is the only genus whose members transmit human malaria, caused by Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae, and the monkey parasite P. knowlesi.

Anopheles gambiae

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto is among the most efficient vectors of human malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum.

Anopheles stephensi

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Anopheles stephensi is a primary urban malaria vector mosquito native to South Asia and the Persian Gulf that has rapidly invaded the Horn of Africa, East and West Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula since 2012.

Anorthosite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Anorthosite is a plutonic rock made of more than 90 percent plagioclase feldspar. It occurs in two very different settings: large masses in ancient continental crust, and the pale highlands of the Moon.

Antarctic Bottom Water

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) is the coldest, densest, and most voluminous abyssal water mass in the global ocean, formed on the Antarctic continental shelf via sea-ice brine rejection and ice-shelf basal melting to drive the lower limb of the meridional overturning circulation.

Antarctic Giant Ribbon Worm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Antarctic giant ribbon worm (Parborlasia corrugatus) is a large, pink or orange ribbon worm up to two meters long that is one of the commonest scavengers and predators on the Antarctic seafloor.

Antarctic Ice Sheet

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Antarctic ice sheet is the largest contiguous mass of glacial ice on Earth, covering approximately 14.0 million square kilometers and storing 26.5 million cubic kilometers of ice, equivalent to 58.3 meters of global sea-level rise.

Antarctic Laevipilina

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Antarctic Laevipilina (Laevipilina antarctica) is a small, deep-water monoplacophoran from the Southern Ocean, one of the few living representatives of a class of molluscs that was thought extinct until 1952.

Antennae Galaxies

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Antennae Galaxies (NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, Arp 244) are two spiral galaxies merging in Corvus, about 45 million light-years away in the Galaxy Guide data (older estimates run to about 65 million).

Anthracite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Anthracite is the highest rank of coal, a hard, jet-black, lustrous rock with about 92 to 98 percent carbon. It is sometimes treated as a metamorphic rock, because it has been transformed by heat and pressure in folded mountain belts.

Anthropocene

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Anthropocene is a proposed name for the interval of Earth's history in which human activity has become a dominant influence on the planet's climate, biogeochemical cycles, ecosystems, and sedimentary record.

Antibody

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The functional diversity of antibodies is derived from their modular, conserved quaternary structure paired with hypervariable antigen-binding loops.

Antibody-Dependent Enhancement

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) is an immunopathological phenomenon in which non-neutralizing or sub-neutralizing antibodies facilitate viral entry and replication within Fc-receptor- or complement-receptor-bearing host cells, amplifying viremia and clinical disease.

Antibody-Drug Conjugate

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An antibody-drug conjugate is a targeted biopharmaceutical comprising a monoclonal antibody covalently tethered via a chemical linker to a cytotoxic small-molecule warhead, selectively delivering picomolar payloads into antigen-expressing tumor cells.

Anticodon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An anticodon is a highly conserved trinucleotide sequence located at nucleotide positions 34, 35, and 36 within the seven-nucleotide anticodon loop of a transfer RNA (tRNA) molecule.

Antigenic Drift, Antigenic Shift, and Immune Imprinting

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Antigenic drift, antigenic shift, and immune imprinting govern the co-evolutionary arms race between mutating RNA viruses and vertebrate adaptive immunity, shaping seasonal vaccine updates, pandemic emergence, and universal vaccine design.

Antimicrobial Resistance

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the evolutionary adaptation by which microorganisms survive exposure to bactericidal or bacteriostatic drugs through enzymatic inactivation, target modification, efflux, and horizontal gene transfer.

Antimony

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Antimony is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Sb (from Latin stibium, derived from ancient Egyptian sdm and Greek stimmi for black eye-cosmetic kohl), atomic number 51, and standard atomic weight 121.760 u.

Antiparallel

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

In molecular biology and structural biochemistry, antiparallel refers to the strict opposite spatial orientation of the two complementary polynucleotide strands that constitute the DNA double helix or double-stranded RNA duplexes.

Antisense Oligonucleotide and siRNA Therapeutics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Antisense oligonucleotides and small interfering RNAs are synthetic nucleic acid therapeutics that hybridize to target mRNAs or pre-mRNAs via Watson-Crick base pairing to induce enzymatic transcript degradation or modulate alternative splicing.

Apatite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Apatite is a group of calcium phosphate minerals, Ca₅(PO₄)₃(F,Cl,OH), with hexagonal crystals and a hardness of 5, the standard for that number on the Mohs scale.

Apicomplexa

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Apicomplexa is a large phylum of obligate parasitic alveolate protists characterized by a polarized apical invasion complex and, in most lineages, a secondary red-algal plastid called the apicoplast.

Aplite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Aplite is a fine-grained, sugary rock of quartz and feldspar that fills fractures and dikes in granite. Because it has almost no dark minerals it is usually pale pink or cream, and its even, saccharoidal texture explains the name, from the Greek for 'simple.'

Apoptosis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Apoptosis is an ATP-dependent, genetically regulated pathway of programmed cell death executed by cysteine-aspartic proteases (caspases) via intrinsic mitochondrial and extrinsic death-receptor cascades to maintain tissue homeostasis.

Aptamer

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An aptamer is a short single-stranded RNA, DNA, or xeno-nucleic acid oligonucleotide that folds into a defined three-dimensional tertiary structure to bind a specific target molecule with picomolar to nanomolar affinity.

Aquifer

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An aquifer is a saturated, permeable subsurface geological formation of unconsolidated sediment or porous and fractured rock capable of storing and transmitting usable quantities of groundwater to wells, springs, and surface ecosystems.

Arabidopsis thaliana

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Arabidopsis thaliana, thale cress, is a small weed of the mustard family and the most widely used model plant in biology. In 2000 it became the first plant to have its genome sequenced.

Aragonite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Aragonite is a polymorph of calcium carbonate, CaCO₃, with orthorhombic crystals, a hardness of 3.5 to 4 and a density higher than calcite. It forms in shells, corals and hot springs, and is the mineral of mother-of-pearl.

Arapaima

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The arapaima (Arapaima gigas) is a huge, air-breathing fish of the Amazon basin, up to about 3 meters long. It is among the largest freshwater fish in the world and has been heavily overfished.

Arbovirus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An arbovirus (from arthropod-borne virus) is a virus maintained in nature by biological transmission between susceptible vertebrate hosts and blood-feeding arthropods.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Soil Fungus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rhizophagus irregularis is a soil fungus that forms arbuscular mycorrhizas, a partnership with the roots of most land plants that dates back more than 400 million years. It is the best-studied member of the Glomeromycota.

Archaea

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Within the framework of Earth system science and planetary biogeochemistry, archaea act as foundational metabolic drivers.

Arctic Amplification

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Arctic amplification is the climate phenomenon in which near-surface temperatures in the northern polar region warm three to four times faster than the global average in response to radiative forcing.

Argentine Black and White Tegu

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae) is the largest tegu, a South American lizard that can exceed a meter in length. It is notable among lizards for being able to warm its body above the air temperature, and it is invasive in Florida.

Argentine Red Tegu

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Argentine red tegu (Salvator rufescens) is a large, reddish South American lizard of dry forests and scrub of Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. It is a close relative of the black and white tegu.

Arginine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Arginine (abbreviated Arg or R; systematically named `(2S)-2-amino-5-(diaminomethylideneamino)pentanoic acid`, molecular formula `C6H14N4O2`, molecular mass `174.20 Da`) is a conditionally essential, cationic α-amino acid incorporated into...

Argon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Argon is a Period 3 closed-shell noble gas (Ar, Z = 18) and the third most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere (0.934% by volume), derived from the radiogenic electron-capture decay of crustal potassium-40.

Ariel (Moon)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ariel is the fourth-largest and brightest moon of Uranus, exhibiting deep tectonic graben valleys flooded by viscous cryolava flows and surface carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide deposits linked to a candidate subsurface ocean.

Arizona Bark Scorpion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Arizona bark scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus) is a slender, pale scorpion of the Sonoran Desert and the most venomous scorpion in North America. Its sting is intensely painful and can be dangerous to young children, although deaths are rare.

Arkose

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Arkose is a coarse, feldspar-rich sandstone, with at least about 25 percent feldspar, that is typically pink or reddish. It records fast erosion of granite or gneiss with little chemical weathering.

Arp 273

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Arp 273 (UGC 1810 and UGC 1813) is a pair of interacting galaxies in Andromeda about 300 million light-years away, nicknamed the Rose Galaxies. Hubble released its picture in 2011 for the telescope's 21st anniversary.

Arrhenius Equation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Arrhenius equation, k = A exp(−Eₐ/RT), describes the exponential dependence of chemical reaction rate constants on thermodynamic temperature and activation energy.

Arsenic

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Arsenic is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol As, atomic number 33, and a standard atomic weight of 74.921595(6) u.

Artemisinin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Artemisinin is a sesquiterpene lactone endoperoxide isolated from Artemisia annua by Tu Youyou in 1972 that serves as the chemical foundation for WHO-mandated artemisinin-based combination therapies against Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

Arthropod

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An arthropod is an invertebrate animal belonging to Phylum Arthropoda, characterized by a metameric segmented body organized into tagmata, paired jointed appendages, and a cuticular chitinous exoskeleton that is periodically molted.

Artificial Intelligence in Structural Biology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Contemporary computational biology has transitioned into a predictive, highly scalable discipline, driven by the integration of deep learning architectures.

Asgard Archaea

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Asgard archaea (formally classified as phylum Promethearchaeota within kingdom Promethearchaeati, or superphylum Asgardarchaeota) are a diverse clade of deep-branching archaea that constitute the closest known prokaryotic relatives of all...

Asian Elephant

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is the largest land animal in Asia, living in forests and grasslands from India to Southeast Asia. It is listed as Endangered, with a few tens of thousands left in the wild.

Asian Forest Scorpion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Asian forest scorpion (Heterometrus spinifer) is a large fossorial arachnid of the family Scorpionidae native to the lowland tropical rainforests of the Malay Peninsula, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Asian Water Monitor

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator) is one of the largest lizards in the world, reaching up to about 3 meters, and is widespread from Sri Lanka and India to Southeast Asia. It is at home in water, mangroves and cities.

Asian Watermeal

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Asian watermeal (Wolffia globosa) is one of the smallest flowering plants, each plant a floating green grain about half a millimeter wide. It has no roots, stems or leaves, and drifts in mats on still water.

Aspirin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Aspirin, chemically designated acetylsalicylic acid (ASA; systematically named `2-acetoxybenzoic acid`, molecular formula `C9H8O4`, molar mass `180.16 g/mol`, weak organic acid with `pKa = 3.49`), is the prototypical non-steroidal...

Assortative Mating

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Assortative mating is a non-random mating system in which individuals select mates based on phenotypic or genotypic similarity—pairing either with similar phenotypes (positive assortative mating) or dissimilar phenotypes (disassortative mating).

Astatine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Astatine is a radioactive heavy halogen on the periodic table designated by the symbol At, atomic number 85, and reference mass number 210 u.

Astrobiology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Astrobiology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe, integrating molecular biology, planetary science, geochemistry, and astrophysics.

ATAC-Seq

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

ATAC-Seq (Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin using Sequencing) is an epigenomic method that uses a hyperactive Tn5 transposase to cleave and ligate sequencing adapters into accessible, nucleosome-free euchromatin across the genome.

Atacamite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Atacamite is a copper chloride hydroxide, Cu₂Cl(OH)₃, a bright green mineral that forms in the dry, salty oxidized zones of copper deposits. It is named for the Atacama Desert of Chile, where it was first described.

Atlantic Blue Crab

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Atlantic blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) is a swimming crab of estuaries along the western Atlantic coasts, famous in Chesapeake Bay. Its scientific name means 'beautiful swimmer that is savory'.

Atlantic Hagfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Atlantic hagfish (Myxine glutinosa) is an eel-like, jawless marine animal that lives on muddy seafloors of the North Atlantic.

Atlantic Horseshoe Crab

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) is a marine arthropod of the western Atlantic coast, whose lineage stretches back some 450 million years. It is not a true crab but is closer to spiders and scorpions, and it is listed as Vulnerable.

Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is the primary Atlantic basin component of the global thermohaline circulation system, transporting warm upper-ocean water northward and returning cold North Atlantic Deep Water southward.

Atlantic Mudskipper

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Atlantic mudskipper (Periophthalmus barbarus) is an amphibious fish of West African mangroves and mudflats that spends much of its life out of water. It walks and skips across mud on its fins and breathes air.

Atlantic Salmon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is an anadromous fish that is born in freshwater, migrates to the North Atlantic to feed and grow, and returns to its home river to spawn.

Atlas Moth

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is one of the largest moths in the world, with a wing area of several hundred square centimeters. It lives in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia and is named for its vast wings.

Atmosphere of Earth

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The atmosphere of Earth is the gravitationally bound envelope of gases and suspended aerosols surrounding the planet that regulates surface pressure, radiative transfer, hydrological cycling, and climate.

Atmospheric Circulation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Atmospheric circulation is the planetary-scale movement of air across the troposphere and stratosphere that redistributes thermal energy, moisture, and angular momentum from the equatorial tropics toward the polar regions.

Atmospheric River

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An atmospheric river is a long, narrow, transient filament of concentrated horizontal water vapor transport in the lower troposphere that conveys over 90 percent of mid-latitude poleward moisture flux and drives heavy orographic precipitation.

Atomic Radius

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Atomic radius is the characteristic distance from an atom's nucleus to the boundary of its valence electron cloud, operationally defined through covalent, metallic, van der Waals, or ionic interatomic distances.

ATP Synthase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

ATP synthase (F1FO-ATPase) is a rotary macromolecular motor enzyme that couples the transmembrane electrochemical proton motive force to the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from ADP and inorganic phosphate.

Augen Gneiss

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Augen gneiss is a coarse metamorphic rock with large, eye-shaped crystals of feldspar wrapped by streaky ribbons of biotite and quartz. 'Augen' is German for 'eyes.'

Autophagy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Autophagy is a conserved intracellular catabolic pathway that sequesters cytoplasmic macromolecules, misfolded proteins, and damaged organelles for degradation and recycling inside the lysosome.

Auxin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Auxin is a master morphogenetic class of phytohormones dominated by indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) that coordinates plant cell elongation, phototropism, gravitropism, apical dominance, and organogenesis via chemiosmotic polar transport and TIR1/AFB ubiquitin-ligase signaling.

Axolotl

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is a salamander native to the lakes and canals of Xochimilco near Mexico City that keeps its larval features, including feathery external gills, throughout life.

Aye-aye

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a nocturnal lemur of Madagascar with large ears, rodent-like teeth and a long, thin middle finger. It is the largest nocturnal primate and is listed as Endangered.

Azure Vase Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The azure vase sponge (Callyspongia plicifera) is a lavender-blue tube sponge of Caribbean reefs, with a vase-shaped body and ridged walls. It is among the most common and recognizable sponges on the reef.

Azurite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Azurite is a deep blue copper carbonate hydroxide, Cu₃(CO₃)₂(OH)₂, with monoclinic crystals and a hardness of 3.5 to 4. It forms in oxidized copper deposits and slowly alters to green malachite.

B Cell

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

B cells are bone-marrow-derived adaptive lymphocytes that express clonal B-cell receptors, undergo somatic hypermutation and class-switch recombination in germinal centers, and differentiate into antibody-secreting plasma cells and memory B cells.

Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) is a spore-forming soil bacterium that synthesizes a synergistic complex of parasporal crystal delta-endotoxins (Cry and Cyt proteins) selective and lethal to mosquito, blackfly, and fungus gnat larvae.

Bacteria

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bacteria constitute a primary domain of unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms characterized by peptidoglycan cell walls, ester-linked phospholipid membranes, 70S ribosomes, and extraordinary metabolic diversity across global biogeochemical cycles.

Bacterial Conjugation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bacterial conjugation is the unidirectional, contact-dependent mechanism of horizontal gene transfer in which single-stranded DNA is translocated from a donor bacterium to a recipient via a relaxosome and a Type IV secretion system.

Bacteriophage

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A bacteriophage (phage) is a virus that infects and replicates within bacteria, representing the most abundant biological entity in the biosphere and driving microbial ecology, horizontal gene transfer, molecular biology discovery, and clinical phage therapy.

Baker's Yeast

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is a single-celled fungus that people have used for thousands of years to leaven bread and ferment beer and wine. It is also one of the most important model organisms in cell biology and genetics.

Balancing Selection

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Balancing selection encompasses any selective regime that actively maintains multiple alleles at a genetic locus within a population over evolutionary timescales, elevating local nucleotide diversity and preventing allele fixation.

Bald Eagle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a large sea eagle of North America and the national bird of the United States. A symbol of recovery, it fell to a few hundred nesting pairs in the contiguous states by the 1960s and has since rebounded dramatically.

Ball Python

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The ball python (Python regius) is a small African python that curls into a tight ball when frightened. It is among the most popular pet snakes, and wild populations are affected by the trade.

Bancroft's Filarial Worm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bancroft's filarial worm (Wuchereria bancrofti) is a thread-like parasite that lives in human lymphatic vessels and causes lymphatic filariasis, or elephantiasis, with grossly swollen limbs. It is spread by mosquitoes in tropical regions.

Banded Demoiselle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The banded demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) is a metallic blue-green damselfly of slow, clean rivers in Europe and Asia. The male has a dark band across each wing, and flutters like a butterfly.

Banded Iron Formation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Banded iron formation (BIF) is a chemically precipitated sedimentary rock made of thin alternating layers of iron minerals, mainly hematite and magnetite, and silica-rich chert or jasper.

Banded Orthogneiss

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Banded orthogneiss is a coarse, high-grade metamorphic rock with alternating light and dark bands, derived from an igneous rock such as granite. The prefix 'ortho' refers to the igneous parent, in contrast to a paragneiss from sediment.

Banded Ribbon Worm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The banded ribbon worm (Notospermus geniculatus) is a flat, boldly banded ribbon worm of the Indo-Pacific that lives in sand and under rocks in shallow seas. Its pale body has dark brown bands.

Banyan Tree

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The banyan (Ficus benghalensis) is a fig tree of India that sends down aerial roots from its branches, which thicken into pillars and let a single tree spread over a vast area. It is the national tree of India.

Bare-nosed Wombat

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus) is a stocky, burrowing marsupial of southeastern Australia and Tasmania, known for producing cube-shaped droppings. It is listed as Least Concern.

Barite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Barite, or baryte, is barium sulfate, BaSO₄, an orthorhombic mineral that is unusually heavy for a pale, non-metallic stone, with a density of about 4.5 grams per cubic centimeter. The name comes from the Greek for 'heavy.'

Barium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Barium is a soft, silvery-white metal on the periodic table designated by the symbol Ba, atomic number 56, and standard atomic weight 137.33 u.

Basalt

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Basalt is a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock with low silica content, about 45 to 52 weight percent. It is the most common volcanic rock on Earth, forming the ocean floor, volcanic islands and vast continental flood-basalt plateaus.

Base Excision Repair

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Base excision repair (BER) is the primary cellular DNA repair pathway that excises and replaces small, non-helix-distorting chemical base lesions arising from endogenous hydrolytic deamination, depurination, oxidation, and alkylation.

Base Pairs

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Base pairs are planar heterocyclic nucleobase dimers linked by specific hydrogen bonds and stabilized by aromatic pi-stacking across antiparallel nucleic acid strands, forming the structural and informational foundation of DNA and RNA.

Basic Reproduction Number

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The basic reproduction number (R0) is the dimensionless threshold parameter of infectious disease epidemiology representing the expected number of secondary infections generated by a single infectious case introduced into a fully susceptible population.

Basket Star

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The basket star (Gorgonocephalus caputmedusae) is a large brittle star of the cold North Atlantic whose five arms branch repeatedly into thousands of fine tips. At night it climbs onto a high perch and spreads these arms like a net across the current.

Basking Shark

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is the second-largest fish in the world, reaching about 10 meters. It swims slowly at the surface with its enormous mouth open, filtering plankton. It is listed as Endangered.

Bath Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The bath sponge (Spongia officinalis), also known as the Greek bath sponge or fine Levant sponge, is a sessile, filter-feeding marine demosponge of the order Dictyoceratida and family Spongiidae native to rocky sublittoral habitats throughout...

Beadlet Anemone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The beadlet anemone (Actinia equina) is a red or green sea anemone of rocky shores in the northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. At low tide it draws in its tentacles and looks like a blob of jelly.

Bearded Fireworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The bearded fireworm (Hermodice carunculata) is a bristly marine worm of warm Atlantic and Mediterranean waters that stings with fine white bristles. It feeds on corals, anemones and other reef animals.

Bedford's Flatworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bedford's flatworm (Pseudobiceros bedfordi) is a brilliantly colored marine flatworm of Indo-Pacific reefs. It is best known for a mating behavior called 'penis fencing'.

Bee Hummingbird

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is the smallest bird in the world, about 5 to 6 centimeters long and weighing under 2 grams. It lives only in Cuba and is listed as Near Threatened.

Beer Mat Nematode

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The beer mat nematode (Panagrellus redivivus) is a tiny roundworm that lives in fermenting, sugary and damp organic materials, such as the soaked cardboard mats under beer glasses. It is bred as food for aquarium fish fry.

Bell Stalked Jellyfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The bell stalked jellyfish (Calvadosia campanulata) is a tiny stalked jellyfish, less than 2 centimeters tall, that lives on seaweed in the shallow waters of the northeastern Atlantic.

Beluga Sturgeon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) is a huge fish of the Caspian and Black Seas that swims up rivers to spawn. It is among the largest freshwater and migratory fishes in the world, and it is listed as Critically Endangered.

Bennett's Feather Star

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bennett's feather star (Oxycomanthus bennetti) is a bright, many-armed crinoid of Indo-Pacific reefs, which climbs to exposed perches at night and spreads its feathery arms to feed.

Bent's Rule

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bent's rule is a principle of orbital hybridization stating that a central atom directs hybrid orbitals with higher atomic s-character toward electropositive substituents and orbitals with higher p-character toward electronegative substituents.

Berkelium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Berkelium (Bk, Z = 97) is a synthetic Period 7 actinide (247 u, [Rn] 5f⁹ 7s²) featuring an accessible Bk³⁺/Bk⁴⁺ redox couple and serving as the ²⁴⁹Bk target material used to synthesize tennessine (Z = 117).

Berry Pseudorotation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Berry pseudorotation is a concerted intramolecular isomerization mechanism in which a pentacoordinate trigonal bipyramidal molecule exchanges its two axial ligands with two equatorial ligands via a square pyramidal transition state.

Beryl

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Beryl is a beryllium aluminum ring silicate, Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈, with hexagonal crystals and a hardness of 7.5 to 8. Pure beryl is colorless, and its colored varieties include green emerald and blue aquamarine.

Beryllium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Beryllium is the lightest Group 2 alkaline earth metal (Be, Z = 4), characterized by high charge-to-radius covalency, spallogenic nucleosynthesis, X-ray transparency, and cryogenic stiffness in space-telescope optics.

Beta Sheet

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The beta sheet (β-pleated sheet) is a regular protein secondary structure in which extended polypeptide β-strands align laterally and are stabilized by inter-strand main-chain amide-to-carbonyl hydrogen bonds in antiparallel, parallel, or mixed orientations.

Beta-Oxidation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Beta-oxidation is the catabolic pathway that sequentially cleaves two-carbon acetyl-CoA units from the carboxyl terminus of fatty acyl-CoA molecules in the mitochondrial matrix and peroxisomes, generating FADH2 and NADH to drive ATP synthesis.

Bicarbonate

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Operating across vastly different spatial and temporal scales, bicarbonate is the primary chemical buffer regulating intracellular and extracellular pH in vertebrate physiology.

Binary Fission

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Binary fission is the primary mechanism of asexual cell reproduction in bacteria and the majority of archaea, as well as the division mechanism retained by eukaryotic mitochondria and plastids.

Binomial Distribution

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The binomial distribution is the discrete probability distribution of the number of successes in a sequence of n independent Bernoulli trials, each occurring with a constant success probability p.

Binturong

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The binturong (Arctictis binturong), or bearcat, is a shaggy, black, tree-dwelling mammal of South and Southeast Asia, with a strong prehensile tail. It smells like buttered popcorn and is listed as Vulnerable.

Biochemical Macromolecules

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Biochemical macromolecules (also termed biological macromolecules or biomacromolecules) are high-molecular-weight organic compounds that constitute the structural, catalytic, bioenergetic, and informational foundation of all living cells.

Biochemistry

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Biochemistry is the scientific discipline that investigates the chemical structures, enzymatic reactions, and bioenergetic transformations governing living organisms.

Biodiversity

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Biodiversity (a contraction of 'biological diversity') is the variety of life at all levels of biological organization, from genes to species to ecosystems.

Bioenergetics and Cellular Metabolism

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

At the molecular level, the main energy currency that couples energy-releasing (catabolic) reactions to energy-consuming ones is adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Bioequivalence, Generics, and Biosimilars

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bioequivalence, generic drugs, and biosimilars constitute the pharmacokinetic, analytical, and regulatory frameworks that allow follow-on small molecules and complex biologics to enter clinical practice after pioneer patent and exclusivity expiration.

Biofilm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A biofilm is an organized, sessile assemblage of microbial cells irreversibly attached to a biotic or abiotic substratum, an air-liquid interface, or to one another, and embedded within a self-secreted matrix of hydrated extracellular polymeric substances (EPS).

Biogeochemical cycle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A biogeochemical cycle is the integrated pathway by which conserved chemical elements and molecular compounds circulate through the biotic and abiotic compartments of the Earth system.

Biogeochemical Feedbacks

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Biogeochemical feedbacks are coupled biological, chemical, and physical processes across the atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere that amplify or dampen the response of the Earth system to an initial radiative forcing.

Biogeochemistry

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Biogeochemistry is the quantitative study of the chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes that govern the mass transfer and stoichiometric coupling of elements across the Earth system.

Bioinformatics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary computational science that develops algorithms, statistical models, and relational databases to store, align, assemble, and interpret macromolecular sequence, structural, and multi-omic data.

Bioisosterism and Scaffold Hopping

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bioisosterism and scaffold hopping are structural replacement strategies in medicinal chemistry that substitute functional groups or core molecular frameworks to preserve target binding while improving metabolism, solubility, selectivity, and patentability.

Biological pump

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The biological pump encompasses the biologically driven mechanisms that transport carbon from the sunlit surface ocean into the deep ocean interior, alongside active cellular transmembrane ion pumps that transport solutes against electrochemical gradients.

Bioluminescence

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bioluminescence is the biochemical production and emission of visible light by a living organism via the enzyme-catalyzed oxidation of a light-emitting substrate (luciferin) by a luciferase or photoprotein.

Biomagnification, Bioaccumulation, and Ecotoxicology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ecotoxicology and biomagnification examine how lipophilic persistent organic pollutants and methylmercury partition into organisms and amplify across food-web trophic levels.

Biopharmaceutics Classification System and Drug Formulation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Biopharmaceutics Classification System categorizes oral drugs into four classes by aqueous solubility and intestinal permeability, guiding solid-state engineering, salt selection, and amorphous solid dispersion formulations.

Biophysicist

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A biophysicist is a scientist who applies the theoretical principles, mathematical frameworks, and experimental instrumentation of physics to quantify the mechanisms of biological systems across molecular, cellular, and organismal scales.

Biophysics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Within modern research, the discipline acts as the quantitative bridge between the static topological maps of molecular biology and the dynamic, physical reality of the living cell.

Bioreactor

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A bioreactor (historically termed a fermentor when applied to microbial cultures) is an engineered containment vessel and process-control system designed to support biologically active environments in which living cells—bacteria, yeasts...

Bioremediation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bioremediation is the applied biotechnological discipline that utilizes biological systems (predominantly microorganisms, fungi, and plants) to degrade, transform, or sequester environmental pollutants and hazardous xenobiotics into non-toxic forms.

Bioremediation and Environmental Biotechnology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The efficacy of bioremediation and environmental biotechnology is governed by physical chemistry, microbial ecology, and thermodynamic constraints.

Biosignature

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A biosignature is any measurable substance, isotopic fractionation, molecular structure, morphological fabric, or atmospheric gas disequilibrium that provides scientific evidence of past or present life.

Biosphere

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The biosphere is the global ecological system integrating all living organisms and their thermodynamic and biogeochemical interactions with the abiotic components of the Earth System.

Biostatistics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Biostatistics is the mathematical and computational discipline that develops and applies statistical theory to experimental design, data analysis, and causal inference across biology, medicine, and public health.

Biotechnology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Biotechnology is the broad, interdisciplinary application of biological systems, living organisms, or their specific cellular derivatives to rationally engineer technologies, products, and processes.

Biotite Quartz Schist

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Biotite quartz schist is a dark, sparkling metamorphic rock dominated by visible, aligned flakes of black to bronze biotite mica, with thin lenses of quartz. It forms from muddy sediments at medium grade in the roots of mountain ranges.

Bismuth

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bismuth is a brittle, crystalline post-transition metal on the periodic table designated by the symbol Bi, atomic number 83, and standard atomic weight 208.98 u.

Bisulfite Sequencing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bisulfite sequencing is the primary biochemical and DNA sequencing methodology used to determine the pattern of epigenetic DNA methylation—specifically 5-methylcytosine (5mC)—at single-base-pair resolution across a genome.

Bituminous Coal

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bituminous coal is a dark, banded sedimentary rock made of compacted plant remains, with about 75 to 85 percent carbon. It is the most widely used rank of coal, burned for electricity and used to make coke for steelmaking.

Black and Rufous Sengi

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The black and rufous sengi (Rhynchocyon petersi), or elephant-shrew, is a small African mammal with a flexible, trunk-like snout and long legs. Despite the name, it is not a shrew but a relative of elephants.

Black Bread Mold

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Black bread mold (Rhizopus stolonifer) is a fast-growing fungus that spreads in fuzzy white mats and turns dark as its spore sacs mature. It is a common spoiler of bread, fruit and vegetables.

Black Brittle Star

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The black brittle star (Ophiocomina nigra) is a dark brittle star of the northeastern Atlantic that forms dense beds on gravelly seabeds. It feeds with its spiny arms.

Black Caiman

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) is the largest predator of the Amazon basin, up to about 5 meters long. Heavily hunted for its skin in the twentieth century, it has been recovering.

Black Carbon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Black carbon is the strongly light-absorbing carbonaceous component of soot produced by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels, and biomass. It warms the atmosphere by absorbing solar radiation and accelerates snow and ice melt when deposited on the cryosphere.

Black Hole

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravitational curvature is so strong that neither matter nor electromagnetic radiation can escape across its boundary, the event horizon, where the required escape velocity equals or exceeds the speed of light.

Black Katy Chiton

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The black Katy chiton (Katharina tunicata) is a large, black, leathery-looking chiton of the Pacific coast, whose thick girdle covers most of the shell plates, leaving a butterfly-shaped patch exposed.

Black Shale

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Black shale is a fine-grained, laminated mudrock rich in organic carbon, which gives it a dark color. It splits easily into thin sheets and forms in basins where oxygen is scarce and organic matter is preserved rather than eaten.

Black Truffle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The black truffle or Périgord truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is a prized underground fungus that grows in association with oak and hazel roots in southern Europe. It is among the most expensive foods in the world.

Black Widow Spider

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The black widow (Latrodectus mactans) is a venomous spider of North America, the female recognizable by her shiny black body and red hourglass marking on the underside. Her neurotoxic bite causes latrodectism, which is painful but rarely fatal.

Blacklegged Tick

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The blacklegged tick or deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) is the main vector of Lyme disease in eastern and central North America. It also transmits anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus, and its range is expanding northward.

Bladderwrack

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus) is a tough, olive-brown seaweed of North Atlantic and Baltic shores, with paired air bladders that float the fronds when the tide is in.

Bleeding Tooth Fungus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The bleeding tooth fungus (Hydnellum peckii) is a conifer-forest fungus whose young white fruiting bodies exude bright red droplets, as if bleeding. It has spines on the underside instead of gills or pores.

Blobfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) is a deep-sea fish of the waters off Australia and Tasmania, famous for its dripping, jelly-like look in photographs. At depth, under high pressure, it looks like a normal fish.

Blood Transfusion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A blood transfusion is the intravenous clinical transfer of whole blood or separated labile blood components—specifically packed red blood cells (`pRBCs`), platelet concentrates, fresh frozen plasma (`FFP`), or cryoprecipitate—from a donor to a...

Blood-Brain Barrier

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a selective physiological and metabolic neurovascular interface formed by non-fenestrated brain microvascular endothelial cells, pericytes, and astrocyte endfeet that regulates central nervous system homeostasis.

Blue Dragon Sea Slug

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The blue dragon (Glaucus atlanticus) is a small sea slug, a few centimeters long, that floats upside down at the surface of warm oceans. It eats venomous siphonophores such as the Portuguese man o' war and stores their stinging cells for its own defense.

Blue Jay

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a crested, loud, intelligent songbird of eastern North America. It belongs to the crow family and is known for caching acorns and for mimicking hawks.

Blue Linckia

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The blue Linckia (Linckia laevigata) is a bright blue, five-armed sea star of Indo-Pacific reefs. It can regrow a complete body from a single detached arm.

Blue Mussel

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) is a bivalve mollusc of cold-temperate rocky shores of the North Atlantic, grown worldwide for food. It forms dense beds that shelter other species and filter large volumes of seawater.

Blue Whale

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest animal known to have ever lived, reaching about 30 meters in length and well over 100 tonnes.

Blue-tongued Skink

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua scincoides) is a stout, short-legged lizard of Australia and New Guinea named for its bright blue tongue. It is common in gardens and woodland and is not considered threatened.

Blueschist

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Blueschist is a blue-grey metamorphic rock colored by glaucophane, a sodium-rich amphibole. It forms at high pressure and relatively low temperature, in cold, rapidly subducting oceanic crust.

Bohr Effect

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The physiological allosteric phenomenon in which elevated carbon dioxide partial pressure and decreased blood pH reduce the oxygen-binding affinity of vertebrate hemoglobin, promoting oxygen unloading in metabolically active tissues.

Bohrium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bohrium (Bh, atomic number 107) is a synthetic Period 7 d-block transactinide transition metal named after Niels Bohr whose volatile oxychloride BhO₃Cl confirmed its Group 7 homology with rhenium and technetium.

Boltzmann Constant

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Boltzmann constant (k or kB) is a defining fundamental constant of the International System of Units that converts thermodynamic temperature into microscopic thermal energy per degree of freedom.

Boltzmann Distribution

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Boltzmann distribution is the canonical probability distribution of statistical mechanics specifying that a system in thermal equilibrium at temperature T occupies a microstate of energy Ei with probability proportional to exp(−Ei / k_B T).

Bonnet Mold

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bonnet mold (Spinellus fusiger) is a pin-like mold that grows on the caps of bonnet mushrooms (Mycena) in woodlands, covering them with long, hair-like stalks. It is a parasite of other fungi.

Book Scorpion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The book scorpion (Chelifer cancroides) is a tiny pseudoscorpion, only a few millimeters long, found in houses and libraries across the world. It has scorpion-like pincers but no stinging tail, and is harmless to people.

Bootlace Worm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The bootlace worm (Lineus longissimus) is a ribbon worm of North Atlantic shores that is among the longest animals known.

Boreal Forest (Taiga) and Arctic Tundra Ecology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Boreal forests and Arctic tundra are high-latitude circumpolar biomes governed by sub-zero winters, short growing seasons, podzolized Spodosols and permafrost Gelisols, crown fire and herbivore cycles, and massive soil carbon storage.

Boron

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Boron is a Period 2 trivalent metalloid (B, Z = 5) whose electron-deficient valence shell generates icosahedral B12 solid-state networks, three-center two-electron borane clusters, and borate diester cross-links in vascular plant cell walls.

Bottlenose Dolphin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a widely distributed, highly social toothed whale and one of the best-studied marine mammals. It is listed as Least Concern.

Bowen's Reaction Series

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bowen's reaction series is the petrological framework established by Norman L. Bowen that describes the sequential crystallization of silicate minerals from a cooling basaltic magma along a discontinuous ferromagnesian branch and a continuous plagioclase solid-solution branch.

Bracken

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) is one of the most widespread plants on Earth, a coarse fern that forms dense stands on every continent except Antarctica. It is toxic and a troublesome weed in many pastures and moorlands.

Branching Fire Coral

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Branching fire coral (Millepora alcicornis) builds hard, branching skeletons on Caribbean reefs and looks like coral, but is a hydrozoan, more closely related to jellyfish. Brushing against it causes a burning sting.

Brazilian Wandering Spider

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Brazilian wandering spider (Phoneutria nigriventer) is a large, aggressive spider of South American forests and cities, whose venom is among the most potent of any spider. It is a wandering hunter and does not spin a web to catch prey.

Breadcrumb Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The breadcrumb sponge (Halichondria panicea) is a common, crusty, green or yellow sponge on rocky shores and in harbors of the North Atlantic, with an odor that is often described as unpleasant.

Breeder's Equation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The breeder's equation (R = h²S), formulated by Jay Laurence Lush in 1937, predicts the single-generation evolutionary response of a quantitative trait from its narrow-sense heritability and directional selection differential.

Brine Shrimp

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Brine shrimp (Artemia) are tiny crustaceans that thrive in salt lakes too salty for most other animals, such as Great Salt Lake in Utah. Their drought-proof eggs are sold as 'sea monkeys' and as food for fish larvae.

British Soldiers Lichen

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

British soldiers lichen (Cladonia cristatella) is a small lichen of eastern North America whose bright red, knob-like fruiting bodies sit atop pale gray-green stalks. They resemble the red-coated soldiers of the American Revolution.

Bromine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bromine is a volatile, reddish-brown liquid Group 17 halogen (Br, Z = 35) with a [Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p5 electron configuration, serving as the required halide substrate for peroxidasin-catalyzed sulfilimine (-S=N-) cross-linking of basement-membrane collagen IV in animal tissues.

Brønsted–Lowry Acid–Base Theory

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory defines an acid as a proton (H⁺) donor and a base as a proton acceptor, describing acid–base reactions as reversible proton-transfer equilibria between conjugate acid–base pairs.

Brown Centipede

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The brown centipede (Lithobius forficatus) is a flat, chestnut-brown centipede that lives under stones, logs and leaf litter in European gardens and woods. It hunts at night for small invertebrates.

Brown Harvestman

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The brown harvestman (Leiobunum rotundum) is a long-legged arachnid found in woods, gardens and hedgerows in Europe, easily seen on walls and trees in late summer. Harvestmen are not spiders, and have no silk or venom.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) is a shield-shaped bug from East Asia that has become an invasive crop pest in North America and Europe. It was first noticed in Pennsylvania in the late 1990s.

Brown Pelican

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a large coastal seabird of the Americas and the only pelican that plunge-dives for fish. It nearly disappeared from the United States because of pesticide pollution and has since recovered.

Brown Rat

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) is a rodent that has followed people to almost every part of the world. Its domesticated form is the laboratory rat, a mainstay of medical and behavioral research.

Brown Recluse

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa) is a small, brown spider of the south-central United States, recognizable by a dark violin-shaped mark on its back and six eyes arranged in pairs. Its venom can cause tissue damage, but serious bites are uncommon.

Brunt-Väisälä Frequency

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Brunt-Väisälä frequency—also termed the buoyancy frequency or stability frequency and denoted by `N` (with units of angular frequency, `rad/s` or `s−1`, or expressed as the squared buoyancy frequency `N2` in `s−2`)—is the intrinsic natural...

Budgerigar

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) is a small, green and yellow parrot of the arid interior of Australia. In captivity it comes in many colors, and it is one of the most popular pet birds.

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) is a large, furry bee of Europe and western Asia, easy to recognize by its buff-colored tail. It is reared commercially in millions to pollinate greenhouse tomatoes.

Bull Kelp

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) is a giant annual kelp of the Pacific coast of North America. A single long stalk, up to 30 meters or more, ends in a gas-filled float topped with a crown of blades.

Burgundy Snail

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Burgundy snail or Roman snail (Helix pomatia) is a large land snail of central and southern Europe, traditionally eaten as escargot. It is a protected species in several countries and regulated by European law.

C3 Carbon Fixation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

C3 carbon fixation (`C`3` photosynthesis`) is the ancestral, foundational, and most taxonomically widespread biochemical pathway of autotrophic carbon assimilation in oxygenic photosynthesis, operating in approximately `85%` to `90%` of all...

C4 Carbon Fixation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

C4 carbon fixation is a photosynthetic carbon-concentrating pathway in which plants spatially separate initial bicarbonate capture by PEP carboxylase in mesophyll cells from the Calvin-Benson cycle in bundle-sheath cells, suppressing photorespiration.

Cadmium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cadmium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Cd (from Latin cadmia and Greek kadmeia, the ancient name for calamine or zinc carbonate ore), atomic number 48, and standard atomic weight 112.414 u.

Caenorhabditis elegans

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Caenorhabditis elegans is a transparent roundworm about a millimeter long that lives in soil and rotting fruit. It is one of the most thoroughly studied animals in biology, and work on it has led to several Nobel Prizes.

Caiman Lizard

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The caiman lizard (Dracaena guianensis) is a semi-aquatic lizard of the Amazon basin, with a crocodile-like armor of ridged scales on its back and tail. It looks like a small caiman, hence the name.

Calcite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Calcite is calcium carbonate, CaCO₃, with trigonal crystals and a hardness of 3 that is the reference for that number on the Mohs scale. It is the main mineral of limestone and marble, and clear crystals called Iceland spar show strong double refraction.

Calcium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Calcium is a Period 4 alkaline earth metal (Ca, Z = 20) whose divalent cation (Ca2+) acts as the universal intracellular second messenger in eukaryotic signaling and the primary structural mineralizer of bone hydroxyapatite and marine carbonate shells.

California Sea Hare

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The California sea hare (Aplysia californica) is a large sea slug of the Pacific coast whose big, accessible neurons made it a landmark model organism in neuroscience.

California Sea Lion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) is an eared seal that breeds along the Pacific coast from the Channel Islands to Baja California and ranges north to British Columbia.

Californium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Californium (Cf, Z = 98) is a synthetic Period 7 actinide (251 u, [Rn] 5f¹⁰ 7s²) whose ²⁵²Cf isotope (t₁/₂ = 2.645 yr, 3.092% spontaneous fission) emits 2.31 × 10¹² neutrons s⁻¹ g⁻¹ for reactor startup and neutron activation analysis.

Callisto

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Callisto is the second-largest moon of Jupiter and the third-largest moon in the Solar System, combining an ancient heavily cratered surface and partially differentiated interior with an induced magnetic signature of a subsurface ocean.

Calvin Cycle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Calvin cycle, also known as the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle, is the reductive pentose phosphate pathway in the chloroplast stroma that assimilates atmospheric carbon dioxide into triose phosphates using ATP and NADPH generated by the photosynthetic light reactions.

Cambrian Explosion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Cambrian Explosion (~538.8 to 514 Ma) was the geologically rapid evolutionary radiation during which most extant bilaterian animal phyla, mineralized skeletons, complex sensory organs, and predator–prey food webs first appeared in the fossil record.

Cancer

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cancer (biomedically classified as a malignant neoplasm) is a systemic breakdown of multicellular homeostasis characterized by unregulated cellular proliferation and the invasion of adjacent tissues.

Cancer Vaccines and Personalized Neoantigen Therapy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cancer vaccines encompass prophylactic virus-like particle vaccines that prevent oncogenic viral infections and therapeutic individualized neoantigen vaccines that train cytotoxic and helper T cells to eradicate malignant tumors.

Candelabrum Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The candelabrum sponge (Corticium candelabrum) is a soft, cushion-like sponge of dark Mediterranean caves and crevices, named for the candelabrum-shaped spicules in its skeleton. It belongs to the homoscleromorphs.

Cane Toad

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The cane toad (Rhinella marina) is a large toad from Central and South America that was introduced to Queensland, Australia, in 1935 to control beetles in sugar cane. It failed to control them and became one of the world's most notorious invasive species.

Canestrini's Harvestman

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Canestrini's harvestman (Opilio canestrinii) is a small harvestman native to southern Europe that has spread northward across Europe and was introduced to North America. It readily lives in gardens and buildings.

Capybara

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the largest living rodent, weighing up to about 65 kilograms, and lives in groups near water across South America east of the Andes. It is listed as Least Concern.

Carbohydrate

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Within the quantitative framework of systems biology, carbohydrates serve as primary metabolic substrates, extracellular recognition codes, and structural biopolymers.

Carbon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Carbon (C, atomic number 6) is a tetravalent Period 2 nonmetal (12.011 u) whose sp³, sp², and sp hybrid orbitals enable catenated chains, aromatic rings, diamond and graphene allotropes, and the covalent molecular backbone of all known life.

Carbon budget

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Carbon budget is a quantitative concept used in both biogeochemistry and international climate policy to track planetary carbon fluxes and cumulative emission limits.

Carbon cycle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The carbon cycle is the foundational biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged, transformed, and conserved across the biosphere, pedosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a linear triatomic gas that acts as the primary non-condensing radiative forcing agent in Earth's atmosphere and the central carbon substrate of photosynthesis.

Carbon dioxide (atmospheric)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The atmospheric fraction of carbon dioxide (CO2) is the well-mixed trace gas reservoir within the troposphere and stratosphere that regulates longwave radiative transfer and couples global biogeochemical carbon reservoirs.

Carbon sink

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A carbon sink is any natural or artificial reservoir within the Earth System that absorbs more carbon than it releases, effectively lowering the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) in the atmosphere.

Carbonate Compensation Depth

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The carbonate compensation depth (CCD) is the oceanographic depth horizon at which the vertical rain rate of biogenic calcium carbonate from surface waters equals its rate of chemical dissolution, preventing carbonate accumulation in deeper abyssal sediments.

Carbonate-silicate cycle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The carbonate-silicate cycle is the long-term inorganic geochemical cycle that exchanges carbon among the atmosphere, ocean, and lithosphere over hundreds of thousands to hundreds of millions of years, acting as Earth's primary geological climate thermostat.

Carbonic Acid

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Carbonic acid (H2CO3) is a weak diprotic oxyacid of carbon formed by the reversible hydration of dissolved carbon dioxide, governing physiological blood pH buffering, oceanic carbonate chemistry, karst limestone dissolution, and the geological silicate weathering thermostat.

Carbonic Anhydrase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Carbonic anhydrases are a convergent superfamily of zinc (or cadmium/iron/cobalt) metalloenzymes that catalyze the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate and a proton at near-diffusion-controlled rates.

Carboxysome

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A carboxysome is a polyhedral bacterial microcompartment bounded by a selectively permeable hexameric and pentameric protein shell that co-encapsulates RuBisCO and carbonic anhydrase to drive the cyanobacterial and chemoautotrophic carbon-concentrating mechanism.

Cardiac Cycle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The cardiac cycle is the coordinated sequence of electrical depolarization, myocardial contraction (systole), and relaxation (diastole) across a single heartbeat, lasting 0.8 seconds at 75 beats per minute to eject roughly 70 milliliters of blood per ventricle.

Cardiolipin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cardiolipin (systematically named `1,3-bis(sn-3'-phosphatidyl)-sn-glycerol`, abbreviated CL) is a dimeric, anionic diphosphatidylglycerol phospholipid characterized by four fatty acyl chains esterified to two phosphatidyl moieties bridged by a...

Caribbean Box Jelly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Caribbean box jelly (Tripedalia cystophora) is a tiny box jellyfish, about a centimeter tall, living among the roots of mangroves. Its 24 eyes make it a model for studying vision in an animal with no brain.

Carl Woese

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Carl Richard Woese (1928–2012) was an American biophysicist and evolutionary microbiologist who pioneered small-subunit 16S ribosomal RNA phylogenetics, discovered the Archaea in 1977, and established the three-domain system of life.

Carnot Cycle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Carnot cycle is an idealized four-step reversible thermodynamic cycle consisting of two isothermal and two adiabatic processes that establishes the universal upper bound on heat engine efficiency between two thermal reservoirs: ηmax = 1 − TC / T_H.

Carrying Capacity

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Carrying capacity (K) is the maximum equilibrium population size of a biological species that a given environment can sustain indefinitely given available limiting resources and waste assimilation capacity.

Cartwheel Galaxy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Cartwheel Galaxy (ESO 350-40) is a collisional ring galaxy in Sculptor, about 500 million light-years away and some 145,000 light-years across.

Caspian Camel Spider

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Caspian camel spider (Galeodes caspius) is a large solifuge of the deserts and steppes of southwest and Central Asia. Like other solifuges, it is neither a spider nor a scorpion.

Cassini–Huygens

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cassini-Huygens was a flagship planetary mission by NASA, ESA, and ASI that explored the Saturnian system from 2004 to 2017, landing on Titan and discovering active hydrothermal cryovolcanism on Enceladus.

Cassiopeia A

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cassiopeia A (Cas A, 3C 461) is the remnant of a supernova in Cassiopeia about 11,000 light-years away, exploded around 1680 but apparently unobserved at the time.

Cassiterite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cassiterite is tin dioxide, SnO₂, with tetragonal crystals, a hardness of 6 to 7 and a high density near 7 grams per cubic centimeter. It is the main ore of tin, the metal alloyed with copper to make bronze.

Castor Bean Tick

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The castor bean tick or sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus) is the main tick in Europe and the chief vector of Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis there. It waits in damp vegetation and clings to passing animals.

Cat's Eye Nebula

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543, Caldwell 6) is a planetary nebula in Draco about 3,300 light-years away, among the most complex known.

Catalysis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Catalysis is the acceleration of a chemical reaction by a catalyst that stabilizes the transition state to lower the activation energy barrier without altering overall thermodynamic equilibrium or being consumed in the net stoichiometry.

Cattle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cattle (Bos taurus) were domesticated from the extinct wild aurochs in the Near East about 10,500 years ago. Today more than a billion cattle provide meat, milk, leather and labor, and they are a notable source of methane.

Celestite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Celestite, or celestine, is strontium sulfate, SrSO₄, an orthorhombic mineral that often forms pale sky-blue crystals. The name comes from the Latin for 'heavenly,' after their delicate color.

Cell

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A cell is the primary structural, functional, and biophysical unit of all known living organisms.

Cell biology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Within the modern framework of the biological sciences, cell biology has transitioned from a purely observational, descriptive discipline into a highly quantitative, predictive science.

Cell cycle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The eukaryotic cell cycle is classically divided into two major functional states: interphase (the period of growth and genomic duplication) and the M phase (the period of physical division).

Cell division

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cell division is the coordinated, thermodynamically intensive biological process by which a single parent cell physically bifurcates into two distinct daughter cells.

Cell Junction

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A cell junction is a specialized multiprotein complex at the plasma membrane that mediates intercellular adhesion, cell-extracellular matrix anchoring, paracellular barrier sealing, or direct cytoplasmic coupling in multicellular tissues.

Cell membrane

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane or plasmalemma) is a selectively permeable, amphiphilic biological membrane that physically encloses the cytoplasm of all cells, separating the intracellular milieu from the extracellular environment.

Cell Theory and Architecture

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

While the taxonomic diversity of the planetary biosphere spans orders of magnitude in scale and complexity, all cellular life is organized into two primary architectural plans: prokaryotic and eukaryotic.

Cell Wall

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A cell wall is a rigid layer outside the plasma membrane that gives a cell its shape and protects it from bursting. It is found in plants, fungi, algae, bacteria and most archaea, but not in animal cells, and its chemistry differs between these groups.

Cells (atmospheric)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Because the Earth is a rapidly rotating sphere, a theoretical single-cell convection loop (warm air rising at the equator and sinking at the poles) is physically impossible.

Cellular differentiation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The capacity of a cell to differentiate into distinct lineages is quantitatively defined as its potency.

Cellular Homeostasis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cellular homeostasis is the continuous, energy-dependent maintenance of a stable, regulated internal physical and chemical environment within a living cell despite fluctuations in external forcing or nutrient availability.

Cellular Respiration

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cellular respiration is the multi-stage catabolic pathway by which living cells oxidize organic fuel molecules to synthesize adenosine triphosphate (ATP), coupling intracellular bioenergetics to the global carbon and oxygen cycles.

Cellulose

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cellulose is a linear structural polysaccharide composed of β(1→4)-linked D-glucopyranose units that assembles into high-tensile paracrystalline microfibrils in plant cell walls and represents the most abundant organic polymer on Earth.

Centaurus A

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Centaurus A (NGC 5128) is the closest radio-loud active galaxy, about 12 million light-years away.

Centromere

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The centromere is the specialized chromosomal locus that specifies kinetochore assembly, mediates sister chromatid cohesion, and directs accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis and meiosis.

Centrosome

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The centrosome is the primary non-membrane-bound microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) in animal cells, consisting of an orthogonal pair of barrel-shaped centrioles embedded within a phase-separated pericentriolar material matrix.

Ceres

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ceres is the largest object in the main asteroid belt and the only dwarf planet in the inner Solar System, preserving an evolved relict ocean world crust with active carbonate and chloride brine seepage.

Cerium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cerium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Ce, atomic number 58, and standard atomic weight 140.12 u.

Cesium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cesium (IUPAC spelling caesium) is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Cs (from the Latin caesius, "sky-blue," after the two bright blue emission lines at 455.5 nm and 459.3 nm in its flame spectrum), atomic number...

CFTR Modulator Therapy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

CFTR modulator therapy is the paradigm of mutation-class-directed precision pharmacology in a monogenic Mendelian disorder.

Chalcanthite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chalcanthite is hydrated copper sulfate, CuSO₄·5H₂O, a vivid blue, water-soluble mineral that forms in dry copper mines and the oxidized zones of copper deposits. It is the natural form of the 'blue vitriol' of chemistry.

Chalcopyrite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chalcopyrite is a copper iron sulfide, CuFeS₂, with a brass-yellow metallic luster that tarnishes to iridescent blues and purples. It is the most important copper ore mineral.

Chalk

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chalk is a soft, fine-grained, white limestone made mostly of the microscopic calcite plates of marine algae.

Chambered Nautilus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) is a cephalopod with a coiled, chambered external shell, found around Indo-Pacific reefs.

Chandrasekhar Limit

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Chandrasekhar limit (~1.44 solar masses) is the maximum mass of a stable white dwarf star supported against gravitational collapse by relativistic electron degeneracy pressure.

Chaperone Protein

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chaperone proteins are a conserved class of proteostasis effectors that guide the non-covalent folding, translocation, and disaggregation of polypeptides without becoming part of the final native structure.

Chaperone proteins

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

As a nascent polypeptide emerges linearly from the exit tunnel of the ribosome during translation, it enters the dense, crowded aqueous environment of the cytoplasm.

Charles Darwin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and evolutionary biologist who formulated the theory of descent with modification driven by natural and sexual selection.

Cheetah

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a cursorial felid native to African savannas and central Iran, capable of sprinting at 25 to 29 meters per second through rotary-gallop spinal flexion, semi-retractable traction claws, and vestibular gaze stabilization.

Chemical Space

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chemical space is the multidimensional combinatorial ensemble of all thermodynamically stable and synthetically accessible molecular structures, estimated at 10^33 to 10^60 compounds for drug-like organic molecules below 500 Daltons.

Chemiosmosis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chemiosmosis is the bioenergetic mechanism by which transmembrane electron transport pumps protons across an ion-impermeable coupling membrane, establishing an electrochemical proton-motive force that drives ATP synthesis via rotary catalysis of ATP synthase.

Chemistry

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chemistry is the foundational scientific discipline that investigates the composition, structural architecture, physical properties, and dynamic transformations of matter.

Chemoinformatics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chemoinformatics is an interdisciplinary computational science that applies graph theory, information retrieval, and statistical machine learning to represent, index, search, and predict the properties and bioactivities of molecules across chemical space.

Chert

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chert is a hard, dense sedimentary rock made of microscopic quartz crystals, with a waxy luster and a smooth, curved (conchoidal) fracture.

Chikungunya

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease caused by chikungunya virus (CHIKV; species Alphavirus chikungunya), an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus of the genus Alphavirus, family Togaviridae.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A chimeric antigen receptor T cell (`CAR-T` cell) is an autologous (patient-derived) or allogeneic (donor-derived) T lymphocyte genetically modified ex vivo via gene therapy to express a synthetic transmembrane Chimeric Antigen Receptor (`CAR`)...

Chimpanzee

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) is a great ape of the forests and savannas of equatorial Africa and, with the bonobo, one of the closest living relatives of humans. It is listed as Endangered.

Chinese Giant Salamander

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) is the largest amphibian, historically reaching about 1.8 meters. It lives in cold mountain streams of China and is listed as Critically Endangered after decades of hunting and habitat loss.

Chinese Liver Fluke

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Chinese liver fluke or human liver fluke (Clonorchis sinensis) is a parasitic flatworm that lives in the bile ducts of people and other fish-eating mammals in East Asia. It is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a carcinogen.

Chinese Pangolin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is a scaly, ant-eating mammal of South and Southeast Asia. All pangolins are heavily trafficked, and this species is listed as Critically Endangered.

ChIP-Seq

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

ChIP-Seq (Chromatin Immunoprecipitation followed by Massively Parallel DNA Sequencing) is an epigenomic method that cross-links and immunoprecipitates DNA-protein complexes to map transcription factor binding sites and histone modifications across the genome.

Chirality

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chirality is the geometric property of a rigid molecule or structure that is non-superimposable on its mirror image, giving rise to optical enantiomers and biological homochirality across L-amino acids and D-sugars.

Chlorine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chlorine (Cl, atomic number 17) is a Period 3 halogen gas (35.45 u) that exhibits the highest electron affinity of any element (348.6 kJ/mol), serves as the primary extracellular chloride anion in cellular homeostasis, and powers global water sanitation and chemical synthesis.

Chlorite Actinolite Schist

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chlorite actinolite schist is a deep-green foliated metamorphic rock made of platy chlorite and needle-like actinolite amphibole, formed from metamorphosed basalt. It is the classic rock of the greenschist facies.

Chlorite Green Slate

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chlorite green slate is a slate colored sage to olive green by chlorite, a green iron- and magnesium-rich sheet silicate. It splits into flat plates like other slates and is often derived from muddy sediments or volcanic ash rich in iron and magnesium.

Chlorofluorocarbon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The physicochemical properties of CFCs follow from the complete replacement of all carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds with carbon-halogen bonds.

Chlorophyll

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chlorophyll is the family of green pigments that capture light energy for photosynthesis in plants, algae and cyanobacteria.

Chloroplast

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The chloroplast is a double-membrane photosynthetic plastid organelle found in plants and algae that converts solar electromagnetic energy into chemical bond energy via photophosphorylation and the Calvin-Benson-Bassham carbon fixation cycle.

Chocolate Chip Sea Star

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The chocolate chip sea star (Protoreaster nodosus) is a stout, horned sea star of Indo-Pacific seagrass beds and reef flats, patterned with dark spikes that resemble chocolate chips on a pale body.

Cholesterol

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cholesterol is a 27-carbon tetracyclic sterol lipid that bidirectionally buffers eukaryotic plasma membrane fluidity and serves as the biosynthetic precursor to steroid hormones, vitamin D, and bile acids.

Christmas Tree Worm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Christmas tree worm (Spirobranchus giganteus) is a tube-dwelling marine worm that lives embedded in living coral. Its two spiral crowns of feathery tentacles, in many colors, retract instantly into the tube when disturbed.

Chromatin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chromatin is the dynamic macromolecular nucleoprotein complex of genomic DNA, core and linker histones, non-histone proteins, and regulatory RNAs that packages and regulates the eukaryotic nuclear genome.

Chromatin Remodeling

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chromatin remodeling is the regulated enzymatic reorganization of eukaryotic nucleosome arrays through ATP-dependent translocase complexes and covalent histone modifications, dynamically controlling DNA accessibility for transcription, replication, and repair.

Chromium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Chromium is a Group 6 transition metal (Cr, Z = 24) exhibiting an exchange-stabilized [Ar] 3d5 4s1 ground state, room-temperature spin-density-wave antiferromagnetism, self-healing Cr2O3 stainless steel passivation, and hexavalent Cr(VI) toxicity.

Chromosomes

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A chromosome (from Greek chroma, "color," and soma, "body," coined by Heinrich Wilhelm Waldeyer in 1888) is an organized macromolecular assembly of nucleic acids and structural proteins that stores, compacts, replicates, and segregates the...

Cigar Galaxy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Cigar Galaxy (Messier 82, NGC 3034) is a starburst galaxy in Ursa Major about 12 million light-years away.

Cinnabar

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cinnabar is mercury sulfide, HgS, a soft, very dense mineral with a bright scarlet color. It is the main ore of mercury and the source of the red pigment vermilion.

Circumstellar Habitable Zone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The circumstellar habitable zone is the orbital shell around a star within which a rocky planet with a carbon dioxide, water vapor, and nitrogen atmosphere can sustain liquid water on its surface.

Citric Acid Cycle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The citric acid cycle (tricarboxylic acid cycle or Krebs cycle) is the eight-step cyclic metabolic hub in the mitochondrial matrix that oxidizes acetyl-CoA to two molecules of CO2 while generating three NADH, one FADH2, and one GTP or ATP.

Clathrate Hydrate

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Clathrate hydrates are crystalline inclusion compounds in which a hydrogen-bonded water lattice forms polyhedral cages that trap hydrophobic guest gas molecules via van der Waals interactions, insulating planetary interiors.

Clausius-Clapeyron relation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Clausius-Clapeyron relation is a differential equation in chemical thermodynamics and statistical mechanics that defines the pressure-temperature coexistence boundary of a first-order phase transition and governs atmospheric water vapor saturation.

Climate

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Climate is the long-term statistical characterization of the mean state, variance, and extremes of the coupled atmosphere-ocean-land-cryosphere system over multi-decadal intervals.

Climate and Biodiversity

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Climate and biodiversity describes the biophysical, physiological, and macroecological coupling between the global climate system and the structural and functional variety of life across genetic, population, species, and ecosystem scales.

Climate change

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Climate change refers to long-term, statistically significant shifts in the thermodynamic state and weather distributions of the Earth System, driven in the modern era by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate policy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Climate policy encompasses the structural, legal, and economic frameworks implemented by sovereign states and international governing bodies to mitigate and adapt to anthropogenic climate change.

Climate science

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Climate science is the quantitative, interdisciplinary study of the radiative, thermodynamic, fluid-dynamical, and biogeochemical processes that govern the planetary climate system across time.

Climate Science (topic)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Climate science investigates the physical, chemical, and biological dynamics governing Earth's radiative energy balance, ocean-atmosphere circulation, and biogeochemical carbon cycling across time.

Climate sensitivity

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Climate sensitivity is the quantitative temperature response of Earth's climate system to a sustained radiative forcing perturbation, conventionally benchmarked against a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide from pre-industrial concentrations.

Climatology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Climatology is the physical and quantitative science of climate, analyzing long-term radiative, fluid-dynamical, and biogeochemical interactions across the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere.

Clinical Trial Phases

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Clinical trial phases are the sequential human experimental stages—spanning exploratory Phase 0 microdosing, Phase I safety, Phase II proof-of-concept efficacy, Phase III pivotal confirmation, and Phase IV post-marketing surveillance—required to validate therapeutics.

Cloud Condensation Nuclei

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) are sub-micrometer to micrometer airborne aerosol particles upon which atmospheric water vapor condenses to form liquid cloud droplets.

Cloud Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The cloud sponge (Aphrocallistes vastus) is a glass sponge that builds reefs in the cool, deep waters off British Columbia. Such reefs were believed to have gone extinct 40 million years ago until live ones were found in 1987.

CO₂ Fertilization Effect

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The CO₂ fertilization effect is the physiological stimulation of plant photosynthetic carbon assimilation, intrinsic water-use efficiency, and biomass accumulation driven by rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.

Coacervate

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A coacervate is a membrane-free, macromolecule-rich aqueous microdroplet formed via liquid-liquid phase separation of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, functioning as a prebiotic protocell compartment and modern biomolecular condensate.

Coal

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black organic sedimentary and metamorphic rock containing more than 50 percent carbonaceous matter by weight, formed through the anoxic burial and thermal coalification of terrestrial vascular plant peat.

Coalescent Theory

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Coalescent theory is a retrospective stochastic model of population genetics that traces sampled gene lineages backward in time to their most recent common ancestor to quantify genealogical waiting times, genetic diversity, and demographic history.

Coast Redwood

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is the tallest tree on Earth, with the record holder, Hyperion, standing about 116 meters.

Cobalt

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cobalt is a ferromagnetic Group 9 transition metal (Co, Z = 27) with the highest Curie temperature of any element (1,388 K), serving as the organometallic Co-C catalytic center of cobalamin (Vitamin B12) and the cathode backbone of LiCoO2 batteries.

Coccolithophore

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Coccolithophores (class Prymnesiophyceae / Coccolithophyceae, phylum Haptophyta) are a globally distributed clade of unicellular, photosynthetic marine algae (3 to 30 μm in diameter) characterized by an external exoskeleton (coccosphere)...

Coconut Crab

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is the largest land-living arthropod, with a leg span of up to about a meter and a weight of several kilograms.

Codons

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A codon is a contiguous sequence of three nucleotides (a trinucleotide triplet) in a messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule that specifies either a single proteinogenic amino acid or the termination of translation.

Coelacanth

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The West Indian Ocean coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) is a large, lobe-finned fish once thought to have died out with the dinosaurs.

Coenzyme A

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Coenzyme A (CoA-SH) is an essential pantothenic-acid-derived acyl group carrier whose terminal sulfhydryl group forms high-energy thioester bonds, positioning acetyl-CoA at the crossroads of catabolism, lipid synthesis, and histone acetylation.

Coevolution

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Coevolution is the reciprocal evolutionary change in interacting species driven by natural selection that each lineage imposes on the other.

Collector Urchin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The collector urchin (Tripneustes gratilla) is a sea urchin of tropical seagrass beds that covers itself with bits of shell, algae and debris. It is harvested for its roe in the Philippines and elsewhere.

Colorado Potato Beetle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is a yellow-and-black striped beetle that eats potato leaves. Originally a minor insect on wild nightshades in the Rocky Mountains, it became a major crop pest in the nineteenth century.

Colossal Squid

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) is a huge deep-sea squid of the Southern Ocean, the heaviest known squid and possibly the largest invertebrate.

Common Bed Bug

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) is a small, flat, wingless insect that feeds on human blood at night. It has lived with people for thousands of years and has resurged worldwide since the 1990s.

Common Blue Damselfly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common blue damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) is a slender, bright blue damselfly found around ponds and lakes across Europe, Asia and North America (where it is known as the northern bluet).

Common Brittle Star

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common brittle star (Ophiothrix fragilis) is a small echinoderm of the northeastern Atlantic that forms dense beds on the seabed, sometimes with thousands of animals per square meter. Brittle stars have a central disc and five slender, flexible arms.

Common Clubmoss

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common clubmoss (Lycopodium clavatum) is a creeping, evergreen plant of northern forests and heaths. Despite its name it is not a moss but a lycophyte, a member of one of the oldest lineages of vascular plants.

Common Cuttlefish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) is a cephalopod of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, famous for its rapid color changes and its internal shell, the cuttlebone. It has the W-shaped pupils and three hearts typical of cephalopods.

Common Earthworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common earthworm or nightcrawler (Lumbricus terrestris) is a large European annelid that digs deep vertical burrows. Charles Darwin devoted his last book, published in 1881, to the role of earthworms in forming soil.

Common Feather Star

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common feather star (Florometra serratissima) is a large feather star of the cold northeastern Pacific, which forms dense aggregations on rocky bottoms from Alaska to California.

Common Five-lined Skink

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) is a shiny, small lizard of eastern North America. Juveniles have bright blue tails, and adult males develop red heads in the breeding season.

Common Green Bottle Fly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common green bottle fly (Lucilia sericata) is a metallic green blowfly that lays its eggs on carrion and on animal wounds. Its larvae are used in medicine to clean wounds, and in forensic science to estimate the time of death.

Common Green Darner

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common green darner (Anax junius) is a large North American dragonfly that migrates south each autumn across the continent. It belongs to Odonata, an order of aerial predators that dates back to the Carboniferous.

Common Haircap

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common haircap (Polytrichum commune) is a tall, stiff moss, up to about 40 centimeters, that forms dense carpets on moors, bogs and damp woods. The name comes from the hairy cap covering its spore capsule.

Common Harvestman

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common harvestman (Phalangium opilio) is a long-legged arachnid found on every continent but Antarctica. Harvestmen are often mistaken for spiders but belong to a separate order, Opiliones.

Common Mayfly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common mayfly (Ephemera vulgata) is a large European mayfly whose nymphs burrow in the silt of clean rivers and lakes. The adult lives for only a day or two.

Common Octopus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) is a widespread, intelligent cephalopod of warm and temperate coastal seas. It is an adept camouflager and problem solver, but lives only a year or two.

Common Opossum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) is a large, gray, omnivorous marsupial of Central and South America, a close tropical cousin of the Virginia opossum. It is common in forests, farms and cities.

Common Orange Lichen

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common orange lichen (Xanthoria parietina) forms bright orange to yellow crusts on walls, roofs, rocks and tree bark across Europe and beyond. A lichen is not one organism but a partnership between a fungus and a photosynthetic partner.

Common Ostrich

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the largest and heaviest living bird, standing up to about 2.7 meters tall and weighing up to about 150 kilograms. It cannot fly but is the fastest runner of any bird, reaching around 70 kilometers per hour.

Common Periwinkle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common periwinkle (Littorina littorea) is a small, dark sea snail that grazes algae on rocky shores of the North Atlantic. It is native to Europe and has been spread to North America, where it has changed shore communities.

Common Pill Bug

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common pill bug (Armadillidium vulgare) is a terrestrial crustacean that rolls into a ball when disturbed. Despite its name and its home under rocks and logs, it is not an insect but a relative of crabs and shrimp.

Common Pinmold

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common pinmold (Mucor mucedo) is a mold that grows on dung, bread and damp organic matter, sending up tall, pin-like stalks tipped with spherical spore sacs. It is a classic organism in introductory mycology.

Common Raven

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common raven (Corvus corax) is the largest songbird in the world and one of the most intelligent birds, found across the Northern Hemisphere from deserts to the Arctic. It is listed as Least Concern.

Common Rough Woodlouse

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common rough woodlouse (Porcellio scaber) is a gray, bumpy-surfaced terrestrial isopod that lives under stones, bark and in compost across the world. It cannot roll into a ball, unlike pill bugs.

Common Sand Dollar

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common sand dollar (Echinarachnius parma) is a flat, disc-shaped sea urchin of cool sandy seabeds in the northern Atlantic and Pacific. The empty skeleton, called a test, washes up on beaches.

Common Snapping Turtle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a large freshwater turtle of North America with a powerful, hooked beak. It lies in wait on muddy bottoms and snaps at passing prey.

Common Starfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common starfish (Asterias rubens) is a five-armed sea star of the northeastern Atlantic, abundant on rocky shores and mussel beds.

Common Stinkhorn

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus) is a fungus that emerges from a buried, egg-shaped structure and grows into a tall, white stalk topped with a dark, foul-smelling slime. The smell is bait for flies.

Common Stonewort

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common stonewort (Chara vulgaris) is a bushy, brittle green alga that grows in freshwater ponds and lakes. Charophytes like this are among the closest relatives of land plants.

Common Swift

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common swift (Apus apus) is a scythe-winged, sooty bird that spends almost its entire life in the air. After leaving the nest, young swifts may not land for two or three years, and adults stay aloft for as long as ten months at a time.

Common Tamarisk Woodmoss

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common tamarisk woodmoss (Thuidium tamariscinum) is a moss with delicate, fern-like branches that grows in damp woods and shady banks in Europe and elsewhere. Its triple-feathered shoots resemble tamarisk twigs.

Common Tusk Shell

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common tusk shell (Antalis entalis) is a scaphopod of the northeastern Atlantic whose shell is a slightly curved, tapering tube open at both ends. It lives buried in sand and mud.

Common Wasp

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) is a social wasp of Europe and Asia that builds papery nests and stings when threatened. It is a useful predator of insects early in the season and an annoying visitor to picnics in late summer.

Common Water Flea

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common water flea (Daphnia pulex) is a tiny freshwater crustacean. In 2011 it became the first crustacean to have its genome sequenced, and the genome revealed an unexpectedly large number of genes.

Common Whelk

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common whelk (Buccinum undatum) is a large sea snail of the North Atlantic with a spiral shell up to about 10 centimeters. It is a predator and scavenger on sandy and muddy seafloors and is fished for food.

Companion Diagnostics and Master Protocol Trials

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Companion diagnostics and master protocol trials are regulatory and biostatistical frameworks that validate predictive biomarkers and evaluate targeted therapies across molecularly stratified basket, umbrella, and adaptive platform studies.

Compass Jellyfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The compass jellyfish (Chrysaora hysoscella) is a common jellyfish of the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean, with a pale bell marked by brown lines that radiate like the points of a compass.

Competitive Exclusion Principle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The competitive exclusion principle (Gause's Law) states that two biological species competing for the exact same limiting resources cannot stably coexist at constant population densities.

Complement System

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The complement system is an evolutionarily conserved proteolytic cascade of over 50 plasma and membrane proteins that bridges innate and adaptive immunity through pathogen opsonization, inflammatory chemotaxis, and membrane attack complex lysis.

Complementary DNA (cDNA)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Complementary DNA (cDNA) is single- or double-stranded DNA synthesized from a mature messenger RNA or viral RNA template by the enzyme reverse transcriptase, containing contiguous coding exons without non-coding introns.

Conglomerate

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Conglomerate is a clastic sedimentary rock made of rounded gravel, with clasts larger than 2 millimeters, cemented in a finer matrix. A polymictic conglomerate contains clasts of many different rock types, as the Geology Guide specimen does.

Conservation Biology and the Extinction Vortex

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Conservation biology and the extinction vortex analyze the deterministic drivers of biodiversity decline and the synergistic demographic, environmental, and genetic feedbacks that drive small populations to extinction.

Conservation of Mass

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The law of conservation of mass (or principle of mass balance) is a physical law of classical mechanics, chemistry, and continuum fluid dynamics stating that within any closed system isolated from the transfer of matter across its boundaries...

Convection

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Convection is the macroscopic transfer of thermal energy, momentum, and chemical species through the bulk motion of a fluid, encompassing gases, liquids, plasmas, and creeping crystalline solids over geological timescales.

Convergent Evolution

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Convergent evolution is the independent acquisition of functionally and structurally analogous traits in distantly related lineages that do not share those features in their most recent common ancestor, driven by adaptation to similar ecological niches and physical constraints.

Coordination Complex

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A coordination complex is a chemical structure consisting of a central Lewis-acidic metal atom or ion bonded via coordinate covalent interactions to a surrounding array of electron-pair donor ligands.

Copernicium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Copernicium (Cn, atomic number 112) is a synthetic Period 7 Group 12 element named after Nicolaus Copernicus whose relativistic 7s² shell contraction makes it a volatile liquid or noble-gas-like metal at standard temperature and pressure.

Copper

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Copper is a ductile, reddish-orange Group 11 coinage metal (Cu, Z = 29) with an exchange-stabilized [Ar] 3d10 4s1 electron configuration, prized for its electrical conductivity and required as a Cu+/Cu2+ redox cofactor in cytochrome c oxidase, plastocyanin, and hemocyanin.

Coquina

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Coquina is a porous, poorly cemented limestone made almost entirely of broken shells of mollusks and other marine organisms. The word is Spanish for 'shellfish' or 'cockle.'

Coral bleaching

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

When corals bleach, they lose up to 90% of their primary energy source, leaving their translucent tissues starving and exposing the stark white calcium carbonate (CaCO3) skeleton beneath.

Coral Reef and Seagrass Meadow Ecosystems

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Coral reefs and seagrass meadows are productive coastal marine ecosystems engineered by calcifying scleractinian-Symbiodiniaceae holobionts and submerged marine angiosperms that support coastal biodiversity, nutrient recycling, and Blue Carbon burial.

Coral Weed

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Coral weed (Corallina officinalis) is a pink, branched red alga of rocky shores in the North Atlantic. Its fronds are stiffened with calcium carbonate, which makes the seaweed feel hard and chalky.

Core Biology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Core biology is the integrative scientific discipline that investigates the cellular organization, thermodynamic bioenergetics, digital genetic inheritance, metabolic catalysis, evolutionary dynamics, and ecological interactions of living systems.

Core Climate Concepts

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Core climate concepts encompass the thermodynamic, radiative, fluid-dynamical, and biogeochemical principles that govern Earth's energy balance, general circulation, climate sensitivity, and multi-sphere feedbacks.

Coriolis effect

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Coriolis effect is an apparent inertial force acting within a rotating reference frame that deflects moving fluids across the planetary atmosphere and hydrosphere.

Correlates of Protection and Neutralizing Antibodies

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A correlate of protection is a quantifiable immune biomarker—most commonly a serum neutralizing or bactericidal antibody titer—that statistically predicts vaccine efficacy against pathogen acquisition, symptomatic disease, or hospitalization.

Corundum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Corundum is aluminum oxide, Al₂O₃, with trigonal crystals and a hardness of 9, the standard for that number on the Mohs scale and the hardest common mineral after diamond. Its gem varieties are red ruby and sapphire in every other color.

Cosmic Microwave Background

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) is the isotropic thermal relic electromagnetic radiation from the epoch of recombination (z ≈ 1089.8, t ≈ 378,000 yr), exhibiting a Planck blackbody spectrum at T_0 = 2.72548 K with primary temperature anisotropies of ΔT/T ≈ 10^−5.

Countercurrent Exchange

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Countercurrent exchange is a biophysical transport architecture in which two antiparallel fluid streams exchange heat or solutes across a shared boundary, maintaining a favorable gradient along the entire path length.

Covalent Bond

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A covalent bond is a primary chemical interaction formed by the quantum-mechanical sharing of one or more pairs of valence electrons between atomic nuclei, lowering the total electronic potential and kinetic energy.

Covalent Drug Design

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Covalent drug design engineers targeted covalent inhibitors that combine high-affinity reversible molecular recognition with a tuned electrophilic warhead to form a specific bond with a nucleophilic amino acid residue on a target protein.

Crab Nebula

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Crab Nebula (Messier 1, NGC 1952) is the remnant of the supernova SN 1054, about 6,500 light-years away in Taurus.

Crassulacean Acid Metabolism

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is a temporal carbon-concentrating photosynthetic pathway that decouples initial atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake from the light-dependent reactions and the Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle within a single...

Crested Caracara

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The crested caracara (Caracara plancus) is a long-legged raptor of open country from the southern United States to Tierra del Fuego. Despite its hawk-like looks, it is a member of the falcon family.

Crested Gecko

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus) is an arboreal gecko of the island of New Caledonia, with fringed eyelashes and crests above the eyes. Once thought extinct, it was rediscovered in 1994 and is now widely bred as a pet.

Cretaceous–Paleogene Extinction Event

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event (66.043 Ma) was a global mass extinction caused by the hypervelocity impact of a 10–15 km asteroid at Chicxulub, Mexico, eliminating ~75% of all species on Earth including all non-avian dinosaurs.

CRISPR-Cas Systems and Gene Editing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

CRISPR-Cas systems (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and CRISPR-associated proteins) are prokaryotic adaptive immune pathways and programmable RNA-guided nucleoprotein platforms used for targeted genome and epigenome editing.

Crown-of-thorns Starfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci complex) is a large, many-armed sea star covered in venomous spines that feeds on coral. Population outbreaks have destroyed large areas of reef in the Indo-Pacific.

Cryogenic Electron Microscopy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a biophysical structural determination technique in which biological macromolecules, supramolecular assemblies, or intact cellular specimens are rapidly frozen in a thin layer of non-crystalline...

Cryosphere

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The cryosphere is the collective term for the portions of the Earth system where water is in solid form.

Cryosphere Dynamics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The cryosphere (from the Greek kryos, 'cold' or 'frost') comprises all parts of the Earth system where water is present in solid form, including ice sheets, ice shelves, glaciers, sea ice, lake and river ice, seasonal snow cover, and permafrost.

Cryovolcanism

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cryovolcanism is the eruption of liquid or vapor-phase volatiles such as water, ammonia, methane, and brines onto the cryogenic surface or into the space environment of an icy satellite or dwarf planet.

Crystal Field Theory

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Crystal field theory is an electrostatic quantum-mechanical model that explains how coordinating ligands break the five-fold degeneracy of transition-metal d orbitals, governing optical spectra, magnetic spin states, and thermodynamic stability.

Crystal Jelly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The crystal jelly (Aequorea victoria) is a transparent hydrozoan jellyfish of the northeastern Pacific that glows green. It is the source of green fluorescent protein (GFP), one of the most widely used tools in biology.

Culex

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Together with Aedes and Anopheles, Culex is one of the three mosquito genera of greatest importance in medical entomology and veterinary medicine.

Culex pipiens

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Culex pipiens, the northern house mosquito, is a widespread urban mosquito and the principal vector of West Nile virus in Europe and North America.

Culex quinquefasciatus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Culex quinquefasciatus, the southern house mosquito, is a pan-tropical and subtropical member of the Culex pipiens species complex that breeds in organically polluted water and transmits Wuchereria bancrofti, West Nile virus, and avian malaria.

Curium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Curium (Cm, Z = 96) is a synthetic Period 7 actinide (247 u, [Rn] 5f⁷ 6d¹ 7s²) stabilized by a half-filled 5f⁷ subshell in Cm³⁺ and used in ²⁴⁴Cm Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometers aboard Mars rovers.

Cyanobacteria

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cyanobacteria (historically and inaccurately referred to as blue-green algae) constitute a morphologically diverse phylum of Gram-negative prokaryotes characterized by their unique ability to perform oxygenic photosynthesis.

Cyanosulfidic Protometabolism

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cyanosulfidic protometabolism is a unified prebiotic reaction network that synthesizes canonical ribonucleotides, proteinogenic amino acids, and lipid precursors concurrently from hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide, and phosphate under solar ultraviolet irradiation.

CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 Polymorphism

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 polymorphism encompasses the inherited single-nucleotide variants, splicing defects, promoter mutations, whole-gene deletions, and tandem copy-number duplications affecting the genes encoding cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6 on...

Cysteine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cysteine is a sulfur-containing proteinogenic alpha-amino acid bearing a reactive thiol (-SH) side chain, serving as the precursor for structural disulfide bonds, catalytic thiolate nucleophiles, iron-sulfur clusters, and the cellular antioxidant glutathione.

Cystic Fibrosis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cystic fibrosis (CF) (historically termed mucoviscidosis) is a life-shortening autosomal recessive multisystem genetic disorder and epithelial channelopathy caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane...

Cytochrome P450

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) is a ubiquitous superfamily of heme-thiolate monooxygenase enzymes that catalyze the oxidative insertion of a single oxygen atom into hydrophobic substrates, governing human drug metabolism, steroidogenesis, and insecticide resistance.

Cytokine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cytokines are small secreted signaling proteins of 5 to 25 kilodaltons that coordinate innate and adaptive immunity, hematopoiesis, and inflammation through high-affinity cell-surface receptors and JAK-STAT or NF-kappaB cascades.

Cytokinesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cytokinesis is the terminal mechanical stage of cell division that partitions the cytoplasm, organelles, and plasma membrane of a parent cell into two individualized daughter cells following chromosome segregation in mitosis or meiosis.

Cytoplasm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Historically viewed as a simple, unstructured cellular 'soup,' modern molecular biology has revealed the cytoplasm to be a remarkably complex and crowded environment.

Cytoplasmic Incompatibility

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is a maternally inherited conditional embryonic lethality induced by intracellular Wolbachia endosymbionts via prophage WO-encoded CifA and CifB proteins, deployed globally for mosquito vector control.

Cytosine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Cytosine (symbol C or Cyt, systematic name 4-aminopyrimidin-2(1H)-one) is one of the four canonical nucleobases utilized in the informational architecture of both DNA and RNA, alongside adenine, guanine, and thymine (or uracil in RNA).

Cytoskeleton

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The cytoskeleton is a dynamic, three-dimensional intracellular network of protein polymers—actin microfilaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules—that imparts mechanical integrity, drives cell motility, and organizes intracellular transport and mitosis.

Cytosol

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The cytosol is the continuous, macromolecularly crowded aqueous fluid phase of the cytoplasm surrounding membrane-bound organelles, maintaining ionic disequilibrium and hosting core metabolic pathways including glycolysis and protein translation.

Dacite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dacite is a volcanic rock intermediate between andesite and rhyolite, with about 63 to 69 weight percent silica.

Daisy Brittle Star

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The daisy brittle star (Ophiopholis aculeata) is a small, boldly patterned brittle star of the cold North Atlantic and North Pacific. Individuals vary greatly in color, from red and orange to white and black.

Dark Matter

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dark matter is a non-luminous, collisionless, non-baryonic form of matter that interacts primarily via gravity and constitutes 84.4% of the total matter content of the universe.

Darmstadtium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Darmstadtium (Ds, atomic number 110) is a synthetic Period 7 Group 10 noble transition metal synthesized at GSI Darmstadt whose relativistic ground state ([Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d⁸ 7s² or 6d⁹ 7s¹) places it beneath nickel, palladium, and platinum.

David Baltimore

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

David Baltimore (March 7, `1938` – September 6, `2025`) was an American virologist, immunologist, molecular biologist, and academic leader who shared the `1975` Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (at age `37`, alongside Howard M.

DC-SIGN

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

DC-SIGN (CD209) is a homo-tetrameric Type II transmembrane C-type lectin receptor on myeloid dendritic cells and specialized macrophages that binds high-mannose and fucosylated Lewis glycans to mediate antigen uptake, T-cell priming, and viral attachment.

DDT

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane) is a synthetic organochlorine insecticide that modulates arthropod voltage-gated sodium channels and played a foundational role in global malaria and typhus control.

De Novo Sequence Assembly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

De novo sequence assembly is the computational reconstruction of contiguous chromosomal sequences directly from overlapping fragmented DNA sequencing reads without reference to a pre-existing genome template.

Dead Man's Fingers

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dead man's fingers (Codium fragile) is a dark green seaweed with spongy, finger-like branches that grows on rocky shores. It originated in the Pacific, and has become an invasive species in many parts of the world.

Deathstalker

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The deathstalker (Leiurus quinquestriatus) is a small, pale yellow scorpion of North Africa and the Middle East with one of the most potent venoms of any scorpion. A compound from its venom is used to help surgeons see brain tumors.

Decomposition, Detrital Food Webs, and Soil Ecology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Decomposition and detrital soil food webs govern the enzymatic breakdown of plant litter, nutrient mineralization versus immobilization, and stabilization of soil organic matter.

Deforestation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Deforestation is the permanent or long-term conversion of forest canopy to non-forest land uses, altering global carbon fluxes, surface energy partitioning, continental moisture recycling, and biodiversity.

Dendritic Cell

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A dendritic cell is a professional antigen-presenting leukocyte that bridges innate pattern recognition and adaptive immunity by capturing peripheral antigens, migrating to secondary lymphoid organs, and priming naive CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes.

Dengue fever

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dengue is the fastest-spreading mosquito-borne viral disease in the world, with reported cases increasing many times over in recent decades.

Dengue virus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dengue virus (DENV; species Orthoflavivirus denguei) is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus of the genus Orthoflavivirus, family Flaviviridae, and the cause of dengue fever and severe dengue.

Denitrification

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Denitrification is the facultatively anaerobic microbial respiratory pathway that sequentially reduces nitrate and nitrite to nitric oxide, nitrous oxide, and dinitrogen gas, closing the global nitrogen cycle and returning fixed nitrogen to the atmosphere.

Deoxyribose

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Deoxyribose is an aldopentose characterized by the molecular formula C5H10O4 and a molar mass of 134.13 g/mol.

Desert Hairy Scorpion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The desert hairy scorpion (Hadrurus arizonensis) is the largest scorpion in North America, up to about 14 centimeters, and lives in the deserts of the southwestern United States. Its body is covered with fine hairs.

Desert Locust

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is a short-horned grasshopper that, under certain conditions, changes from a solitary insect into a gregarious one and forms vast swarms that devastate crops across Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

Developmental Biology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Developmental biology is the study of the processes by which organisms grow and develop.

Devil Worm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The devil worm (Halicephalobus mephisto) is a microscopic roundworm discovered in 2011 in water more than a kilometer underground in a South African gold mine. It is the deepest-living animal known.

Diabase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Diabase, called dolerite in British and Commonwealth usage, is a dark, medium-grained rock with the composition of basalt that cooled in thin intrusions near the surface. It forms dikes and sills and is intermediate in grain size between basalt and gabbro.

Diamond

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Diamond is a form of pure carbon, C, with a cubic crystal structure in which each atom bonds to four neighbors. It is the hardest natural substance, rated 10 on the Mohs scale, and forms deep in the mantle.

Diapause

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Diapause is a neurohormonally programmed, anticipatory state of developmental arrest, metabolic depression, and stress resistance triggered by token environmental stimuli such as photoperiod in arthropods and selected vertebrates.

Diatomite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Diatomite, or diatomaceous earth, is a soft, lightweight, chalk-like sedimentary rock made of the fossil silica shells of diatoms, single-celled algae. Unlike chalk it does not fizz in acid, because its shells are opal rather than calcite.

Diatoms

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) are unicellular photosynthetic stramenopile algae encased within nanoporous hydrated silica cell walls called frustules. They generate approximately 20 percent of global net primary production and drive marine carbon export and the oceanic silicon cycle.

Dicer

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dicer is a conserved multidomain Class 3 RNase III endoribonuclease that cleaves long double-stranded RNA and pre-miRNA hairpins into 21 to 23 nucleotide duplexes with 2-nucleotide 3' overhangs to initiate RNA interference and post-transcriptional gene silencing.

Diffusion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Diffusion is the net passive transport of molecules, ions, or colloidal particles down a chemical potential or concentration gradient driven by stochastic thermal Brownian motion without bulk fluid advection.

Dione

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dione is the fourth-largest moon of Saturn, locked in a 2:1 orbital resonance with Enceladus and preserving tectonic chasmata, high paleo-heat fluxes, and gravity evidence for a deep subsurface ocean.

Diorite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Diorite is a coarse-grained plutonic rock of intermediate composition, made of roughly equal parts light plagioclase and dark hornblende or biotite, with little or no quartz.

Directional Selection

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Directional selection is a mode of natural selection that favors phenotypes at one extreme of a trait distribution or drives an advantageous allele toward fixation, shifting the population mean across generations.

Disease Ecology, Zoonotic Spillover, and the Dilution Effect

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Disease ecology integrates parasite transmission dynamics with host population regulation, community biodiversity dilution effects, wildlife panzootics, and cross-species zoonotic spillover.

Disulfide Bond

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A disulfide bond is a covalent sulfur-sulfur linkage formed by the oxidative coupling of two cysteine thiol groups into a cystine residue, stabilizing the tertiary and quaternary architectures of secreted and cell-surface proteins.

DNA

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

DNA is a linear heteropolymer constructed from repeating monomeric subunits known as 2′-deoxyribonucleotides (nucleotides).

DNA ligase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

DNA ligase (EC 6.5.1.1 for ATP-dependent ligases; EC 6.5.1.2 for NAD+-dependent ligases) is a class of nucleotidyltransferase enzymes that joins adjacent DNA strands by catalyzing the formation of a 3' to 5' phosphodiester bond.

DNA Methylation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

DNA methylation is a covalent epigenetic modification in which DNA methyltransferase enzymes transfer a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine onto the C5 carbon of cytosine or N6 nitrogen of adenine without altering the underlying nucleotide sequence.

DNA Mismatch Repair

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is a conserved post-replicative excision pathway that identifies and corrects base-base mispairs and small insertion-deletion loops generated during DNA replication, increasing overall replication fidelity by 100- to 1,000-fold.

DNA polymerase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

DNA polymerase (EC 2.7.7.7) is a ubiquitous class of enzymes that catalyze the template-directed synthesis of DNA from deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs).

DNA polymerase I

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

DNA polymerase I is a monomeric, three-domain bacterial enzyme encoded by polA that catalyzes Okazaki fragment maturation via nick translation and gap-filling DNA repair.

DNA repair

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

DNA repair is a conserved network of enzymatic surveillance and restoration pathways that detect, excise, and correct chemical lesions, base mismatches, and strand breaks in cellular DNA.

DNA replication

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

As demonstrated in 1958 by Matthew Meselson and Franklin Stahl using 15N/14N equilibrium density-gradient centrifugation in Escherichia coli, DNA replication operates via a semi-conservative mechanism.

DNA sequencing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

DNA sequencing is the biochemical and biophysical determination of the linear order of nucleotides—adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T)—comprising a specific DNA molecule.

DNA synthesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

DNA synthesis is the enzymatic or chemical assembly of deoxyribonucleotide monomers into covalently linked deoxyribonucleic acid polymers during biological replication, in vitro amplification, or de novo oligonucleotide manufacturing.

DNA virus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A DNA virus is a virus whose genome is made of DNA and whose replication depends on a DNA-dependent DNA polymerase, which may be encoded by the virus or supplied by the host cell.

DNA-Encoded Chemical Library

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A DNA-encoded chemical library (DEL) is a combinatorial screening platform in which hundreds of millions to trillions of synthetic small molecules are each covalently tethered to a unique DNA oligonucleotide barcode that records their synthetic identity.

Dodo

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a large, flightless pigeon of the island of Mauritius, extinct since the late seventeenth century. Dutch sailors first described it in 1598, and it was gone within about a century, making it an icon of human-caused extinction.

Dog Heartworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The dog heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) is a mosquito-borne roundworm whose adults live in the pulmonary arteries and heart of dogs, cats and other mammals. Heavy infections cause serious, sometimes fatal, heart and lung disease.

Dog Hookworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The dog hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum) is a blood-feeding nematode of dogs, and a cause of skin disease in people. Larvae in warm, damp soil can penetrate bare skin.

Dog Roundworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The dog roundworm (Toxocara canis) is a common intestinal parasite of dogs, especially puppies. Its eggs, shed in dog feces, can infect people and cause toxocariasis.

Dog Whipworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The dog whipworm (Trichuris vulpis) is a thin-necked intestinal nematode that lives in the cecum and colon of dogs. Heavy infections can cause bloody diarrhea and weight loss.

Dolomite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dolomite is a calcium magnesium carbonate, CaMg(CO₃)₂, with trigonal crystals and a hardness of 3.5 to 4. Its crystals often have curved, saddle-shaped faces, and it is the main mineral of dolostone.

Dolostone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dolostone is a carbonate rock composed mainly of the mineral dolomite, CaMg(CO₃)₂, a calcium magnesium carbonate. It looks much like limestone but reacts only weakly with cold dilute acid unless it is powdered.

Domestic Cat

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The domestic cat (Felis catus) descends from the African wildcat and was domesticated in the Near East roughly 9,000 to 10,000 years ago. It is a popular pet and, when free-ranging, a major predator of birds and small mammals.

Domestic Chicken

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is the most numerous bird on Earth, with tens of billions alive at any time. It was domesticated from the red junglefowl of Southeast Asia thousands of years ago.

Domestic Dog

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is the first animal domesticated by people, descended from gray wolves more than 15,000 years ago.

Domestic Pig

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) is descended from wild boar domesticated independently in the Near East and in China about 9,000 to 10,000 years ago. Pigs are intelligent omnivores, and their similarity to humans makes them important in medicine.

Double helix

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A DNA molecule consists of two long, linear polynucleotides that run alongside each other in opposite physical directions, a property strictly defined as antiparallel orientation.

Dragonfly (Spacecraft)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dragonfly is NASA's fourth New Frontiers planetary mission, a nuclear-powered relocatable coaxial octocopter lander scheduled to launch in July 2028 and arrive at Saturn's moon Titan in 2034 to investigate prebiotic chemistry and habitability.

Drake Equation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Drake equation is a seven-factor probabilistic expression formulated by radio astronomer Frank Drake in 1961 to estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy.

Drosophila melanogaster

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, is a small fly that breeds on rotting fruit and one of the most important model organisms in biology.

Drought

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Drought is a prolonged, recurrent climate anomaly defined by a sustained moisture deficit relative to regional hydrological baselines across the atmosphere, pedosphere, and hydrosphere.

Drug Delivery Systems and Lipid Nanoparticles

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Drug delivery systems and lipid nanoparticles are engineered polymeric, liposomal, and ionizable-lipid platforms that regulate drug release kinetics, prevent enzymatic degradation, direct tissue targeting, and mediate endosomal escape of nucleic acids.

Drug Discovery

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Drug discovery is the multi-stage scientific and translational pipeline through which biological disease targets are validated and chemical or biologic hit molecules are identified, optimized for potency and ADMET properties, and advanced into human clinical trials.

Drug Repurposing and Network Pharmacology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Drug repurposing and network pharmacology combine multi-target polypharmacology, human interactome topology, and transcriptomic signature matching to identify new clinical indications for existing approved or clinical-stage therapeutics.

Drug-Drug Interaction

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A drug-drug interaction is the quantitative pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic modification of a victim drug's systemic exposure, clearance, or physiological response caused by the co-administration of a perpetrator drug, dietary constituent, or supplement.

Dubnium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dubnium (Db, Z = 105) is a synthetic Group 5 transactinide transition metal (268 u, [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d³ 7s²) forming volatile pentavalent halides (DbCl₅, DbBr₅) and aqueous oxyfluoride complexes.

Dulse

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dulse (Palmaria palmata) is a red seaweed of cold North Atlantic and Pacific shores, long eaten in Ireland, Iceland and eastern Canada. Its reddish-purple blades attach to rocks and shells by a small disc.

Dumbo Octopus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dumbo octopuses (genus Grimpoteuthis) are small, deep-sea octopuses named for the ear-like fins on their mantles, which they flap to swim. They live on the seafloor at depths of hundreds to thousands of meters, among the deepest of all octopuses.

Dune Pseudoscorpion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The dune pseudoscorpion (Dactylochelifer latreillii) is a pseudoscorpion that lives in sand dunes and coastal habitats in Europe. It is a few millimeters long.

Dunite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dunite is an ultramafic rock made of more than 90 percent olivine, usually magnesium-rich forsterite. The name comes from Dun Mountain in New Zealand, whose olive-green rock, weathering to rusty brown, gave the original description.

Dwarf Seahorse

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The dwarf seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae) is among the smallest seahorses, no more than about 2.5 centimeters tall, and lives in shallow seagrass beds off Florida, the Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas. Like all seahorses, the males become pregnant.

Dyeing Poison Dart Frog

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The dyeing poison dart frog (Dendrobates tinctorius) is a large, brightly marked frog of the rainforests of the Guianas and northern Brazil. Its contrasting colors warn predators that its skin is toxic.

Dynein

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dynein is a family of megadalton AAA+ ATPase motor complexes that step along microtubules toward their minus ends, powering retrograde intracellular transport, mitotic spindle organization, and ciliary and flagellar beating.

Dysprosium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Dysprosium is a bright, silvery-metallic rare-earth element on the periodic table designated by the atomic symbol Dy, atomic number 66, and standard atomic weight 162.50 u.

Earth Observation and Remote Sensing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The transition from localized, ground-based measurements to global, continuous monitoring fundamentally transformed climate science.

Earth System

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Earth System is the unified, complex, and highly integrated network of physical, chemical, biological, and human components that interact to determine the state and evolutionary trajectory of the planet Earth.

Earth system model

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

At the foundation of every ESM is a fully coupled, three-dimensional physical general circulation model.

Earth System Science

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Earth system science (ESS) is a quantitative, interdisciplinary field that analyzes the Earth as a coupled thermodynamic and biogeochemical system linking the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere.

Earth's Energy Budget

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Earth's energy budget (also called the Earth's radiation budget or the planetary energy balance) is the accounting of the energy that enters the Earth system, moves within it, and leaves it.

Earth's Mantle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Earth's mantle is the 2,890-kilometer-thick solid magnesium-iron silicate shell between the crust and the metallic core, comprising 84 percent of Earth's volume and driving plate tectonics through solid-state convection.

Eastern Barred Bandicoot

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The eastern barred bandicoot (Perameles gunnii) is a small nocturnal marsupial with pale bars across its rump, once common on the grasslands of southeastern Australia.

Eastern Quoll

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) is a small, spotted marsupial carnivore that disappeared from mainland Australia in the 1960s and survives in the wild only in Tasmania. It is listed as Endangered.

Eccentric Sand Dollar

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The eccentric sand dollar (Dendraster excentricus) is a sand dollar of the Pacific coast of North America that lives with a third of its disc buried upright in the sand, facing the current.

Eclogite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Eclogite is a dense, striking red-and-green metamorphic rock made of garnet and a sodium-rich green pyroxene called omphacite, with no plagioclase. It forms from basalt buried deep in subduction zones, at depths of about 45 kilometers or more.

Ecological Niche

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An ecological niche is the multidimensional set of abiotic environmental tolerances, biotic interactions, and resource utilization regimes within which a biological population maintains a non-negative intrinsic per-capita growth rate.

Ecological Stoichiometry and Nutrient Limitation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ecological stoichiometry analyzes how the conservation of mass and elemental balances of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus constrain organismal growth, trophic interactions, and ecosystem nutrient limitation.

Ecological Succession and Disturbance Regimes

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ecological succession is the directional change in community species composition, vegetation structure, and ecosystem energetics over time following abiotic or biotic disturbance events.

Ecology and Population Dynamics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A population is defined as a group of conspecific individuals occupying a discrete geographic area.

Ecosystem

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An ecosystem is a functional unit of the biosphere comprising an interacting biological community (biocenosis) and its physical, chemical, and geomorphic environment (biotope) coupled by energy flow and nutrient cycling.

Ecosystem Services, Natural Capital, and Biodiversity–Ecosystem Functioning

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ecosystem services, natural capital, and biodiversity-ecosystem functioning quantify how species diversity drives primary productivity, ecosystem stability, and the biophysical flows sustaining human welfare.

Ectotherm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An ectotherm is an organism whose internal body temperature is determined predominantly by heat exchange with the external environment rather than by endogenous metabolic thermogenesis.

Ectothermy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ectothermy is the thermophysiological strategy in which an organism relies primarily on environmental heat exchange rather than endogenous metabolism to determine its body temperature.

Effective Nuclear Charge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The net positive electrostatic charge experienced by an electron in a polyelectronic atom after accounting for the repulsive screening and radial penetration effects of inner-shell and same-shell electrons.

Effective Population Size

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Effective population size (Ne) is the size of an idealized Wright-Fisher panmictic population that experiences the same rate of random genetic drift, allele frequency variance, or inbreeding heterozygosity loss as an actual biological population under study.

Effects of Climate Change on Environmental and Public Health

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Climate change and public health is an interdisciplinary field that draws on Earth system science, epidemiology, human physiology, and public health to understand how changes in the global climate alter patterns of human illness, death, and physiological stress.

Egyptian Fruit Bat

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) is a fruit-eating bat of Africa and the Middle East that roosts in caves, tombs and old buildings. Unlike most large fruit bats, it navigates by echolocation using tongue clicks.

Einsteinium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Einsteinium (Es, Z = 99) is a synthetic Period 7 actinide (252 u, [Rn] 5f¹¹ 7s²) discovered in 1952 Ivy Mike thermonuclear fallout and notable as the heaviest element isolated in macroscopic quantities.

Ekman Transport

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ekman transport is the net vertically integrated mass or volume transport of fluid within a rotating, frictionally coupled boundary layer (the Ekman layer, spanning the upper `~20–150 m` of the ocean) directed at a `90°` angle to the surface...

El Niño

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), defined by periodic warming of sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and a weakened Walker circulation.

El Niño-Southern Oscillation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is an irregularly periodic coupled ocean-atmosphere climate mode across the equatorial Pacific Ocean that drives global interannual climate variability.

Electric Blue Day Gecko

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The electric blue day gecko (Lygodactylus williamsi), also known as the turquoise dwarf gecko or Williams' dwarf gecko, is an arboreal, diurnal lizard of the family Gekkonidae endemic to a restricted lowland forest range of less than 20 km2 in...

Electric Dipole Moment

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An electric dipole moment (μ) is a vector quantity that measures the spatial separation of positive and negative electrical charge within a chemical bond or molecule, governing dielectric permittivity, rotational spectroscopy, and intermolecular forces.

Electric Eel

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The electric eel (Electrophorus electricus) is a South American freshwater fish that generates electricity strong enough to stun prey and deter predators. Despite the name, it is a knifefish, not a true eel. Studies in 2019 split the genus into three species.

Electric Flame Scallop

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The electric flame scallop (Ctenoides ales) is a small clam of Indo-Pacific reefs that appears to flash lightning. A bright, flickering band along the edge of its mantle seems to blink on and off.

Electron Affinity

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Electron affinity is the energy released when an isolated gaseous atom or molecule captures an electron to form a negatively charged anion, equivalently measured as the photodetachment energy of the anion.

Electron Configuration

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Electron configuration is the quantum-mechanical specification of how electrons are distributed among spatial atomic or molecular orbitals, governed by the Aufbau principle, the Pauli exclusion principle, and Hund's rules.

Electron Transport Chain

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The electron transport chain (respiratory chain) is a series of four multisubunit redox protein complexes in the inner mitochondrial or bacterial membrane that transfers electrons from NADH and FADH2 to O2 while pumping protons to generate an electrochemical gradient.

Electronegativity

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Electronegativity (χ) quantifies the tendency of an atom within a molecule to attract shared valence electron density toward itself across a chemical bond.

Elephant Tusk Shell

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The elephant tusk shell (Dentalium elephantinum) is an Indo-Pacific mollusc whose shell is a curved tube open at both ends, resembling a small tusk. Tusk shells belong to the class Scaphopoda.

Elkhorn Coral

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) is a fast-growing reef-building coral of the Caribbean and Florida, with thick, flat branches like antlers. Once the dominant species on shallow reef crests, it is listed as Critically Endangered.

Embryogenesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Embryogenesis is the coordinated cascade of biophysical, transcriptomic, and mechanical processes through which a single fertilized diploid zygote develops into a multicellular embryo with patterned axes and germ layers.

Emerald Tree Monitor

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The emerald tree monitor (Varanus prasinus) is a slender, green monitor lizard of New Guinea that lives in the rainforest canopy. Unlike its large cousins, it is small and arboreal.

Emperor Dragonfly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The emperor dragonfly (Anax imperator) is a large dragonfly of Europe, Africa and Asia. The male has a bright blue abdomen with a black stripe, and the female is green. It is among the largest dragonflies in Britain.

Emperor Penguin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the largest penguin and the only one that breeds during the Antarctic winter.

Emperor Scorpion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The emperor scorpion (Pandinus imperator) is one of the largest scorpions in the world, reaching about 20 centimeters, and lives in the rainforests and savannas of West Africa. Its sting is relatively mild, but its big pincers make it look fearsome.

Emu

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is a tall, flightless bird of Australia, the second-largest bird in the world after the ostrich. It stands up to about 1.9 meters, runs fast, and roams widely across the continent in search of food and water.

Enceladus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Enceladus is the sixth-largest moon of Saturn, measuring 504 kilometers in diameter, whose tidally heated global subsurface liquid water ocean vents cryovolcanic plumes containing water, molecular hydrogen, organics, and phosphates from its south polar fractures.

Endocytosis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Endocytosis is the active cellular process by which eukaryotic cells internalize extracellular macromolecules, fluids, and membrane proteins through invagination and scission of plasma membrane vesicles, followed by endosomal sorting.

Endogenous Retrovirus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are genomic DNA sequences derived from ancestral exogenous retroviral infections of host germline cells that integrated as proviruses and are inherited vertically across generations, comprising roughly 8% of the human genome.

Endomembrane System

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The endomembrane system is the set of connected membrane-bound compartments inside a eukaryotic cell that make, modify, package and transport proteins and lipids.

Endoplasmic reticulum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a dynamic, continuous interconnected network of membrane-bound tubules, flattened sacs (cisternae), and exit sites that spans the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells.

Endospore

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An endospore is a differentiated, metabolically dormant, non-reproductive survival structure formed inside the cytoplasm of specific low-G+C Gram-positive bacteria belonging to the phylum Bacillota (formerly Firmicutes) when vegetative cells...

Endosymbiotic Theory

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Endosymbiotic theory explains how eukaryotic mitochondria and plastids evolved from free-living alphaproteobacteria and cyanobacteria engulfed by ancestral host cells.

Endothermy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Endothermy is a thermoregulatory strategy in which an organism maintains an elevated internal body temperature through endogenous metabolic heat production.

Enthalpy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Enthalpy is a thermodynamic state function representing the total heat content of a system at constant pressure, defined as the sum of internal energy and pressure-volume work (H = U + PV).

Entropy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Entropy is a fundamental thermodynamic state function and statistical mechanical measure of the number of accessible microscopic configurations (microstates) and energy dispersal within a physical or biochemical system.

Enzyme Inhibition

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The molecular process by which small molecules, peptides, or ions bind to an enzyme through reversible equilibria or covalent bond formation to reduce its catalytic rate.

Enzymes

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Enzymes are macromolecular biological catalysts, predominantly globular proteins, that accelerate specific chemical reactions by stabilizing high-energy transition states without altering reaction equilibrium.

Epidemiology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

In contrast to clinical medicine, which focuses on diagnosing and treating disease within an individual, epidemiology operates at the macroscopic level.

Epigenetics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The eukaryotic genome is not physically naked inside the nucleus; it is compacted into a macromolecular complex known as chromatin.

Epigenomic Reprogramming

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The epigenome regulates macroscopic gene expression primarily through two integrated physical mechanisms that govern nucleosome spacing and higher-order chromatin folding within the nucleus.

Epigenomics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Epigenomics is the genome-wide analysis of reversible covalent DNA and histone modifications and three-dimensional chromatin architecture across a cell.

Epistasis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Epistasis is the non-additive interaction between alleles at two or more genetic loci, in which the phenotypic or fitness effect of a mutation depends on the genetic background.

Erbium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Erbium (Er, Z = 68) is a Period 6 heavy lanthanide (167.26 u, [Xe] 4f¹² 6s²) whose Er³⁺ intra-4f emission at 1,530–1,565 nm powers Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFAs) across the global fiber-optic internet, alongside 2,940 nm Er:YAG medical lasers and rose-pink optical glass.

Ernst Mayr

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ernst Mayr (1904-2005) was a German-American evolutionary biologist and architect of the Modern Synthesis who formulated the Biological Species Concept, allopatric and peripatric speciation theory, and proximate versus ultimate causation.

Escape Velocity

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Escape velocity is the minimum speed required for a free, non-propelled ballistic body to escape from the gravitational potential well of a primary mass to infinite distance with zero residual speed.

Escherichia coli

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped gammaproteobacterium that colonizes the lower vertebrate gastrointestinal tract and serves as the foundational model organism in molecular biology, genetics, and biotechnology.

Estuaries and Salt Marsh Ecosystems

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Estuaries and coastal salt marshes are transitional brackish ecosystems structured by tidal-fluvial hydrodynamic mixing, clay colloid flocculation, the horohalinicum diversity minimum, halophyte zonation, and detrital Blue Carbon energy flow.

Euchlanis Rotifer

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Euchlanis dilatata is a common, transparent freshwater rotifer with a flexible, shield-like body that swims through weedy ponds and ditches around the world.

Eukaryogenesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Eukaryogenesis is the evolutionary transition during the Proterozoic Eon in which endosymbiotic integration of an alphaproteobacterium into an Asgard archaeal host gave rise to the first nucleated eukaryotic cell.

Eukaryote

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

While prokaryotes dominate the planetary biosphere in numerical abundance and metabolic versatility, eukaryotes dominate in cellular volume, anatomical complexity, and multicellularity.

Europa

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Europa is the smallest Galilean moon of Jupiter, hosting a global 60-to-150-km-deep salty liquid water ocean in direct contact with a rocky silicate seafloor beneath a dynamic 15-to-25-km icy crust.

Europa Clipper

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Europa Clipper is a NASA flagship planetary mission launched in October 2024 to investigate the habitability, ice shell architecture, subsurface ocean composition, and geology of Jupiter's icy moon Europa via 49 close flybys.

European Brook Lamprey

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The European brook lamprey (Lampetra planeri) is a small, eel-like jawless fish of clean European streams. Unlike the sea lamprey, the adult does not feed and does not parasitize other fish.

European Crayfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The European crayfish or noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) is a large freshwater crustacean of European rivers and lakes. It has been devastated by the crayfish plague, brought by introduced American crayfish.

European Garden Spider

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The European garden spider (Araneus diadematus) is a common orb-weaving spider with a white cross on its abdomen. It spins the wheel-shaped web seen glistening on autumn mornings.

European Mole Cricket

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The European mole cricket (Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa) is a stout, velvety brown insect with huge digging forelegs, which spends most of its life underground. Like true moles, it tunnels through soil.

European Rabbit

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is a burrowing lagomorph native to the Iberian Peninsula and the source of all domestic rabbits.

European Robin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The European robin (Erithacus rubecula) is a small, bold songbird with an orange-red breast, common in gardens across Europe. Experiments with robins revealed how birds may sense Earth's magnetic field.

European Stag Beetle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The European stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) is the largest beetle in Europe, males measuring up to about 8 centimeters including their antler-like jaws. It is protected under European law because it has declined across much of its range.

European Tusk Shell

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The European tusk shell (Antalis vulgaris) is a tusk shell of the Atlantic and Mediterranean, living in sandy sediment of the sea floor. Its shell is white and gently curved.

Europium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Europium is a soft, ductile, silvery-white metallic element on the periodic table designated by the atomic symbol Eu, atomic number 63, and standard atomic weight 151.96 u.

Eutrophication

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Eutrophication is the biogeochemical enrichment of aquatic ecosystems with limiting inorganic nutrients—principally reactive nitrogen and phosphorus—driving rapid phytoplankton blooms, microbial oxygen depletion, benthic hypoxia, and coastal dead zones.

Evapotranspiration

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Evapotranspiration is the combined biophysical and thermodynamic flux of water vapor from Earth's land surface to the atmosphere via direct abiotic evaporation and plant stomatal transpiration.

Evolution

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tracing back billions of years to a Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA), the evolutionary process is the sole mechanism that scales microscopic molecular variation into macroscopic ecological complexity.

Evolution of the Genetic Code

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The evolution of the genetic code encompasses the prebiotic and early biological mechanisms that assigned 64 nucleotide triplets to 20 canonical amino acids and translation termination signals prior to the Last Universal Common Ancestor.

Evolutionary Biology and Natural Selection

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

In population genetics, evolution is defined as a change in allele frequencies and haplotype frequencies in the gene pool of a population.

Evolutionary developmental biology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) investigates how modifications to conserved embryonic gene regulatory networks, Hox clusters, and modular cis-regulatory enhancers generate morphological evolution across metazoans and plants.

Exocytosis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Exocytosis (coined by the Belgian cytologist Christian de Duve in 1963 from the Greek exo ["outside"] and kytos ["cell"]) is the active, vectorially directed membrane-trafficking process by which a eukaryotic cell fuses a membrane-bounded...

Exome Sequencing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Exome sequencing is a targeted next-generation DNA sequencing method that selectively captures and sequences protein-coding exons across a genome, representing roughly 1.5% of the human genome where 85% of known Mendelian disease mutations reside.

Exons

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Exons are the nucleotide segments of a gene that are retained and ligated together in the mature RNA transcript after RNA splicing removes intervening introns.

Exoplanet

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An exoplanet, or extrasolar planet, is a planetary body that orbits a star, stellar remnant, or brown dwarf outside the Solar System, with over 5,700 confirmed worlds discovered primarily through transit photometry and Doppler radial velocity spectroscopy.

Extinction

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Extinction is the permanent termination of an evolutionary lineage or biological taxon upon the death of its final surviving individual.

Extracellular Matrix

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is the network of proteins and polysaccharides that fills the spaces between cells in animal tissues. It supports cells physically, and it also sends them signals that guide growth, movement and specialization.

Extreme Event Attribution Science

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Extreme event attribution science is a quantitative sub-discipline of climatology and atmospheric physics that evaluates the extent to which anthropogenic climate change alters the probability, magnitude, and physical dynamics of individual weather events.

Extremophile

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Extremophiles are organisms—predominantly within the domains Archaea and Bacteria, alongside specialized eukaryotic lineages—that require stringent physicochemical environmental conditions for optimal metabolic growth and cellular homeostasis.

Extremophile Biotechnology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

For decades, industrial biocatalysis was constrained by the structural fragility of mesophilic enzymes, which denature when exposed to elevated heat, organic solvents, or non-neutral pH.

Extrinsic Incubation Period

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The extrinsic incubation period (EIP) is the developmental time interval required for a vector-borne pathogen to replicate or mature inside an arthropod vector after an infectious blood meal before it can be transmitted to a new vertebrate host.

Eyeball Planet

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An eyeball planet is a synchronously rotating terrestrial or ocean exoplanet whose permanent dayside hosts a circular open liquid water ocean around the substellar point surrounded by a global sea-ice and continental ice sheet covering the terminator and nightside.

Eyelash Viper

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii) is a small, arboreal pit viper of the rainforests of Central and northern South America, named for the spiky scales above its eyes. It comes in many colors, from green to yellow and pink.

Fairy Shrimp

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The fairy shrimp (Branchipus schaefferi) is a delicate, translucent crustacean that swims upside down in temporary pools in Europe. Its eggs can survive years of drought.

Faraday Constant

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Faraday constant (F = 96,485.3321233100184 C/mol) is the physical constant representing the magnitude of electric charge carried by one mole of elementary charges, equal to the product of the elementary charge and the Avogadro constant.

Fat-tailed Dunnart

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The fat-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata) is a tiny, mouse-like marsupial of the arid grasslands and deserts of Australia. Its carrot-shaped tail stores fat for lean times.

Fatty Acid Synthesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The cytosolic anabolic pathway that iteratively condenses and reduces acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA units using NADPH on the fatty acid synthase complex to produce saturated palmitate.

Feedback loops (climate)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Climate feedback loops are coupled radiative and biogeochemical processes that either amplify (positive feedback) or dampen (negative feedback) the surface temperature response of the Earth system to an external radiative forcing.

Fermentation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fermentation is an anaerobic catabolic process that generates adenosine triphosphate through substrate-level phosphorylation while transferring electrons from NADH to endogenous organic acceptors to regenerate NAD+.

Fermi Paradox

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Fermi paradox is the apparent contradiction between high astrophysical estimates for the prevalence of extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy and the complete absence of confirmed observational evidence, probes, or technosignatures.

Fermium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fermium (Fm, Z = 100) is a synthetic Period 7 actinide (257 u, [Rn] 5f¹² 7s²) discovered in 1952 Ivy Mike fallout and marking the fermium barrier at ²⁵⁸Fm where neutron-capture nucleosynthesis terminates.

Fertilization

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fertilization is the multi-step biophysical, biochemical, and genetic process by which two haploid gametes recognize, bind, and fuse to form a totipotent diploid zygote.

Fick's Laws of Diffusion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fick's laws of diffusion are two partial differential transport equations formulated by Adolf Fick in 1855 that relate macroscopic diffusive solute flux to spatial concentration gradients and describe time-dependent concentration evolution.

Field Horsetail

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) is a primitive, spore-bearing plant with jointed, hollow stems and whorls of thin branches. It is a survivor of a group that included tree-sized forms in the Carboniferous coal forests.

Fir Clubmoss

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The fir clubmoss (Huperzia selago) is an upright, evergreen lycophyte of cool, mountainous and northern habitats, with crowded, pointed leaves resembling a miniature fir. It is not a moss.

Fire Salamander

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) is a glossy black salamander with yellow patches, living in damp European forests. It is threatened in some regions by an emerging fungal disease.

Fire Skink

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The fire skink (Mochlus fernandi) is a glossy, brown skink of West and Central Africa with brilliant red-orange flanks, a pattern that lights up like a flame. It lives in leaf litter in savannas and forest edges.

First law of thermodynamics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Within the quantitative frameworks of systems biology, chemical engineering, and planetary climate modeling, the First Law establishes the boundary conditions for any accounting of energy.

Fisher's Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fisher's fundamental theorem of natural selection states that the partial rate of increase in the mean fitness of a population attributable to natural selection acting through changes in allele frequencies is equal to the additive genetic variance in fitness at that instant.

Fitness (Biology)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

In evolutionary biology, fitness is the relative ability of an organism, or of a genotype, to survive and reproduce in a particular environment, contributing its genes to the next generation.

Fitness Cost

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A fitness cost is the pleiotropic reduction in relative reproductive output suffered by an organism carrying an adaptive resistance or defense allele when the corresponding selective stressor is absent from the environment.

Flagellum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A flagellum is a filamentous or whip-like cell appendage that generates hydrodynamic thrust for cellular motility across aqueous environments, having evolved independently in Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya with distinct molecular architectures and energy-transducing mechanisms.

Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is a riboflavin-derived redox cofactor whose tricyclic isoalloxazine ring mediates both one-electron radical and two-electron hydride transfers as a tightly bound prosthetic group in flavoproteins.

Flaviviridae

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Flaviviridae is a family of small, enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses comprising four genera—Orthoflavivirus, Hepacivirus, Pestivirus, and Pegivirus—that include dengue, yellow fever, Zika, West Nile, and hepatitis C viruses.

Flerovium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Flerovium (Fl, atomic number 114) is a synthetic Period 7 Group 14 element anchored at the Z = 114 Island of Nuclear Stability whose relativistic [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7s² 7p₁/₂² quasi-closed-shell configuration renders it a volatile noble metal.

Flexizyme

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A flexizyme is a short 45-to-46-nucleotide artificial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase ribozyme evolved in vitro that charges natural and non-canonical amino acids onto the 3'-CCA terminus of any tRNA for genetic code reprogramming.

Florida Whip Spider

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Florida whip spider (Phrynus marginemaculatus), also known as the tailless whip scorpion, is a nocturnal, dorsoventrally flattened arachnid of the order Amblypygi and family Phrynidae native to southern Florida, the Bahamas, and the Greater Antilles.

Fluorine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fluorine (F, atomic number 9) is a Period 2 halogen gas (18.998 u) and the most electronegative element on the Pauling scale (3.98), forming strong carbon–fluorine bonds in pharmaceuticals and fluoropolymers and acid-resistant fluorapatite in vertebrate tooth enamel.

Fluorite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fluorite is calcium fluoride, CaF₂, an isometric mineral with a hardness of 4, the standard for that number on the Mohs scale. It forms glassy cubes in purple, green, blue and yellow, and many specimens glow under ultraviolet light.

Flux (climate)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Because the Earth is an open thermodynamic system for energy but a virtually closed system for mass, evaluating planetary stability relies on measuring these continuous fluxes.

Flux balance analysis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Flux balance analysis (FBA) is a highly quantitative, mathematical methodology used in systems biology to calculate the continuous flow of metabolites (the 'flux') through a genome-scale metabolic network.

Fly Agaric

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) is the red mushroom with white flecks that appears in fairy-tale pictures. It grows in association with birch, pine and spruce across the Northern Hemisphere and contains psychoactive and toxic compounds.

Food Web

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A food web is the interconnected network of feeding relationships and trophic energy fluxes linking primary producers, consumers, and decomposers within an ecological community.

Foraminifera

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Foraminifera are single-celled amoeboid protists within the supergroup Rhizaria that construct mineralized multi-chambered tests and record marine paleoclimatic and biogeochemical history.

Formosan Subterranean Termite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Formosan subterranean termite (Coptotermes formosanus) is an aggressive wood-eating social insect native to southern China and Taiwan that has spread to Japan, Hawaii and the southern United States.

Formose Reaction

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The formose reaction is the base-catalyzed, divalent-metal-assisted autocatalytic oligomerization of formaldehyde into complex mixtures of tetrose, pentose, and hexose carbohydrates, representing the classic prebiotic pathway to ribose.

Fornax A

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fornax A (NGC 1316) is a giant lenticular-elliptical galaxy in the Fornax Cluster, about 62 million light-years away, and one of the brightest radio galaxies in the sky. Its visible light shows shells, loops and dust lanes, leftovers of a merger.

Fossa

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) is the largest carnivorous mammal of Madagascar, a lithe, cat-like predator that hunts lemurs in the trees. It is not a cat but a relative of mongooses.

Fossil fuels

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

From the perspective of Earth system science and thermodynamics, fossil fuels constitute a recalcitrant sedimentary sink within the slow geochemical carbon cycle.

Fossiliferous Limestone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fossiliferous limestone is a limestone packed with shells and other skeletal remains of marine organisms, held in a matrix of fine lime mud or calcite cement. It is made mostly of calcite (CaCO₃) and fizzes in cold dilute acid.

Founder Effect

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The founder effect is the reduction in genetic diversity and stochastic shift in allele frequencies that occurs when a new population is established by a small sample of colonizing individuals drawn from a larger source population.

Four-spotted Chaser

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The four-spotted chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) is a golden-brown dragonfly with dark spots at the middle of each wing. It is found across the Northern Hemisphere and is the state insect of Alaska, where it is called the four-spot skimmer.

Fragment-Based Drug Discovery

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) is a biophysical and structural approach that screens small libraries of low-molecular-weight polar chemical fragments (MW <= 300 Da) for weak millimolar-to-micromolar protein binding and elaborates them into potent nanomolar clinical leads.

Frameshift Mutation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A frameshift mutation is a genetic insertion or deletion (indel) of a number of nucleotides not divisible by three within a protein-coding sequence, shifting the ribosomal triplet reading frame of all downstream codons.

Francis Crick

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Born in Northampton, England, Crick initially studied physics, earning a Bachelor of Science degree from University College London in 1937.

Francium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Francium is a radioactive heavy alkali metal on the periodic table designated by the symbol Fr, atomic number 87, and reference mass number 223 u.

Free Energy Perturbation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Free energy perturbation (FEP) is a statistical-mechanics molecular dynamics simulation method that computes relative or absolute binding free energy differences between ligands along an alchemical thermodynamic cycle with ~1 kcal/mol accuracy.

Freshwater Hydra

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The freshwater hydra (Hydra vulgaris) is a tiny tubular cnidarian, about a centimeter long, that lives attached to plants in ponds and streams. It is famous for its ability to regenerate and its apparent lack of aging.

Freshwater Limnology and the River Continuum Concept

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Freshwater limnology and the River Continuum Concept analyze thermal stratification, redox phosphorus cycling, and plankton diversity in lentic lakes alongside longitudinal metabolic and macroinvertebrate shifts in lotic rivers.

Freshwater Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The freshwater sponge (Spongilla lacustris) is a branching, often green sponge that grows on submerged stones and sticks in lakes and slow rivers across the Northern Hemisphere. Most sponges live in the sea, and this group is a rare freshwater exception.

Fried Egg Jellyfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The fried egg jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata) is a Mediterranean jellyfish with a flat white bell and a yellow dome in the middle like a fried egg. Its sting is mild.

Frilled Lizard

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The frilled lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii) is a large agamid of northern Australia and New Guinea, known for a huge neck frill it unfurls when threatened. It can run on its hind legs.

Fundamentals of Meteorology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

In the hierarchy of Earth system science, the atmosphere functions as a compressible, stratified fluid shell on a rotating sphere heated differentially by solar radiation.

Fungi

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fungi (Kingdom Fungi) are a eukaryotic clade of opisthokont absorptive heterotrophs with chitin-glucan cell walls and ergosterol membranes that serve as the primary decomposers of terrestrial lignocellulose and mycorrhizal symbionts of land plants.

Funnel Mycorrhizal Fungus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Funneliformis mosseae is an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus found in agricultural soils worldwide. It forms funnel-shaped attachments where its hyphae join its spores, and partners with the roots of many crops.

Furin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Furin (EC 3.4.21.75, PCSK3) is a calcium-dependent serine endoprotease of the secretory pathway that cleaves precursor proteins C-terminal to the canonical polybasic motif R-X-K/R-R↓ and is hijacked by viral glycoproteins and bacterial toxins.

G Protein-Coupled Receptor

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute the largest superfamily of eukaryotic transmembrane signaling proteins, utilizing a seven-transmembrane alpha-helical bundle to transduce extracellular stimuli into intracellular heterotrimeric G-protein and beta-arrestin cascades.

G. H. Hardy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Godfrey Harold Hardy (1877–1947) was an English pure mathematician renowned for his work in analytic number theory, his collaboration with John Littlewood and Srinivasa Ramanujan, and his 1908 derivation of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium principle in population genetics.

G6PD Deficiency and Pharmacogenetics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

G6PD deficiency is an X-linked recessive hereditary enzymopathy affecting an estimated 400 to 500 million people globally, making it the most prevalent human enzyme defect.

Gabbro

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gabbro is a dark, coarse-grained plutonic rock of calcium-rich plagioclase and pyroxene, the intrusive equivalent of basalt. It forms a major part of the lower oceanic crust that underlies the ocean basins.

Gadolinium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gadolinium is a malleable, ductile, silvery-white metallic element on the periodic table represented by the atomic symbol Gd, atomic number 64, and standard atomic weight 157.25 u.

Galapagos Giant Tortoise

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Galápagos giant tortoises (the Chelonoidis niger complex) are the largest living tortoises, weighing up to about 400 kilograms. Different islands have different forms, and they helped inspire Darwin's ideas about evolution.

Galaxies

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A galaxy is a gravitationally bound system of stars, gas, dust and dark matter. This hub explains how galaxies are classified and links every object in the CRV Science Deep Sky Galaxy Guide.

Galena

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Galena is lead sulfide, PbS, a heavy, silver-grey mineral that forms perfect cubes. It is the main ore of lead and often contains silver.

Gallium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gallium is a Group 13 post-transition metal (Ga, Z = 31) that melts in the human hand at 29.76 °C (302.91 K), expands by 3.1% upon freezing due to covalent Ga2 dimers, and forms III-V direct-bandgap semiconductors (GaAs, GaN) for optoelectronics.

Gametes

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gametes are specialized haploid reproductive cells—such as spermatozoa and ova—generated through meiosis or gametophyte mitosis that fuse during fertilization to reconstitute a genetically unique diploid zygote.

Ganymede

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System, possessing an intrinsic dipolar magnetic field generated by a liquid iron core and a deep subsurface ocean beneath a 100-to-150-km icy crust.

Garden Snail

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The garden snail (Cornu aspersum) is a brown-shelled land snail native to the Mediterranean that now lives in gardens and farms on every continent but Antarctica. It is the 'escargot' of many menus and a common garden pest.

Garnet Muscovite Schist

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Garnet muscovite schist is a medium-grade metamorphic rock with coarse, glittering flakes of white mica wrapping around red garnet crystals. It forms by recrystallization of mudstone in the roots of mountain belts.

Garter Snake

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) is a slender, striped snake found across much of North America, one of the continent's most widespread reptiles. It gives birth to live young and is a favorite subject of studies in evolution and behavior.

Gene

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A gene is the primary physical and functional unit of heredity, comprising a transcribed genomic locus and associated cis-regulatory elements that encode functional polypeptide or non-coding RNA products.

Gene drive

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gene drive is a natural or engineered genetic system that causes an allele to be inherited by more than the 50% of offspring expected under Mendel's laws.

Gene Duplication

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gene duplication is a process in which a segment of DNA containing a gene is copied, so that the genome ends up with two or more copies. It is a main source of new genes, because one copy can keep the old function while another is free to change.

Gene expression

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gene expression is the cybernetic and thermodynamic process by which the informational architecture of the genome is physically converted into the dynamic, kinetic reality of the cell.

Gene Flow

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gene flow is the transfer of alleles between populations through the dispersal and successful interbreeding of organisms or gametes, acting to homogenize allele frequencies across geographic space.

Gene Therapy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gene therapy is a medical discipline that treats or prevents monogenic and acquired diseases by delivering, replacing, silencing, or editing nucleic acids within patient cells using viral or non-viral vectors.

Gene–Culture Coevolution

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gene–culture coevolution (dual inheritance theory) is the evolutionary process in which socially transmitted cultural practices alter ecological selection pressures on the genome while genetic frequencies reciprocally influence the adoption and stability of cultural traits.

General Circulation Model

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A general circulation model (GCM) is a numerical simulation that integrates the three-dimensional fluid-dynamical primitive equations of momentum, thermodynamics, and mass continuity on a rotating sphere to model planetary atmospheres and oceans.

Generative AI in Drug Discovery

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Generative AI in drug discovery utilizes deep-learning architectures—including chemical language transformers, variational autoencoders, SE(3)-equivariant 3D diffusion models, and RFdiffusion—to perform de novo inverse design of small molecules and therapeutic proteins.

Genetic code

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Genetic code is the biochemical mapping rule set by which living cells translate the linear nucleotide sequence of a messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript into the amino acid sequence of a protein.

Genetic Draft

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Genetic draft is the stochastic fluctuation of allele frequencies at neutral loci caused by physical linkage to recurrent selective sweeps at nearby genomic sites.

Genetic drift

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Genetic drift (also known as allelic drift or the Sewall Wright effect) is the stochastic, non-directional fluctuation of allele frequencies within a breeding population across successive generations.

Genetic engineering

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Genetic engineering, or recombinant DNA technology, is the targeted manipulation, assembly, and genomic integration of nucleic acid sequences using restriction endonucleases, polymerase amplification, programmable CRISPR-Cas nucleases, and cellular delivery vectors.

Genetic Hitchhiking

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Genetic hitchhiking is the change in allele frequency of a neutral or weakly deleterious variant caused by chromosomal linkage to a positively selected locus undergoing a selective sweep.

Genetic Linkage

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Genetic linkage is the tendency of alleles at two or more loci on the same chromosome to co-segregate during meiosis more frequently than the 50% expectation of independent assortment, providing the quantitative basis for genetic linkage mapping.

Genetic mutation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A genetic mutation is a permanent alteration in the nucleotide sequence of an organism's genome, serving as the primary source of heritable variation for evolution and genetic disease.

Genetic Recombination

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Genetic recombination is the enzymatic breakage, strand exchange, and rejoining of DNA molecules that generates novel allele combinations, repairs double-strand breaks, and ensures accurate meiotic chromosome segregation.

Genetic Rescue

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Genetic rescue is the restoration of population fitness and demographic growth in small, inbred populations through the natural or managed introduction of new alleles via gene flow, masking deleterious recessive variants and replenishing heterozygosity.

Genetics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Genetics is the biological discipline that investigates heredity, the molecular architecture and regulation of genes, and the mechanisms generating phenotypic variation across organisms and populations.

Genome

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A genome is the complete set of heritable genetic material encoded within an organism, organelle, or virus, comprising both protein-coding genes and non-coding sequences.

Genomic Imprinting

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic regulatory process in therian mammals and flowering plants whereby specific autosomal loci are expressed monoallelically according to their parent of origin, driven by differential germline DNA methylation and histone modifications.

Genomics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Within the broader context of Earth System Science, the collective genomic architecture of the planetary biosphere represents the ultimate biological database.

Genomics and Transcriptomics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Genomics is the comprehensive structural and functional study of an organism's entire DNA sequence.

Gentoo Penguin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) is the fastest swimming penguin, reaching about 35 kilometers per hour. It is recognized by the white patch above each eye and an orange bill.

Geography Cone Snail

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The geography cone snail (Conus geographus) is a predatory marine gastropod of Indo-Pacific coral reefs that hunts fish using a ballistic radular harpoon and a neurotoxic peptide venom cocktail. It is the most medically hazardous mollusk to humans.

Geology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The unifying paradigm of geology is plate tectonics, a kinematic framework that describes the large-scale motion of the Earth's rigid outer shell.

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (GFD) is the branch of fluid mechanics dedicated to the study of naturally occurring, large-scale flows on Earth and other planets.

Geostrophic Wind

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The geostrophic wind is the theoretical horizontal airflow resulting from a balance between the horizontal pressure gradient force and the Coriolis effect in the free atmosphere at low Rossby numbers.

German Cockroach

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The German cockroach (Blattella germanica) is a small, light brown cockroach that lives in buildings worldwide and is one of the most common indoor pests. It thrives in warm, humid kitchens and bathrooms.

Germanium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Germanium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Ge, atomic number 32, and a standard atomic weight of 72.630(8) u.

Germinal Center Reaction and Affinity Maturation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The germinal center reaction is a specialized microanatomical process in secondary lymphoid organs where antigen-activated B cells undergo somatic hypermutation and clonal selection, increasing antibody binding affinity by orders of magnitude.

Gharial

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a fish-eating crocodilian of northern India and Nepal with a long, narrow snout, studded with sharp teeth. It is listed as Critically Endangered with only a few hundred breeding adults left.

Giant African Land Snail

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant African land snail (Lissachatina fulica) is a snail that can grow to 20 centimeters long and is one of the most damaging invasive species in the world. Originating in East Africa, it has spread across the tropics.

Giant African Millipede

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant African millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas) is one of the largest millipedes, growing to about 30 centimeters. It lives in the savannas and forests of East Africa and eats rotting plant matter.

Giant Amazonian Whip Spider

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant Amazonian whip spider (Heterophrynus batesii) is one of the largest whip spiders, with a leg span of up to about 45 centimeters across its whip legs. It lives on tree trunks in the Amazon rain forest.

Giant Ameiva

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant ameiva (Ameiva ameiva) is a large, fast, green and brown lizard of South America, active in the heat of the day. It has also been introduced to Florida.

Giant Barrel Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant barrel sponge (Xestospongia muta) is a large, barrel-shaped demosponge of Caribbean coral reefs that can grow taller than a diver. It is often called the redwood of the reef because mature individuals can live for many centuries.

Giant Burrowing Mayfly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant burrowing mayfly (Hexagenia limbata) is a large North American mayfly whose synchronized emergences from the Great Lakes and upper Mississippi are so dense that weather radar picks them up.

Giant Caecilian

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant caecilian (Atretochoana eiselti) is a large, lungless caecilian from the Amazon basin of Brazil. Reaching about 80 centimeters, it is the largest known tetrapod with no lungs.

Giant Camel Spider

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant camel spider (Galeodes arabs) is a large solifuge of deserts in the Middle East and North Africa. It is neither a spider nor a scorpion, and stories about its size and speed are exaggerated.

Giant Clam

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant clam (Tridacna gigas) is the largest living bivalve, with a shell up to about 1.2 meters across and a mass of more than 200 kilograms. It lives on Indo-Pacific coral reefs and was uplisted to Critically Endangered by the IUCN in 2024.

Giant Green Anemone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant green anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica) is a large, green anemone of tide pools on the Pacific coast of North America, up to about 30 centimeters across. Its green color comes from algae living in its tissues.

Giant Isopod

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant isopod (Bathynomus giganteus) is a deep-sea crustacean up to about 40 centimeters long. It looks like an enormous pill bug and scavenges on carcasses on the cold seafloor.

Giant Kelp

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) is a brown alga that forms underwater forests along cool coasts of the Pacific and Southern Hemisphere.

Giant Manta Ray

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant manta ray (Mobula birostris) is the largest ray, with a wingspan that can approach 7 meters. It glides through tropical and subtropical seas feeding on plankton and is listed as Endangered.

Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is the largest extant species of octopod within the class Cephalopoda (phylum Mollusca), native to the cold, oxygen-rich benthic waters of the North Pacific from California to Japan and the Aleutian Islands.

Giant Panda

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a black-and-white bear of the bamboo forests of central China. It eats almost nothing but bamboo, though it has the digestive system of a carnivore. It is listed as Vulnerable after a recovery from Endangered.

Giant Roundworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides) is the largest nematode parasite of the human intestine, with females growing to more than 30 centimeters. It is among the most common human parasites, infecting hundreds of millions of people.

Giant Sequoia

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) is the largest tree on Earth by trunk volume, growing on the western slopes of California's Sierra Nevada. Some trees are over 3,000 years old. It is listed as Endangered.

Giant Spore Soil Fungus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gigaspora margarita is an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus whose spores are among the largest of any fungus, around a third of a millimeter across, large enough to see without a microscope.

Giant Squid

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant squid (Architeuthis dux) is a deep-sea cephalopod that can reach 12 meters or more in length and has the largest eyes in the animal kingdom apart from the colossal squid, up to about 27 centimeters across.

Giant Tube Worm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant tube worm (Riftia pachyptila) is a red-plumed worm that lives next to hydrothermal vents on the deep East Pacific seafloor. It has no mouth or gut as an adult and instead feeds through symbiotic bacteria that turn vent chemicals into food.

Giant Water Bug

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant water bug (Lethocerus americanus) is a large, flat, brown aquatic bug, up to about 6 centimeters long, that ambushes fish, frogs and tadpoles. It is nicknamed the toe-biter.

Giant Water Lily

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant water lily (Victoria amazonica) is an aquatic plant of the Amazon basin whose floating leaves can reach three meters across. It was the inspiration for a famous glass-and-iron building of the nineteenth century.

Giant Weta

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giant weta (Deinacrida heteracantha), or wētāpunga, is a huge, wingless cricket relative of New Zealand and one of the heaviest insects in the world. Gravid females can weigh as much as a small mouse.

Gibbs free energy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gibbs free energy (G = H - TS) is a thermodynamic state potential that measures the maximum reversible non-expansion work extractable from a closed system at constant temperature and pressure.

Gila Monster

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) is a heavy, slow venomous lizard of the Sonoran and Mojave deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is listed as Near Threatened.

Ginkgo

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is a tree with fan-shaped leaves, the only surviving species of a lineage of seed plants that dates back some 270 million years. It is listed as Endangered in the wild, but it thrives as a street tree in cities around the world.

Giraffe

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is the tallest living land animal, reaching about 5 to 6 meters. Genetic studies suggest several distinct giraffe species, and the group is listed as Vulnerable after population declines of roughly a third in a few decades.

Giraffe Weevil

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The giraffe weevil (Trachelophorus giraffa) is a red-and-black beetle from Madagascar with a long neck, especially long in males. The neck is used in fights and in rolling leaves.

Glacier

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A glacier is a perennial, land-based body of dense crystalline ice formed where multi-year snow accumulation exceeds ablation, compacting into an impermeable mass that deforms and flows downslope under its own weight.

Glaciology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Glaciology is the geophysical and thermodynamic study of the planetary cryosphere—encompassing continental ice sheets, alpine glaciers, ice shelves, sea ice, and permafrost.

Glauconitic Greensand

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Glauconitic greensand is a sand or sandstone colored by pellets of glauconite, a green iron- and potassium-bearing clay mineral of the mica family that forms on the sea floor. Greensands mark places where sediment piled up very slowly.

Glittering Woodmoss

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Glittering woodmoss (Hylocomium splendens) is a feathery moss that carpets the floor of boreal forests across the Northern Hemisphere. It grows in a stepped pattern, each year's shoot arising from the middle of the previous year's.

Global warming potential

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Global warming potential (GWP) is a standardized radiative metric used in Earth system science and international climate policy to compare the time-integrated radiative forcing of a pulse emission of a greenhouse gas relative to carbon dioxide.

Gluconeogenesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The anabolic metabolic pathway that synthesizes glucose from non-carbohydrate carbon precursors such as lactate, glucogenic amino acids, and glycerol to maintain blood glucose homeostasis during fasting.

Glucose

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Glucose is a six-carbon sugar with the formula C6H12O6 that serves as the central fuel of cellular metabolism and the main product of photosynthesis.

Glycogen

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Glycogen is a hyperbranched homopolysaccharide of D-glucose linked by alpha-1,4 glycosidic chains and alpha-1,6 branch points every 8 to 12 residues, serving as the primary osmotically inert glucose reserve in animals and fungi.

Glycolysis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Glycolysis (the Embden–Meyerhof–Parnas pathway) is the ten-step cytosolic metabolic pathway that oxidizes one molecule of D-glucose into two molecules of pyruvate, yielding a net gain of two ATP and two NADH.

Glycosylation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Glycosylation is the attachment of sugar chains, called glycans, to proteins and lipids. It is one of the most common modifications of proteins, and it affects how they fold, how long they last and how cells recognize one another.

Gneiss

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gneiss is a high-grade, coarse-grained foliated metamorphic rock characterized by alternating light felsic and dark mafic compositional bands formed at temperatures of 600 to 900 degrees Celsius in deep mountain roots.

Goblet Glass Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The goblet glass sponge (Heterochone calyx) is a vase-shaped glass sponge of the cold northeastern Pacific, and one of the species that build glass sponge reefs off British Columbia. Its thin walls are supported by a lattice of silica.

Gold

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gold is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Au, atomic number 79, and standard atomic weight 196.97 u.

Golden Eagle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is a large, dark brown eagle with golden feathers on the nape, found in mountains, deserts and open country across the Northern Hemisphere. It is one of the most powerful raptors.

Golden Feather Star

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The golden feather star (Davidaster rubiginosus) is a Caribbean crinoid with many golden or orange arms, which opens into a feeding fan at night on reefs and walls.

Golden Poison Frog

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis) is a small, bright yellow frog of Colombia's Pacific coast rainforest and the most poisonous vertebrate known. A single frog carries enough batrachotoxin to kill several people. It is Endangered.

Golden Silk Orb-weaver

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The golden silk orb-weaver (Trichonephila clavipes) is a large spider of the warm Americas that spins an enormous web of golden-colored silk. The female is much larger than the male.

Golden Tegu

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The golden tegu (Tupinambis teguixin) is a large, black-and-yellow lizard of the rainforests and savannas of northern South America. Tegus are powerful omnivores with the intelligence for a lizard.

Golgi Apparatus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Golgi apparatus is a polarized eukaryotic endomembrane organelle composed of stacked membrane-bound cisternae that modifies, sorts, and packages proteins and lipids synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum for secretion or intracellular delivery.

Goliath Birdeater

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) is the heaviest spider in the world, weighing about 150 to 175 grams, with a leg span of around 28 centimeters. It lives in burrows in the rainforests of northern South America.

Goliath Frog

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The goliath frog (Conraua goliath) is the largest frog in the world, up to about 32 centimeters long and over 3 kilograms. It lives in fast-flowing rivers and waterfalls of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea and is listed as Endangered.

Gram-Negative Bacteria

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gram-negative bacteria are diderm prokaryotes characterized by a three-layered cell envelope comprising a cytoplasmic inner membrane, a thin periplasmic peptidoglycan cell wall, and an asymmetric outer membrane containing lipopolysaccharide endotoxin.

Gram-Positive Bacteria

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gram-positive bacteria are monoderm prokaryotes belonging primarily to the phyla Bacillota and Actinomycetota that retain crystal violet-iodine stain within a thick 20 to 80 nanometer peptidoglycan cell wall anchored by teichoic acids.

Granite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Granite is a coarse-grained plutonic igneous rock made mostly of quartz and feldspar, with smaller amounts of mica or amphibole.

Granodiorite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Granodiorite is a coarse-grained plutonic rock that looks like granite but contains more plagioclase than alkali feldspar.

Granulite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Granulite is a dense, high-temperature metamorphic rock of the deep continental crust, made of feldspar, quartz, pyroxene and often garnet, with almost no water-bearing minerals. It forms at around 750 to 900 degrees Celsius and 7 to 12 kilobars.

Graph Neural Network (Chemistry)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Graph neural networks in chemistry are machine-learning architectures that operate on non-Euclidean molecular graphs of atoms and bonds via iterative message passing to learn task-specific chemical representations and interatomic potentials.

Graphite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Graphite is a soft, grey, greasy-feeling form of pure carbon, C, made of flat hexagonal sheets. It marks paper, conducts electricity, and takes its name from the Greek for 'to write.'

Gravity Assist

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A gravity assist (gravitational slingshot) is an astrodynamic orbital maneuver that uses the hyperbolic flyby of a moving planet to change a spacecraft's heliocentric velocity and orbital energy without expending propellant.

Gray Short-tailed Opossum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) is a small South American marsupial that is used as a laboratory animal. It was the first marsupial to have its genome sequenced, in 2007.

Gray Wolf

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is the largest wild canid and, historically, the most widespread large carnivore on Earth.

Gray-bellied Shrew Opossum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The gray-bellied shrew opossum (Caenolestes caniventer) is a small, shrew-like marsupial of the cool montane forests of Ecuador and Peru. Shrew opossums are the only survivors of an ancient South American order.

Great Auk

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The great auk (Pinguinus impennis) was a large, flightless seabird of the North Atlantic that looked like a penguin. Hunted for meat, eggs and feathers, the last known pair was killed in 1844 off Iceland.

Great Blue Heron

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The great blue heron (Ardea herodias) is the largest heron in North America, standing about a meter tall with a wingspan near two meters. It stalks fish in shallow water with exceptional patience.

Great Green Bush-cricket

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The great green bush-cricket (Tettigonia viridissima) is a large, bright green insect of Europe and Asia, and one of the loudest singers of summer meadows. Despite the name, bush-crickets are katydids.

Great Hammerhead

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) is the largest hammerhead shark, reaching about 6 meters, and is found in warm coastal and offshore waters worldwide. It is listed as Critically Endangered.

Great Horned Owl

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) is a powerful, widely distributed owl of the Americas, easily recognized by its prominent feather tufts ('horns'). It hunts everything from mice to skunks and other owls.

Great Oxidation Event

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Great Oxidation Event (GOE) was the period, roughly 2.4 to 2.0 billion years ago, when free oxygen first accumulated in Earth's atmosphere and shallow oceans. It is one of the most consequential changes in the history of the planet and was caused by life.

Great Scallop

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The great scallop (Pecten maximus) is a large bivalve of the northeastern Atlantic with a fan-shaped shell. Unlike most bivalves it can swim, and its mantle edge is lined with up to about a hundred tiny blue eyes.

Great White Shark

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is the largest predatory fish, reaching about 6 meters in length, and is found in coastal and offshore waters of all temperate and subtropical seas. It is listed as Vulnerable.

Greater Bilby

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) is a burrowing, nocturnal marsupial of the Australian deserts, easy to recognize by its long ears and pointed snout. It is listed as Vulnerable, having disappeared from most of its former range.

Greater Bird-of-paradise

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The greater bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea apoda) is a bird of the forests of southern New Guinea and the Aru Islands, famous for the golden plumes of the male that cascade from his flanks during courtship displays.

Greater Blue-ringed Octopus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The greater blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) is a golf-ball-sized octopus of Indo-Pacific tide pools and reefs, with iridescent blue rings that flash when it is threatened. Its saliva contains the deadly neurotoxin tetrodotoxin.

Greater Horseshoe Bat

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) is a large insect-eating bat of Europe, North Africa and Asia, named for the horseshoe-shaped fleshy 'nose-leaf' that shapes its sonar calls. Its numbers have fallen across much of Europe.

Greater Rhea

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The greater rhea (Rhea americana) is a large, flightless bird of the grasslands of South America and the largest bird in the Americas, standing about 1.5 meters tall. It is listed as Near Threatened.

Green Anaconda

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) is the heaviest snake in the world, with big females weighing over 100 kilograms. It lives in the swamps and slow rivers of tropical South America.

Green Brittle Star

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The green brittle star (Ophiarachna incrassata) is a large, mottled green brittle star of Indo-Pacific coral reefs, with long, banded arms. Unlike most brittle stars, it can capture small fish.

Green Drake Mayfly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The green drake mayfly (Ephemera danica) is a large European mayfly whose adults emerge in mass hatches in late spring.

Green Iguana

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The green iguana (Iguana iguana) is a large, tree-dwelling lizard of Central and South America. It is a vegetarian, grows to about two meters including the tail, and has become an invasive species in Florida and parts of the Caribbean.

Green Sea Turtle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a large sea turtle of tropical and subtropical oceans, named for the green color of its fat.

Green Sea Urchin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) is a spiny, olive-green urchin of cold northern seas around the globe. It is a keystone grazer: when its numbers surge, it can clear kelp beds and leave rocky 'barrens'.

Greenhouse effect

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The greenhouse effect is the radiative transfer process in which infrared-active polyatomic trace gases and clouds absorb upwelling terrestrial longwave radiation and re-emit thermal energy from higher, colder atmospheric altitudes.

Greenhouse gas

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A greenhouse gas is any atmospheric gas whose vibrational-rotational transitions absorb and emit thermal infrared radiation, regulating planetary surface temperature and radiative balance.

Greenland Ice Sheet

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Greenland Ice Sheet is the second-largest terrestrial ice body on Earth, covering 1.71 million square kilometers and storing 2.96 million cubic kilometers of ice, equivalent to 7.42 meters of global mean sea-level rise.

Gregor Mendel

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gregor Johann Mendel (1822–1884) was an Austrian Augustinian friar and scientist whose quantitative hybridization experiments on Pisum sativum in Brno established the particulate laws of inheritance and founded classical genetics.

Grey Parrot

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) is a medium-sized parrot of the forests of central Africa, famous for its talent for imitating speech and its intelligence. It is listed as Endangered because of trapping for the pet trade and loss of forest.

Greywacke

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Greywacke is a hard, dark, poorly sorted sandstone with angular grains of quartz, feldspar and rock fragments set in a matrix of fine clay and chlorite. It is typically deposited by turbidity currents in deep marine settings.

Grizzly Bear

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) is a North American subspecies of the brown bear, found in Alaska, western Canada and a few isolated areas of the northwestern United States. It is listed as threatened in the contiguous United States.

Grooved Brain Coral

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The grooved brain coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis) is a hemispherical, dome-shaped reef coral of the Caribbean and Bermuda, whose surface is covered with winding valleys resembling a brain.

Groundcedar

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Groundcedar (Diphasiastrum complanatum) is a creeping lycophyte with flattened, fan-like branches that resemble the foliage of cedar trees. It forms mats on the floor of northern conifer forests.

Groundwater

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Groundwater is the subsurface reservoir of the global hydrosphere, residing within the pore spaces, fractures, and permeable geological formations of the pedosphere and upper lithosphere.

Group I and Group II Introns

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Group I and Group II introns are large self-splicing catalytic RNAs that excise themselves from precursor RNA transcripts and ligate flanking exons via two sequential transesterification reactions without requiring protein enzymes.

Guanine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Guanine is classified as a purine nucleobase, characterized by a bicyclic heterocyclic molecular topology consisting of a six-membered pyrimidine ring fused to a five-membered imidazole ring.

Guiana Giant Whip Spider

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Guiana giant whip spider (Heterophrynus alces) is a large whip spider of the rainforests of the Guiana Shield, with huge spiny pedipalps. The species name alces refers to the antler-like shape of the pedipalps in males.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute post-infectious immune-mediated polyradiculoneuropathy driven by molecular mimicry between microbial surface antigens and peripheral nerve gangliosides, causing ascending flaccid paralysis and areflexia.

Gumboot Chiton

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The gumboot chiton (Cryptochiton stelleri) is the largest chiton in the world, up to about 33 centimeters long, and lives on rocky shores of the North Pacific. Its eight shell plates are buried under a thick, red-brown leathery mantle.

Gympie-gympie

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gympie-gympie (Dendrocnide moroides) is a stinging tree of the rainforests of northeastern Australia. Its heart-shaped leaves are covered with fine hairs that inject a toxin, causing pain that can last for weeks or months.

Gypsum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Gypsum is hydrated calcium sulfate, CaSO₄·2H₂O, a very soft monoclinic mineral with a hardness of 2, the standard for that number on the Mohs scale. Its clear crystals are called selenite, and sand-filled rosettes are known as desert roses.

Gyrfalcon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) is the largest falcon in the world, a powerful hunter of the Arctic tundra. It comes in white, gray and dark forms, and white birds are especially prized.

Haber-Bosch process

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Haber-Bosch process is an industrial catalytic procedure that synthesizes reactive ammonia (NH3) from atmospheric dinitrogen (N2) and hydrogen gas (H2) at high temperature and pressure.

Habitat Fragmentation, Edge Effects, and Landscape Ecology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Habitat fragmentation, edge effects, and landscape ecology analyze how spatial configuration, patch isolation, microclimatic boundaries, and extinction debt govern biodiversity in modified landscapes.

Hadley cell

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Hadley cell is the thermally direct meridional overturning circulation of the tropical atmosphere, rising in the Intertropical Convergence Zone and subsiding in the subtropics between 0° and 30° latitude.

Hafnium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Hafnium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Hf, atomic number 72, and standard atomic weight 178.49 u.

Halite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Halite is sodium chloride, NaCl, the mineral form of common salt, with isometric crystals, perfect cubic cleavage and a hardness of 2.5. It forms thick beds of rock salt and is the main mineral of dried-up seas and salt lakes.

Halogen

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The halogens constitute Group 17 of the periodic table—fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, astatine, and tennessine—characterized by an ns2np5 valence configuration, high electronegativity, and the formation of diatomic X2 molecules and halide salts.

Hammerhead Ribozyme

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The hammerhead ribozyme is a small self-cleaving nucleolytic RNA motif that catalyzes reversible site-specific phosphodiester bond cleavage and ligation via an in-line 2'-hydroxyl nucleophilic attack.

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Hardy-Weinberg principle is the foundational mathematical null model of population genetics, demonstrating that allele and genotype frequencies remain invariant across generations in an infinitely large, randomly mating population free of selection, mutation, and migration.

Harpoon Weed

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Harpoon weed (Asparagopsis armata) is a pink-red seaweed with barbed branches that cling to other algae and to fishing nets like harpoons. Originally from Australia and New Zealand, it has invaded the Mediterranean and the northeastern Atlantic.

Harpy Eagle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) is one of the largest and most powerful eagles in the world, a top predator of Central and South American rainforests. It hunts sloths and monkeys in the canopy with talons as big as a bear's claws.

Hassium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Hassium (Hs, atomic number 108) is a synthetic Period 7 Group 8 transition metal featuring a deformed doubly magic shell closure at ²⁷⁰Hs (Z = 108, N = 162) and a volatile tetrahedral tetroxide (HsO₄) homologous to osmium tetroxide.

Hat Thrower Fungus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The hat thrower fungus (Pilobolus crystallinus) grows on the dung of grazing animals and fires its spore packet up to two meters away, with one of the fastest accelerations in the living world.

Headless Chicken Monster

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The headless chicken monster (Enypniastes eximia) is a swimming sea cucumber of the deep ocean, nicknamed for its resemblance to a plucked chicken. It is one of the few sea cucumbers that swims.

Helicase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Helicases are motor enzymes that hydrolyze nucleoside triphosphates to translocate directionally along nucleic acid backbones and unwind double-stranded DNA or RNA duplexes.

Helium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Helium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol He, atomic number 2, and standard atomic weight 4.0026 u.

Hellbender

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) is a large aquatic salamander of clear, fast streams in the eastern United States, growing up to about 70 centimeters. Its wrinkled, flattened body helps it live under rocks in cold, oxygen-rich water.

Hematite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Hematite is iron(III) oxide, Fe₂O₃, with trigonal crystals and a hardness of 5.5 to 6.5. It is the world's main iron ore, and whatever its outside color, from steel-grey to red, it always leaves a red-brown streak.

Heme

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Heme (British English: haem) is a prosthetic coordination complex consisting of a central iron ion (Fe2+ or Fe3+) chelated at the center of a planar, aromatic tetrapyrrole macrocycle known as a porphyrin.

Hemoglobin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Hemoglobin is the heterotetrameric iron-porphyrin metalloprotein in vertebrate erythrocytes that transports molecular oxygen from the lungs or gills to peripheral tissues and facilitates the return of carbon dioxide and protons.

Hemolymph

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Hemolymph is the circulating extracellular fluid of arthropods and most molluscs with an open circulatory system, filling the hemocoel to transport nutrients, hormones, and innate immune effectors.

Henderson–Hasselbalch Equation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation is a logarithmic chemical equilibrium relationship that relates the pH of an aqueous solution to the acid dissociation constant (pKa) and the concentration ratio of conjugate base to weak acid.

Hercules Beetle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) is a rhinoceros beetle of Central and South American rainforests and the Lesser Antilles. Males, which can reach about 17 centimeters including their horns, are among the longest beetles in the world.

Heritability

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Heritability is a quantitative genetic statistic that measures the proportion of total phenotypic variance in a trait within a specific population and environment that is attributable to genetic variance among individuals.

Hermann Joseph Muller

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Hermann Joseph Muller (1890–1967) was an American geneticist and 1946 Nobel Laureate who discovered X-ray mutagenesis in Drosophila melanogaster, invented balancer chromosomes, classified allelic morphs, and formulated Muller's ratchet.

Herring Worm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The herring worm (Anisakis simplex) is a parasitic roundworm whose larvae live in the flesh of marine fish and squid. People who eat raw or undercooked fish can become infected, causing a condition called anisakiasis.

Hertzsprung–Russell Diagram

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Hertzsprung–Russell (H–R) diagram is the foundational two-dimensional diagnostic chart of stellar astrophysics, plotting stellar bolometric luminosity or absolute magnitude against surface effective temperature or spectral class.

Heterozygosity

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Heterozygosity is the fundamental metric of standing genetic diversity in diploid populations, defined as the proportion of individuals carrying two distinct alleles at a locus or the probability that two randomly sampled alleles differ.

Heterozygote Advantage

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Heterozygote advantage (overdominance) is a selective regime in which diploid heterozygotes at a genetic locus exhibit higher Darwinian fitness than either homozygote, actively maintaining stable genetic polymorphism.

High-Throughput Screening

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

High-throughput screening (HTS) is the automated experimental testing of hundreds of thousands to millions of chemical compounds in miniaturized microplate assays to identify initial bioactive hit molecules that modulate a validated drug target.

Hippopotamus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), or common hippopotamus, is a large, semi-aquatic placental mammal of the order Cetartiodactyla and family Hippopotamidae native to rivers, lakes, and wetlands across sub-Saharan Africa.

Histone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Histones are highly alkaline, evolutionarily conserved nuclear proteins found in eukaryotes and most archaea that package genomic DNA into structural units called nucleosomes and regulate gene expression through covalent post-translational modifications.

History of Vaccination and Disease Eradication

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The history of vaccination traces the evolution from ancient variolation and Edward Jenner's 1796 cowpox inoculation to rational pathogen attenuation, cell-culture virology, and global disease eradication campaigns.

Hit-to-Lead and Lead Optimization

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Hit-to-lead and lead optimization are iterative medicinal chemistry stages that transform micromolar screening hits into nanomolar clinical drug candidates by balancing target potency, selectivity, and pharmacokinetic profiles across Design-Make-Test-Analyze cycles.

HIV

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a complex lentivirus of the family Retroviridae that infects and depletes CD4+ T lymphocytes and macrophages, causing acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) if untreated by combination antiretroviral therapy.

HLA Pharmacogenetics and Drug Hypersensitivity

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

HLA pharmacogenetics and drug hypersensitivity investigates the immunogenetic mechanisms by which specific polymorphic alleles of the Human Leukocyte Antigen (major histocompatibility complex, MHC) locus on chromosome 6p21.3 predispose patients...

Hoag's Object

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Hoag's Object (PGC 54559) is a rare ring galaxy in Serpens, about 600 million light-years away, with a nearly perfect blue ring of young stars around a round yellow core. Arthur Hoag discovered it in 1950.

Hoatzin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) is a pheasant-sized bird of the swamps and riverbanks of the Amazon and Orinoco basins. It eats leaves and ferments them in an enlarged crop, which gives it a manure-like smell.

Hohmann Transfer Orbit

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A Hohmann transfer orbit is a two-impulse elliptical orbital maneuver used to transfer a spacecraft between two coplanar circular orbits of different radii around a central gravitating body using the minimum possible propellant for a two-burn transfer.

Holmium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Holmium is a soft, malleable, silvery-white metal on the periodic table represented by the symbol Ho, atomic number 67, and standard atomic weight 164.93 u.

Holocene

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Holocene is the current geological epoch of the Quaternary Period, beginning approximately 11,700 calendar years before present after the termination of the Last Glacial Period and Younger Dryas stadial.

Homeostasis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

See also: Cellular Homeostasis for the page specifically related to cellular biology.

Homochirality

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Homochirality (or biological homochirality) is the geometric and stereochemical property of terrestrial biochemistry whereby chiral monomeric building blocks are synthesized and utilized in a single mirror-image configuration (enantiomer)...

Homologous Recombination

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Homologous recombination is a high-fidelity genetic pathway that utilizes an intact sister chromatid or homologous chromosome as a template to repair DNA double-strand breaks, rescue stalled replication forks, and generate meiotic crossovers.

Homology (Biology)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Biological homology is the similarity of anatomical structures, developmental pathways, or molecular sequences across taxa resulting from inheritance from a shared common ancestor, distinguished from analogous convergent evolution.

Honduran White Bat

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Honduran white bat (Ectophylla alba) is a tiny, snow-white bat with a yellow nose and ears, found in the rainforests of Central America. It roosts under large leaves that it modifies into tents.

Horizontal Gene Transfer

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT), also known as lateral gene transfer (LGT), is the movement of genetic material between unicellular or multicellular organisms other than by vertical parent-to-offspring inheritance.

Horned Stalked Jellyfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The horned stalked jellyfish (Lucernaria quadricornis) is a stalked jellyfish (staurozoan) of cold northern waters that attaches to rocks and seaweed. Its cup-shaped body has four pairs of arms tipped with clusters of tentacles.

Hornfels

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Hornfels is a dense, hard, fine-grained metamorphic rock formed by heat alone when an igneous intrusion bakes the rock around it. The name is German for 'horn rock,' after its tough, splintery, horn-like fracture.

Horse

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The horse (Equus caballus) was domesticated on the steppes of western Eurasia roughly 4,000 to 4,500 years ago and transformed transport, farming and warfare.

Horse Pinworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The horse pinworm (Oxyuris equi) is a nematode that lives in the large intestine of horses. Females lay their eggs around the horse's anus, causing itching and tail-rubbing.

House Centipede

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The house centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata) is a fast, long-legged centipede that lives in houses, basements and bathrooms around the world. It hunts spiders, cockroaches, silverfish and other small household pests.

House Dust Mite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The house dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) is a microscopic arachnid, about 0.4 millimeters long, that lives in bedding, carpets and upholstery and feeds on shed human skin. Its droppings are a major source of indoor allergens.

House Fly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The house fly (Musca domestica) is one of the most widespread insects, living close to people on every continent but Antarctica. It breeds in manure and rotting waste and can spread disease-causing microbes.

House Mouse

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The house mouse (Mus musculus) is a small rodent that lives alongside people worldwide and is the most widely used mammal in biomedical research. Its genome was sequenced in 2002, and most of its genes have counterparts in humans.

Human

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The human (Homo sapiens) is a species of great ape that evolved in Africa at least 300,000 years ago and now lives on every continent. Humans are distinguished by habitual bipedal walking, a large brain, complex language and culture.

Human Genome Project

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Human Genome Project (HGP) was an international research effort, carried out from 1990 to 2003, to read the complete DNA sequence of a human being. It cost about 2.7 billion US dollars, and its open release of data set the standard for sharing in biology.

Human Pinworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The human pinworm (Enterobius vermicularis) is a small, white nematode that lives in the large intestine. It is the most common worm infection in temperate countries, particularly in school-age children, and is harmless apart from itching.

Human Whipworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The human whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) is a roundworm named for its whip shape: a thin front end embedded in the lining of the large intestine and a thicker rear end.

Hund's Rules

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Hund's rules are three quantum-mechanical principles formulated by Friedrich Hund that determine the lowest-energy spectroscopic ground-state term symbol of multi-electron atoms, ions, and molecules with partially filled degenerate subshells.

Hurricane

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A hurricane (scientifically classified as a severe tropical cyclone) is a rapidly rotating, highly organized storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms.

Hybrid Zone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A hybrid zone is a narrow geographic region where genetically differentiated populations meet, mate, and produce offspring of mixed ancestry across steep allele-frequency clines.

Hycean Planet

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A Hycean planet is a class of temperate, volatile-rich exoplanet up to 2.6 Earth radii and 10 Earth masses that hosts a planet-wide liquid water ocean beneath a substantial molecular hydrogen-rich atmosphere.

Hydrofluorocarbons

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are synthetic organofluorine compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and fluorine that serve as non-ozone-depleting refrigerants while acting as potent infrared-absorbing greenhouse gases.

Hydrogen

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Hydrogen is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol H, atomic number 1, and standard atomic weight 1.008 u ([1.00784, 1.00811] u).

Hydrogen bond

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Hydrogen bonds are directional, non-covalent intermolecular and intramolecular interactions that govern the structural organization of water and biological macromolecules across the biosphere.

Hydrology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Hydrology is the quantitative scientific study of the distribution, spatial movement, and physicochemical properties of water across the Earth system.

Hydrophobic Effect

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The hydrophobic effect is the entropically driven thermodynamic tendency of nonpolar molecules and chemical groups to aggregate in aqueous solution in order to minimize the disruption of water's hydrogen-bonded network.

Hydrosphere

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The hydrosphere is the total amount of water found on, under, and above the surface of a planet.

Hydrothermal Vent

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A hydrothermal vent is an opening in the seafloor, usually near a mid-ocean ridge, from which water heated by magma flows out. Vents support dense communities of animals that live without sunlight, using chemical energy instead.

Hypercycle (Chemistry)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A hypercycle is a cyclic reaction network of self-replicating macromolecules linked by mutual second-order autocatalysis, proposed by Manfred Eigen and Peter Schuster in 1977 to overcome the error threshold in abiogenesis.

Iberian Sun Spider

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Iberian sun spider (Gluvia dorsalis) is the only solifuge native to southwestern Europe, inhabiting dry Mediterranean scrublands across Spain and Portugal where it hunts arthropods using hypertrophied, non-venomous chelicerae and high-speed tracheal respiration.

Ice sheets

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ice sheets are continental-scale domes of meteoric glacial ice exceeding 50,000 square kilometers in area that store more than two-thirds of Earth's freshwater and regulate global sea level.

Ice-albedo feedback

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The ice-albedo feedback is a positive radiative climate feedback in which cryospheric retreat replaces reflective snow and ice surfaces with absorptive ocean water or land, amplifying regional and global temperature responses to radiative forcing.

Ideal Gas Law

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The ideal gas law is the fundamental thermodynamic equation of state (PV = nRT = Nk_B T) relating pressure, volume, absolute temperature, and molar quantity in a gas of non-interacting point particles undergoing elastic collisions.

Identity by Descent

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Identity by descent (IBD) occurs when two homologous alleles or chromosomal segments in one or two individuals are inherited as physical copies of the exact same ancestral allele from a common ancestor without intervening mutation.

Immortal Jellyfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) is a tiny hydrozoan jellyfish that can revert from an adult back to a juvenile polyp when stressed or injured. It is the best-known example of a life cycle that can run in reverse.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are therapeutic monoclonal antibodies that block co-inhibitory receptors such as CTLA-4, PD-1, and LAG-3 or their ligands, reversing T-cell exhaustion to restore endogenous antitumor cytotoxicity.

Immunology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Immunology is the branch of biology that investigates the physiological mechanisms organisms utilize to recognize and neutralize foreign macromolecules and pathogens, maintaining internal homeostasis.

Inbreeding Depression

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Inbreeding depression is the decline in biological fitness, survival, and fecundity among offspring of genetically related parents caused by elevated genome-wide homozygosity and the expression of deleterious recessive alleles.

Incan Shrew Opossum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Incan shrew opossum (Lestoros inca) is a rare shrew opossum of the high Andes of Peru and Bolivia. It is so seldom seen that it is known mostly from museum specimens.

Incomplete Lineage Sorting

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Incomplete lineage sorting is the persistence of ancestral genetic polymorphism across successive speciation events, causing individual gene trees to differ topologically from the species tree.

Indian Peafowl

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) is a large pheasant of South Asia. The male, the peacock, has a spectacular train of long feathers with iridescent eyespots that it fans in courtship. It is the national bird of India.

Indium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Indium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol In (from Latin indicum, 'indigo,' after the bright indigo-blue spectral emission line at 451.13 nm that revealed its existence), atomic number 49, and standard atomic weight 114.818 u.

Indonesian Coelacanth

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis) is a second living species of coelacanth, discovered in 1997 near Manado on the island of Sulawesi, thousands of kilometers from the Comoros population.

Industrial Melanism

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Industrial melanism is the rapid evolutionary rise in dark, eumelanin-pigmented morphs in animal populations—most famously the peppered moth Biston betularia—driven by directional avian predation on soot-darkened, sulfur-dioxide-denuded habitats.

Inflammasome

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An inflammasome is a cytosolic multiprotein innate immune signaling complex composed of a pattern-recognition sensor, the bipartite adaptor protein ASC, and the zymogen pro-caspase-1 that drives interleukin-1beta/18 maturation and gasdermin-D-mediated pyroptosis.

Inflammation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Inflammation is a tightly regulated, vascularized innate immune response to microbial infection or sterile tissue injury that coordinates vasodilation, microvascular permeability, and leukocyte extravasation to eliminate pathogens and initiate tissue repair.

Inflated Sea Biscuit

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The inflated sea biscuit (Clypeaster rosaceus) is a large, domed sea urchin of the shallow sand and seagrass beds of the Caribbean and western Atlantic. It can reach about 20 centimeters, one of the largest sand dollar relatives.

Infrared Radiation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Infrared radiation is electromagnetic radiation spanning wavelengths from 700 nanometers to 1 millimeter between visible red light and microwaves, governing molecular vibrational spectroscopy and Earth's outgoing thermal energy balance.

Insect Repellent

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An insect repellent is a topical, clothing-applied, or spatial chemical agent that disrupts the chemosensory and thermosensory host-seeking cascades of hematophagous arthropods to prevent biting and vector-borne disease transmission.

Interferon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Interferons are signaling proteins that cells release in response to viruses and other threats, switching on hundreds of antiviral genes in nearby cells and coordinating the immune response.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The IPCC does not conduct original empirical research, nor does it operate planetary monitoring networks.

International Chemical Identifier

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The International Chemical Identifier (InChI) is a non-proprietary, canonical, layered text identifier developed by IUPAC and NIST to provide a globally invariant digital signature and 27-character hashed InChIKey for chemical substances.

International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) is the global scientific authority under the International Union of Microbiological Societies responsible for classifying viruses and ratifying official taxonomic ranks and binomial species names.

Intertropical Convergence Zone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is the planetary belt of low atmospheric pressure, trade-wind convergence, and deep cumulonimbus convection encircling Earth near the thermal equator.

Introduction to Recombinant DNA Technology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Recombinant DNA technology comprises the experimental molecular methods used to cleave, join, clone, and express chimeric deoxyribonucleic acid molecules assembled from distinct biological sources.

Introduction to the Earth System

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Earth system is the integrated, interacting set of physical, chemical, biological, and geological components that collectively constitute the planet Earth and govern its global climate and habitability.

Introns

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Introns are non-coding intervening nucleotide sequences within a gene that are transcribed into precursor RNA and excised by RNA splicing to join flanking exons.

Invasive Species and Biotic Homogenization

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Invasion biology and biotic homogenization examine the transport, establishment, and ecological spread of non-native species and the resulting loss of beta-diversity across global biotas.

Investigational New Drug and CMC

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An Investigational New Drug application and its Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls dossier establish the regulatory authorization, chemical synthesis scale-up, analytical purity standards, and cGMP manufacturing controls required to initiate human clinical trials.

Iodine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Iodine is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol I (coined in 1813 by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac from the Greek iōdēs, "violet-colored," after the deep purple hue of its diatomic vapor), atomic number 53, and standard...

Ion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An ion is an atom or covalently bound polyatomic molecule carrying a net nonzero electric charge due to an unequal number of protons and electrons, governing electrolyte thermodynamics, crystal lattices, and cellular bioelectricity.

Ion Channels

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ion channels are integral pore-forming transmembrane proteins that catalyze the selective, passive electrodiffusion of inorganic ions across biological membranes at rates of 10^6 to 10^8 ions per second down their electrochemical gradients.

Ionic Bonding

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ionic bonding is the non-directional electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged cations and anions formed by electron transfer, stabilized in extended crystalline solids by long-range Coulombic lattice energy.

Ionization Energy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ionization energy is the minimum endothermic energy required to remove an electron from an isolated gaseous atom, molecule, or ion in its electronic ground state to infinite separation.

Iridium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Iridium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Ir, atomic number 77, and standard atomic weight 192.22 u.

Iron

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Iron is a ferromagnetic Group 8 transition metal (Fe, Z = 26) that constitutes the bulk of Earth's core, serves as the primary structural metal of industrial steelmaking, and mediates biological oxygen transport and electron transfer via heme and iron-sulfur cofactors.

Irukandji Jellyfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Irukandji jellyfish (Carukia barnesi) is a transparent box jellyfish about a centimeter across, from the waters of northern Australia. Its sting is barely noticed at first but can lead to an acute systemic condition called Irukandji syndrome.

Island Biogeography

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The equilibrium theory of island biogeography (MacArthur & Wilson, 1967) models local species richness (Ŝ) on islands and habitat fragments as a dynamic balance between distance-dependent immigration rates and area-dependent extinction rates.

J. B. S. Haldane

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

John Burdon Sanderson Haldane (1892 to 1964) was a British-Indian geneticist and physiologist who, with Ronald Fisher and Sewall Wright, founded the mathematical theory of population genetics. He was known for his wit as much as for his science.

Jackson's Chameleon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Jackson's chameleon (Trioceros jacksonii) is a three-horned chameleon from the highlands of Kenya and Tanzania. Males have long horns on the head, which they use to joust, and it gives birth to live young.

Jadeitite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Jadeitite is a tough, translucent green rock made of more than 90 percent jadeite, a sodium-aluminum pyroxene. It is one of the two rocks known as jade, along with the amphibole rock nephrite, and it forms from fluids deep in subduction zones.

Jaguar

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The jaguar (Panthera onca) is the largest cat of the Americas, a stocky, rosette-spotted predator ranging from Mexico to Argentina. It is listed as Near Threatened, having lost about half of its historic range.

Jahn–Teller Effect

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Jahn–Teller effect is a vibronic symmetry-breaking phenomenon in which any non-linear molecular system with a spatially degenerate electronic ground state spontaneously distorts its geometry to lift the degeneracy and lower its total energy.

James Watson

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

James Dewey Watson (born 1928) is an American molecular biologist, geneticist, and science administrator who co-discovered the right-handed antiparallel double-helix structure of B-DNA with Francis Crick in 1953, sharing the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Japanese encephalitis virus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Japanese encephalitis virus (species Orthoflavivirus japonicum) is a mosquito-borne positive-sense single-stranded RNA flavivirus maintained between Culex mosquitoes, ardeid wading birds, and domestic pigs across Asia and the western Pacific.

Japanese Giant Salamander

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus) is a huge, aquatic salamander of the cool, clear mountain streams of Japan, up to about 1.5 meters long. It is a protected natural monument.

Japanese Mantis Shrimp

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Japanese mantis shrimp (Oratosquilla oratoria) is a spearing mantis shrimp of the shallow, muddy bottoms of East Asia, caught for food and eaten as a delicacy in Japan, where it is called shako.

Jezero Crater

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Jezero Crater is a 45-kilometer-diameter Noachian impact crater on the western edge of Mars's Isidis Planitia basin that hosted a hydrologically open paleolake and river delta ~3.7 to 3.5 billion years ago and serves as the exploration site for NASA's Perseverance rover.

JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) is the first Large-class mission of the European Space Agency Cosmic Vision programme, launched in April 2023 to investigate the ocean-bearing Galilean moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa before entering orbit around Ganymede in December 2034.

Kakapo

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) is a large, flightless, nocturnal parrot of New Zealand and the heaviest parrot in the world. Critically endangered, it numbers only around 250 birds, all intensively managed.

Kea

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The kea (Nestor notabilis) is an olive-green, curious parrot of the alpine regions of New Zealand's South Island. It is known for its intelligence and mischief, and is listed as Endangered.

Kelp Forests and Rocky Intertidal Zonation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Kelp forests and rocky intertidal shores are temperate coastal ecosystems structured by cold nutrient upwelling, Laminariales macroalgal productivity, sea otter-urchin trophic cascades, and vertical abiotic-biotic zonation.

Kelvin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The kelvin (symbol K) is the base unit of thermodynamic temperature in the International System of Units, defined since 2019 by fixing the numerical value of the Boltzmann constant and anchored at 0 K.

Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Kepler's laws of planetary motion are three classical principles of astrodynamics formulated by Johannes Kepler between 1609 and 1619 that describe the elliptical geometry, areal velocity conservation, and period-semimajor axis scaling of two-body gravitational orbits.

Keratella Rotifer

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Keratella cochlearis is a tiny planktonic rotifer, only a fraction of a millimeter long, found in lakes and ponds around the world. Its body is enclosed in a sculpted, plate-like shell called a lorica.

Kermack–McKendrick Theory

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Kermack–McKendrick theory (1927) is the foundational mathematical framework of infectious disease epidemiology that models epidemic dynamics via compartmental SIR differential equations, establishing the epidemic threshold theorem and final outbreak size relation.

Keyhole Sand Dollar

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The keyhole sand dollar (Mellita quinquiesperforata) is a flat sea urchin of sandy shores of the western Atlantic and Caribbean. Its disc has five slits (lunules), which give it the 'keyhole' name.

Keystone Species

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A keystone species is an organism whose regulatory impact on community structure, trophic dynamics, and species diversity is disproportionately large relative to its numerical abundance or biomass.

Kimberlite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Kimberlite is a rare, volatile-rich igneous rock that erupts from the deep mantle through narrow, carrot-shaped pipes. It is the main primary source of diamonds and is named for the city of Kimberley, South Africa, where the first major diamond mines were dug.

Kin Selection

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Kin selection is the evolutionary mechanism by which alleles increase in frequency by promoting the survival and reproduction of genetically related individuals, governed by Hamilton's rule (rB > C).

Kinesin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Kinesin is a family of motor proteins that carry cargo along microtubules, mostly toward the plus end, which usually points to the cell periphery. The first kinesin was discovered in 1985 by Ronald Vale and colleagues in the giant axon of the squid.

Kinetic Energy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Kinetic energy is the scalar mechanical energy possessed by a physical body or particle system by virtue of its macroscopic or microscopic motion, equal to the work required to accelerate the mass from rest.

King Cobra

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the longest venomous snake, reaching about 4 to 5.5 meters, and lives in forests of India and Southeast Asia. It is not a true cobra of the genus Naja, and it is listed as Vulnerable.

King Penguin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second-largest penguin, after the emperor, and breeds in huge colonies on sub-Antarctic islands. Its orange ear patches and neck give it a regal look.

Koala

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal marsupial of eastern Australia that feeds almost exclusively on eucalyptus leaves.

Komatiite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Komatiite is an ultramafic volcanic rock with more than 18 weight percent magnesium oxide, found almost entirely in rocks older than about 2.5 billion years.

Komodo Dragon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the largest living lizard, up to about 3 meters long, found only on a handful of Indonesian islands including Komodo and Rinca.

Krypton

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Krypton is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Kr, atomic number 36, and a standard atomic weight of 83.798(2) u.

Kyanite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Kyanite is an aluminum silicate, Al₂SiO₅, that forms long, flat blue blades in high-pressure metamorphic rocks. It is one of three polymorphs of that formula, with andalusite and sillimanite, and its name comes from the Greek for 'dark blue.'

Kyoto Protocol

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Kyoto Protocol is a landmark international treaty that extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by committing state parties to rigorously reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

La Niña

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

La Niña is the cold phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), defined by sustained negative sea surface temperature anomalies across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and a strengthened Walker circulation.

Labradorite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Labradorite is a calcium-rich plagioclase feldspar, with 50 to 70 percent of the anorthite end member, that is famous for flashes of blue, green and gold called labradorescence. It is named for the Labrador coast of Canada, where it was first described.

Lace Monitor

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The lace monitor (Varanus varius) is a large, tree-climbing goanna of eastern Australia, second only to the perentie among Australian lizards. Its banded pattern looks like lace.

Lagging Strand

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The lagging strand is one of the two newly synthesized strands of deoxyribonucleic acid produced during active DNA replication.

Lagrange Point

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lagrange points are the five equilibrium positions in the orbital plane of two massive bodies where their combined gravitational pull exactly matches the centripetal acceleration required for a third negligible mass to co-rotate with them.

Lake Sturgeon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) is a large freshwater fish of the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and Mississippi basins, reaching about 2.7 meters. It is a living remnant of an ancient lineage.

Lanthanide Contraction

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The lanthanide contraction is the steady decrease in atomic and trivalent ionic radii across the 4f lanthanide series from lanthanum to lutetium, caused by poor 4f nuclear shielding and relativistic effects.

Lanthanum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lanthanum is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol La, atomic number 57, and standard atomic weight 138.91 u.

Lapilli Tuff

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lapilli tuff is a pyroclastic rock whose fragments are mostly lapilli, pieces 2 to 64 millimeters across, set in finer ash. The word lapilli is Italian for 'little stones.'

Lapse Rate

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The lapse rate (Γ) is the vertical rate at which an atmospheric variable—most commonly temperature (T)—decreases with increasing geometric altitude (z) through a planetary atmosphere, defined with a negative sign so that cooling with height...

Large Flying Fox

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) is among the largest bats in the world, with a wingspan of up to roughly 1.5 meters, living in Southeast Asian forests and islands. It is listed as Endangered because of hunting and habitat loss.

Large Magellanic Cloud

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way about 163,000 light-years away, visible to the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere in Dorado and Mensa.

Last Universal Common Ancestor

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The last universal common ancestor (LUCA) is the most recent population of organisms from which all living cells today are descended. It was not the first life, but the last point at which the lineages of bacteria and archaea joined.

Latent heat

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Latent heat is the enthalpy absorbed or released by a substance during a constant-temperature phase transition, serving via the hydrological cycle as the primary vertical and meridional energy transport mechanism of Earth's climate.

Laver

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Laver (Porphyra umbilicalis) is a thin, purplish red alga of rocky shores of the North Atlantic. Related species are cultivated in East Asia as nori, the seaweed wrapped around sushi, and in Wales it is made into laverbread.

Lawrencium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lawrencium (Lr, Z = 103) is the final Period 7 actinide (266 u, [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 7s² 7p₁/₂¹), whose relativistic spin–orbit stabilization of the 7p₁/₂ orbital lowers its first ionization potential to 4.96 eV.

Le Chatelier's Principle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Le Chatelier's principle states that when a chemical system at dynamic equilibrium experiences an external perturbation in concentration, pressure, volume, or temperature, the net reaction shifts to partially counteract the perturbation.

Lead

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lead is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Pb, atomic number 82, and standard atomic weight 207.2 u.

Leading Strand

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The leading strand is the continuously synthesized daughter strand of deoxyribonucleic acid produced during active DNA replication.

Leafcutter Ant

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Leafcutter ants (Atta cephalotes) of tropical America march in columns carrying pieces of leaves, which they do not eat. They use them to grow a fungus, and farm it in huge underground gardens, an agricultural system that arose tens of millions of years ago.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest living turtle, up to about 2 meters long and 600 kilograms, and the only one without a hard shell.

Lemon Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The lemon sponge (Leucetta chagosensis) is a bright yellow calcareous sponge of Indo-Pacific reefs. It is of interest to chemists because it makes alkaloids that kill bacteria and other organisms.

Leopard Gecko

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) is a spotted, ground-dwelling gecko of the dry rocky regions of Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, and one of the most popular pet reptiles in the world.

Leopard Sea Cucumber

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The leopard sea cucumber (Bohadschia argus) is a large, spotted sea cucumber of Indo-Pacific reefs, up to about 60 centimeters long. When attacked it shoots out sticky threads to tangle its enemy.

Lettuce Sea Slug

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The lettuce sea slug (Elysia crispata) is a frilly green sea slug of Caribbean reefs that looks like a lettuce leaf. Like its relative the eastern emerald elysia, it keeps chloroplasts stolen from the algae it eats.

Leucosolenia Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Leucosolenia sponge (Leucosolenia botryoides) is a delicate calcareous sponge made of a branching network of tubes, which grows on rocks and seaweed in the cold North Atlantic.

Lewis Acid and Base

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A Lewis acid is a chemical species that accepts an electron pair into a vacant low-energy orbital, whereas a Lewis base donates an electron pair to form a coordinate covalent bond.

Lewis Structure

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A Lewis structure is a two-dimensional topological representation of molecular bonding that depicts shared covalent electron pairs as lines and non-bonding valence lone pairs as dots around atomic symbols.

Lichen

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A lichen is a self-sustaining composite organism arising from a mutualistic symbiosis between a structural filamentous fungus (mycobiont) and extracellular photosynthetic green algae or cyanobacteria (photobionts).

Life Detection Ladder

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Life Detection Ladder is a formal measurement and decision framework developed by NASA astrobiologists to evaluate candidate biosignatures, exclude abiotic false positives, and adjudicate claims of extraterrestrial life.

Life-History Theory and Metabolic Theory of Ecology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Life-history theory and the metabolic theory of ecology explain how natural selection and biophysical scaling laws govern energy allocation, age-specific demography, body size, and biological rates.

Lignin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lignin (derived from the Latin lignum, meaning "wood," and named by the Swiss botanist Alphonse Pyramus de Candolle in 1813) is a complex, three-dimensional, amorphous polyphenolic biopolymer deposited within the secondary cell walls and middle...

Lignite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lignite, or brown coal, is the lowest rank of coal, a soft, brown, plant-rich rock that is only partly altered from peat. It still holds a lot of moisture and often preserves recognizable wood, bark and leaves.

Lindsay-Shapley Ring

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Lindsay-Shapley Ring (AM 0644-741) is a collisional ring galaxy in Volans about 300 million light-years away, roughly 150,000 light-years across. It was found in 1960 on photographic plates by Eric Lindsay and Harlow Shapley.

Lined Chiton

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The lined chiton (Tonicella lineata) is a small, brightly colored mollusc of the North Pacific rocky shore. Like all chitons, its back is covered by eight overlapping armor plates.

Lingula

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lingula anatina is a brachiopod that lives in vertical burrows in intertidal sand and mud in the Indo-Pacific.

Linkage Disequilibrium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Linkage disequilibrium is the non-random statistical association of alleles at two or more genetic loci within a population, shaped by mutation, recombination, genetic drift, and natural selection.

Linnaeus's Two-toed Sloth

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Linnaeus's two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) is a slow-moving, tree-dwelling mammal of the rainforests of northern South America. It hangs upside down in the canopy and eats leaves.

Lion's Mane Jellyfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) is one of the largest jellyfish, with a bell up to about two meters across and tentacles that can trail for tens of meters. It lives in the cold waters of the Arctic and the northern Atlantic and Pacific.

Lion's Mane Mushroom

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The lion's mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) is a white, shaggy fungus that grows on dead and dying hardwood trees. Its cascade of dangling spines looks like a lion's mane, and it is eaten and used in traditional Asian medicine.

Lipid

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lipids are a diverse class of naturally occurring biological macromolecules defined not by a shared monomeric structure, but by their physical hydrophobicity.

Lipid bilayer

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The structural integrity of the bilayer is derived from the chemical asymmetry of its constituent lipid molecules.

Lipinski's Rule of Five

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lipinski's Rule of Five is an empirical physicochemical guideline in medicinal chemistry and chemoinformatics predicting that orally administered small molecules suffer poor absorption or permeability when violating two or more multiples-of-five thresholds.

Lipopolysaccharide

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), also known as bacterial endotoxin, is the major amphiphilic glycolipid of the outer leaflet of Gram-negative bacterial outer membranes, comprising Lipid A, a core oligosaccharide, and an O-antigen polysaccharide.

Lithium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lithium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Li, atomic number 3, and standard atomic weight 6.94 u ([6.938, 6.997] u).

Lithosphere

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The lithosphere is the mechanically rigid outermost rocky shell of the Earth, comprising the continental and oceanic crust together with the uppermost conductive mantle above the ductile asthenosphere.

Little Brown Bat

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) was once one of the most common bats in North America. A fungal disease, white-nose syndrome, has killed millions since 2006, and the IUCN lists the species as Endangered.

Little Skate

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The little skate (Leucoraja erinacea) is a flat, cartilaginous fish of the Northwest Atlantic seafloor, related to rays and sharks. Its leathery egg cases, known as mermaid's purses, wash up on beaches.

Live-Attenuated and Whole-Inactivated Vaccines

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Live-attenuated and whole-inactivated vaccines are whole-pathogen immunization platforms that use genetically weakened replicating microbes or chemically cross-linked non-replicating virions to induce adaptive immunity.

Livermorium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Livermorium (Lv, atomic number 116) is a synthetic Period 7 Group 16 post-transition chalcogen synthesized via ⁴⁸Ca + ²⁴⁸Cm hot fusion whose relativistic [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7s² 7p₁/₂² 7p₃/₂² valence shell stabilizes divalent Lv²⁺ over Lv⁴⁺.

Lobed Comb Jelly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The lobed comb jelly (Bolinopsis infundibulum) is a transparent comb jelly of the northern Atlantic with two large, fleshy lobes around its mouth. It filters plankton as it swims slowly.

Lobed Oscarella Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The lobed Oscarella sponge (Oscarella lobularis) is a soft, crust-like sponge of the Mediterranean that comes in several colors, including blue, yellow and brown.

Locus (Genetics)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

In genetics, a locus (plural loci) is the fixed physical or genetic map position on a chromosome occupied by a specific gene, regulatory element, or polymorphic DNA sequence marker.

London Dispersion Force

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The London dispersion force is the universal quantum-mechanical attractive component of van der Waals interactions, arising from correlated zero-point fluctuations of instantaneous and induced electronic dipoles.

Lone Pair

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A lone pair (non-bonding electron pair) consists of two spin-paired valence electrons localized on a single atom that do not participate directly in covalent sigma bonding, governing molecular geometry, Lewis basicity, and hydrogen bonding.

Long-nosed Bandicoot

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The long-nosed bandicoot (Perameles nasuta) is a nocturnal marsupial of eastern Australia with a long, pointed snout. It thrives in gardens and parks on the edge of cities such as Sydney.

Long-nosed Shrew Opossum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The long-nosed shrew opossum (Rhyncholestes raphanurus) is a small marsupial of the temperate rainforests of southern Chile. It has the longest snout among the shrew opossums.

Longtail Tadpole Shrimp

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The longtail tadpole shrimp (Triops longicaudatus) is a North American species of tadpole shrimp that lives in temporary rain pools. It is the type most often sold in hobby kits.

Lotka–Volterra Equations

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Lotka-Volterra equations are coupled first-order nonlinear differential equations modeling predator-prey oscillations and interspecific competition dynamics across ecological communities.

Lugworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The lugworm (Arenicola marina) is a marine annelid that lives in U-shaped burrows in the sand and mud of North Atlantic tidal flats. Its coiled sand casts are a familiar sight at low tide.

Luna Moth

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The luna moth (Actias luna) is a large, pale green silk moth of North American forests with long, trailing tails on its hindwings. The adults have no mouthparts and live for only about a week.

Lungwort Lichen

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lungwort lichen (Lobaria pulmonaria) is a large, leafy, green lichen with a pitted, lung-like surface that grows on the trunks of old trees in clean, humid forests. It is a well-known indicator of old-growth woodland and clean air.

Luria-Delbrück Experiment

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Luria-Delbrück experiment (1943), also known as the fluctuation test, demonstrated statistically that genetic mutations in bacteria arise spontaneously prior to selection rather than being directed in response to selective environmental agents.

Lutetium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lutetium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Lu, atomic number 71, and standard atomic weight 174.97 u.

Lymphatic filariasis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lymphatic filariasis is a mosquito-borne neglected tropical disease caused by the filarial nematodes Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori, which inhabit afferent lymphatic vessels and cause lymphedema, elephantiasis, and hydrocele.

Lysine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lysine (abbreviated Lys or K; systematic IUPAC name (2S)-2,6-diaminohexanoic acid, chemical formula C6H14N2O2, molecular mass 146.19 Da) is an essential, basic, positively charged α-amino acid incorporated into proteins during translation...

Lysosomes

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Lysosomes are small membrane-bound organelles in animal cells that contain digestive enzymes. They break down worn-out cell parts, food particles and invading microbes, and they act as the recycling center of the cell.

Macroecology and the Latitudinal Diversity Gradient

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Macroecology analyzes continental-scale statistical distributions of abundance, body size, and geographic range, providing mechanistic explanations for the global latitudinal diversity gradient.

Macromolecule

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

With molecular weights frequently exceeding hundreds of thousands of Daltons, these complex structures are not synthesized randomly.

Macrophage

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Macrophages are mononuclear phagocytic leukocytes that execute innate pathogen clearance, tissue homeostasis, iron recycling, and antigen presentation to coordinate adaptive immunity.

Macrostomum Flatworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Macrostomum lignano is a tiny, transparent free-living flatworm from the coastal sands of the northern Adriatic. It is a model for regeneration, stem cells and the evolution of mating behavior.

Madagascar Giant Day Gecko

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Madagascar giant day gecko (Phelsuma grandis) is a bright green gecko with red spots, active by day on the trees of northern Madagascar. It also lives in Florida, where it was introduced.

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Madagascar hissing cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa) is a large, wingless cockroach of the forest floors of Madagascar that hisses loudly when disturbed. It is a popular pet and teaching animal, and not a house pest.

Magnesium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Magnesium is a lightweight Group 2 alkaline earth metal (Mg, Z = 12) whose divalent cation (Mg2+) coordinates the chlorin ring of chlorophyll in photosynthesis and chelates ATP and nucleic acids across all cellular life.

Magnetite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Magnetite is an iron oxide, Fe₃O₄, with isometric crystals, a hardness of 5.5 to 6.5 and a black streak. It is the most strongly magnetic of the common natural minerals, and a naturally magnetized piece is called lodestone.

Main Sequence

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The main sequence is a continuous, distinctive diagonal band of stars on the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram (which plots stellar bolometric luminosity `L` or visual magnitude against effective surface temperature `T_eff` or spectral class O–M)...

Major histocompatibility complex

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The major histocompatibility complex is a set of genes encoding cell-surface proteins that display fragments of proteins to T cells, letting the immune system inspect what is being made inside the body's cells.

Malachite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Malachite is a green copper carbonate hydroxide, Cu₂CO₃(OH)₂, a hardness 3.5 to 4 mineral that forms in the weathered zones of copper deposits.

Malaria

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Malaria is a life-threatening mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other vertebrates caused by single-celled parasitic protozoa of the genus Plasmodium.

Malayan Filarial Worm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Malayan filarial worm (Brugia malayi) causes lymphatic filariasis in South and Southeast Asia. It is transmitted by mosquitoes and is also a standard laboratory model for studying filarial parasites.

Malignant Hyperthermia and Anesthetic Pharmacogenetics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Malignant hyperthermia and anesthetic pharmacogenetics encompasses two of the founding disorders of human pharmacogenetics that manifest as acute, life-threatening emergencies in the perioperative setting: Malignant Hyperthermia Susceptibility...

Mallard

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is the most widespread dabbling duck, found across the Northern Hemisphere, and the ancestor of most domestic ducks. The male has a glossy green head, and only the female quacks.

Manganese

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Manganese is a Group 7 transition metal (Mn, Z = 25) spanning eleven oxidation states (-3 to +7) and forming the catalytic Mn4CaO5 oxygen-evolving complex of Photosystem II that generates Earth's atmospheric oxygen.

Map Lichen

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The map lichen (Rhizocarpon geographicum) is a bright yellow-green crust lichen with black borders that grows on bare rock in mountains and polar regions. The patches look like countries on a map.

Marble

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Marble is a metamorphic rock formed when limestone or dolostone recrystallizes under heat and pressure, giving a sugary mosaic of interlocking calcite or dolomite crystals. Pure marble is white, and impurities add veins of other colors.

Marbled Lungfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The marbled lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus) is a large African freshwater fish that breathes air with lungs and can survive the drying of its habitat inside a mud cocoon. Lungfishes are the closest living relatives of land vertebrates.

Marine heatwave

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A marine heatwave (MHW) is a discrete, prolonged anomalous warming event within the hydrosphere, specifically occurring when regional sea surface temperatures (SSTs) exceed the 90th percentile of their historical climatological baseline for at least five consecutive days.

Marine Iguana

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) is the only lizard that feeds in the sea. It lives only on the Galápagos Islands, where it grazes algae on rocks along the shore. It is listed as Vulnerable.

Marmalade Hoverfly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The marmalade hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) is a small orange and black fly that hovers over flowers and looks like a tiny wasp. It is a harmless pollinator and, as a larva, a voracious aphid predator.

Mass Spectrometry

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that converts chemical species into gas-phase ions and separates them according to their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) in electric or magnetic fields to determine elemental composition, molecular structure, and quantitative abundance.

Massively Parallel Sequencing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Massively parallel sequencing (Next-Generation Sequencing, NGS) is a high-throughput second-generation DNA sequencing method that spatially immobilizes and sequences billions of clonally amplified DNA templates simultaneously across a solid-state array.

Matschie's Tree-kangaroo

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Matschie's tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) is a tree-dwelling kangaroo of the Huon Peninsula in Papua New Guinea. It is listed as Endangered.

MDA5

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

MDA5 (melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5, encoded by IFIH1) is a cytosolic RIG-I-like receptor that senses long viral double-stranded RNA and assembles into filaments to trigger MAVS-dependent interferon signaling.

Measles

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Measles is a systemic viral infectious disease caused by Measles morbillivirus, an enveloped negative-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the family Paramyxoviridae that infects immune and epithelial cells via SLAMF1 and Nectin-4.

Medicinal Leech

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis) is a freshwater bloodsucking annelid used in medicine for thousands of years. It is regulated under CITES and was cleared by the US FDA in 2004 as a medical device.

Mediterranean Box Jelly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Mediterranean box jelly (Carybdea marsupialis) is a small box jellyfish, with a cube-shaped bell about 5 centimeters tall, found in warm seas including the Mediterranean. Its sting is painful but not deadly.

Mediterranean Feather Star

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Mediterranean feather star (Antedon mediterranea) is a ten-armed crinoid of rocky bottoms in the Mediterranean and nearby Atlantic. It is a close relative of the rosy feather star of northern seas.

Meiosis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The complete meiotic process involves one round of DNA replication followed by two sequential rounds of nuclear and cellular division, designated as Meiosis I and Meiosis II.

Meiotic Drive

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Meiotic drive is a non-Mendelian transmission distortion in which a selfish genetic element biases meiosis or gametogenesis to transmit itself to more than 50 percent of functional progeny.

Meitnerium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Meitnerium (Mt, atomic number 109) is a synthetic Period 7 Group 9 transition metal named in honor of nuclear physicist Lise Meitner, co-discoverer of nuclear fission and protactinium.

Melon Comb Jelly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The melon comb jelly (Beroe ovata) is a pinkish, melon-shaped comb jelly with a huge mouth and no tentacles. It feeds almost exclusively on other comb jellies.

Membrane Drug Transporter

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Membrane drug transporters are integral transmembrane proteins of the Solute Carrier (SLC) and ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) superfamilies that mediate the active or facilitated vectorial uptake and efflux of pharmaceuticals across polarized biological barriers.

Mendelevium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Mendelevium (Md, Z = 101) is a synthetic Period 7 actinide (258 u, [Rn] 5f¹³ 7s²), the first element synthesized one atom at a time (1955) and the first actinide with a mildly reducible Md³⁺/Md²⁺ couple (E° = −0.15 V).

Mercury

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Mercury is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Hg, atomic number 80, and standard atomic weight 200.59 u.

Merlin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The merlin (Falco columbarius) is a small, fast, compact falcon of the northern forests and tundra. It chases small birds in a determined, low pursuit.

Mermaid's Wine Glass

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Acetabularia acetabulum, the mermaid's wine glass, is a Mediterranean green alga shaped like a tiny parasol or wine glass, up to about 10 centimeters tall. Remarkably, each alga is a single giant cell.

Messier 109

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Messier 109 (NGC 3992), sometimes called the Vacuum Cleaner Galaxy, is a barred spiral in Ursa Major about 67 million light-years away. Its prominent bar and faint outer arms surround a bright inner ring, a pattern typed SB(rs)bc.

Messier 13

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Messier 13 (M13 or NGC 6205), the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, is a gravitationally bound halo cluster of roughly 300,000 to 500,000 ancient Population II stars located 7.1 to 7.7 kiloparsecs from Earth.

Messier 60

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Messier 60 (NGC 4649) is a giant elliptical galaxy in Virgo, about 54 million light-years away, one of the largest and brightest members of the Virgo Cluster. It is classed E2, meaning a mildly flattened smooth ellipse.

Messier 87

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Messier 87 (M87, NGC 4486, Virgo A) is a supergiant elliptical galaxy about 53 million light-years away at the heart of the Virgo Cluster.

Metabolic engineering

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Metabolic engineering is the applied biotechnological discipline of rationally designing, modifying, and computationally optimizing the genetic and regulatory networks within a cell to maximize the biochemical production of a target compound.

Metabolism-First Hypothesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The metabolism-first hypothesis is a foundational framework in abiogenesis proposing that self-sustaining autocatalytic networks of small-molecule carbon fixation reactions catalyzed by mineral surfaces preceded genetic polymers.

Metabolomics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Within the multi-omics hierarchy of systems biology, metabolomics is considered the direct chemical representation of the biological phenotype.

Metagenomics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Metagenomics is the culture-independent genomic analysis of collective microbial DNA recovered directly from environmental or clinical samples, resolving taxonomic diversity, metabolic pathways, and uncultured genomes across bacterial, archaeal, viral, and eukaryotic communities.

Metallic Bonding

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Metallic bonding is the collective quantum-mechanical cohesion of electropositive metal atoms in a crystalline lattice, mediated by valence electrons delocalized across continuous energy bands.

Metamorphic Facies

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A metamorphic facies is a defined pressure-temperature domain within which rocks of any given bulk chemical composition equilibrate to form a diagnostic, reproducible assemblage of metamorphic minerals.

Metamorphosis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Metamorphosis is a hormonally regulated post-embryonic developmental transition that remodels larval morphology, physiology, and ecology into a reproductively mature adult.

Metapopulation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A metapopulation is a spatially structured network of local subpopulations occupying discrete habitat patches connected by dispersal, persisting regionally through a dynamic balance between stochastic local extinction and empty-patch recolonization.

Meteorology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

While climate establishes the long-term statistical boundary conditions of the planet, meteorology analyzes the immediate, chaotic fluid mechanics that occur within those boundaries.

Methane

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Methane (CH4) is the simplest alkane hydrocarbon and the second largest anthropogenic greenhouse gas contributor to modern radiative forcing, characterized by strong infrared absorption at 7.66 micrometers and an atmospheric lifetime of approximately one decade.

Methane (atmospheric)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Atmospheric methane is the second largest anthropogenic greenhouse gas contributor to radiative forcing after carbon dioxide, governed by a global source-sink budget of roughly 580 Tg per year and a tropospheric hydroxyl radical oxidation lifetime of about 9 to 12 years.

Methanogenesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Methanogenesis is the biological formation of methane (CH4) as the terminal metabolic product of anaerobic energy conservation, carried out by specialized guilds of obligate anaerobic archaea known as methanogens.

Methoprene

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Methoprene is a terpenoid juvenile hormone analog and insect growth regulator that binds the Methoprene-tolerant receptor complex to block adult mosquito emergence.

Mexican Burrowing Caecilian

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Mexican burrowing caecilian (Dermophis mexicanus) is a legless, worm-like amphibian that burrows in the soil of Central America. It gives birth to live young that have already fed inside the mother.

Mexican Mouse Opossum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Mexican mouse opossum (Marmosa mexicana) is a small, tree-dwelling marsupial of Mexican and Central American forests. It is mouse-sized with a long, prehensile tail.

Mice Galaxies

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Mice Galaxies (NGC 4676A and NGC 4676B, Arp 242) are two spiral galaxies in Coma Berenices, around 290 million light-years away, whose long tails give them the look of tiny mice. They are in the middle of an encounter that will end in a merger.

Michaelis–Menten Kinetics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Michaelis-Menten kinetics is the foundational mathematical model of enzyme catalysis, relating initial reaction velocity (v0) hyperbolically to substrate concentration [S] via the maximum velocity Vmax and the Michaelis constant KM.

Microbiology and the Human Microbiome

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Microbiology is the branch of biology that studies microorganisms, which are organisms too small to be seen clearly without magnification, together with viruses and other acellular infectious agents.

Microtubule

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A microtubule is a hollow cylindrical polymer approximately 25 nanometers in outer diameter assembled from alpha/beta-tubulin heterodimers that forms a load-bearing component of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton, mitotic spindle, and ciliary axoneme.

Mid-Ocean Ridge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A mid-ocean ridge is a continuous 65,000-kilometer submarine volcanic mountain chain along divergent plate boundaries where seafloor spreading and decompression melting generate new oceanic crust.

Migmatite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Migmatite is a 'mixed rock' in which pale veins of granite-like material, formed by partial melting, are intermingled with darker metamorphic rock. It records the threshold where metamorphism turns into magma production.

Migratory Locust

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) is the most widely distributed locust, found across Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Like the desert locust, it can change from a solitary form into a swarming one.

Milankovitch Cycles

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Milankovitch cycles are the collective, quasi-periodic variations in Earth's orbital geometry and rotational axis orientation—specifically orbital eccentricity (e), axial obliquity (ε), and climatic precession (e sin ω)—driven by gravitational...

Milky Way

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy of Hubble type SBbc containing 100 to 400 billion stars and a total virial mass of approximately 1.0 to 1.5 trillion solar masses that hosts the Solar System within its Orion-Cygnus spiral arm.

Miller–Urey Experiment

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Miller–Urey experiment was a foundational laboratory investigation in prebiotic chemistry and astrobiology conducted in the autumn of 1952 and published in Science on 15 May 1953 by graduate student Stanley L.

Mimas

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Mimas is the innermost major rounded moon of Saturn, whose physical libration and orbital apsidal precession reveal a geologically nascent subsurface ocean formed 5 to 25 million years ago beneath an unfractured icy crust.

Mimicry

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Mimicry is an evolutionary convergence in visual, acoustic, chemical, or morphological signals between a mimic and a model species, driven by selective predation or behavioral responses of a third-party receiver.

Miranda (Moon)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Miranda (Uranus V) is the smallest and innermost of Uranus's five major spherical satellites, featuring three giant tectonic coronae, the 20-km Verona Rupes scarp, and geological evidence of a recent resonant-heated subsurface ocean.

Mitochondria

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Mitochondria are double-membrane-bound organelles in eukaryotic cells that generate adenosine triphosphate through oxidative phosphorylation and regulate metabolism, calcium homeostasis, and apoptosis.

Mitochondrial DNA

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the small circular genome found inside mitochondria, separate from the DNA in the cell nucleus. Human mtDNA contains 16,569 base pairs and is inherited from the mother.

Mitosis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Mitosis does not operate in isolation. The structural and genomic prerequisites for successful chromosome segregation are established during the preceding stages of interphase.

Modern Synthesis (20th century)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Modern Synthesis (also called the neo-Darwinian synthesis) was the 1930s and 1940s unification of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection with Mendelian particulate genetics, mathematical population genetics, systematics, and paleontology.

Mohorovičić Discontinuity

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Mohorovicic discontinuity (Moho) is the global seismic and compositional boundary separating Earth's silicate crust from the underlying ultramafic mantle, marked by a jump in P-wave velocity from roughly 6.8 to 8.1 kilometers per second.

Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Mohs scale of mineral hardness is an ordinal ten-point reference scale established by Friedrich Mohs in 1812 that ranks minerals from talc (1) to diamond (10) by their ability to visibly scratch softer materials.

Molecular biologist

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Molecular biologist is the designation for a research scientist who investigates the physicochemical mechanisms governing the synthesis, structural conformation, and intermolecular interactions of cellular macromolecules.

Molecular biology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Within the integrated frameworks of systems biology and Earth System Science, molecular biology provides the foundational mechanistic layer.

Molecular Clock

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The molecular clock is a technique in evolutionary biology that uses the approximately constant rate of neutral nucleotide or amino acid substitutions over geological time to estimate the divergence dates of biological lineages.

Molecular Descriptor

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A molecular descriptor is the numerical output of a standardized mathematical and logical procedure that transforms chemical information encoded within a symbolic representation of a molecule into a quantitative parameter for property prediction.

Molecular Docking

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Molecular docking is a structure-based computational method that predicts the three-dimensional binding pose and free energy of association between a small-molecule ligand and a macromolecular target receptor.

Molecular Fingerprint

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A molecular fingerprint is a binary bit vector or integer count array that encodes the topological substructures, circular atomic neighborhoods, or 3D pharmacophores of a molecule for rapid chemical similarity searching and machine learning.

Molecular Geometry

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Molecular geometry defines the three-dimensional spatial arrangement of atomic nuclei at a local energy minimum on the Born-Oppenheimer potential energy surface, governed by steric numbers, point-group symmetry, and electronic structure.

Molecular Orbital Theory

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Molecular Orbital (MO) theory is a quantum-mechanical method that constructs delocalized one-electron wavefunctions spanning an entire molecule to predict bond order, magnetism, photoelectron spectra, and frontier orbital reactivity.

Molybdenum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Molybdenum is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Mo, atomic number 42, and a standard atomic weight of 95.95(1) u.

Monarch Butterfly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is famous for the long-distance migration of its North American population, which travels thousands of kilometers to overwinter in the mountain forests of central Mexico.

Monoclonal Antibody Therapy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Monoclonal antibody therapy uses recombinant immunoglobulins derived from a single B-cell clone to bind a specific epitope with picomolar-to-nanomolar affinity, mediating ligand neutralization, receptor blockade, or Fc-dependent immune cytotoxicity.

Moon Jellyfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) is a nearly worldwide, translucent jellyfish with four horseshoe-shaped gonads showing through its bell. Its sting is too weak to harm most people, and it is among the best-studied jellyfish.

Morphogenesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Morphogenesis is the process that gives a developing organism its shape, driven by actomyosin forces transmitted across tissues through cadherin and integrin adhesion.

Moscovium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Moscovium (Mc, atomic number 115) is a synthetic Period 7 Group 15 post-transition metal synthesized via ⁴⁸Ca + ²⁴³Am hot fusion whose loosely bound single 7p₃/₂¹ electron yields a low first ionization energy (538 kJ/mol) and dominant monovalent Mc⁺ chemistry.

Mosquito-borne disease

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Mosquito-borne diseases are part of the larger group of vector-borne diseases, which the WHO estimates to account for about 17 percent of the global burden of infectious disease.

Moss Pseudoscorpion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The moss pseudoscorpion (Neobisium carcinoides) is a tiny, pincered arachnid a few millimeters long that lives in moss and leaf litter in European woodlands. It looks like a scorpion without a tail.

Mossy Chiton

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The mossy chiton (Mopalia muscosa) is a small chiton of the Pacific coast of North America, whose girdle is covered with stiff, brown bristles that give it a mossy look. It grazes algae from intertidal rocks.

Mourning Dove

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) is a slender, soft brown dove of North America whose soft, cooing call gives it its name. It is one of the most abundant and widely hunted birds on the continent.

Mouse Pinworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The mouse pinworm (Syphacia obvelata) is a nematode that lives in the intestine of mice. It is one of the most common parasites of laboratory rodents and has to be excluded from research colonies.

MRNA

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Within the quantitative framework of systems biology, mRNA represents a transient informational flux connecting nuclear DNA transcription to cytoplasmic polypeptide synthesis.

mRNA Vaccines and COVID-19 Vaccine Development

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccines deliver synthetic messenger RNA encapsulated in ionizable lipid nanoparticles to direct cytoplasmic translation of prefusion-stabilized viral antigens while evading innate Toll-like receptor sensing.

Mucosal Vaccines and Secretory IgA Immunity

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Mucosal vaccines administered via oral, intranasal, or aerosol routes activate mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues to generate polymeric secretory IgA and tissue-resident memory lymphocytes that block pathogen entry and transmission.

Mudstone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Mudstone is a fine-grained sedimentary rock of clay and silt that, unlike shale, breaks into blocky pieces rather than thin sheets. It is the most abundant sedimentary rock type among mudrocks.

Muller's Ratchet

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Muller's ratchet is the irreversible, stochastic accumulation of slightly deleterious mutations in finite asexual or non-recombining populations caused by the sequential loss of the least-mutated genomic class.

Muscovite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Muscovite, or white mica, is a potassium aluminum sheet silicate, KAl₂(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₂, whose crystals split into thin, flexible, transparent sheets. The name comes from 'Muscovy glass,' the mica from Russia that was once used for windows.

Mutation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Mutation is random with respect to fitness, in the sense that the probability that a mutation occurs does not depend on whether it would be useful to the organism.

Mute Swan

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The mute swan (Cygnus olor) is a large white swan of Europe and Asia, with an orange bill and a black knob at its base. It is one of the heaviest flying birds and has been introduced to North America, where it is considered invasive.

Mycorrhiza

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A mycorrhiza (plural mycorrhizae or mycorrhizas; coined in `1885` by the German botanist Albert Bernhard Frank from the Greek mykēs, "fungus," and rhiza, "root") is a mutualistic symbiotic association between soil-dwelling fungi and the root...

Myelin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Myelin is a multilamellar, lipid-rich dielectric membrane sheath produced by oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system and Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system that insulates vertebrate axons to enable rapid saltatory action potential conduction.

Mylonite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Mylonite is a fine-grained, streaky rock formed in deep fault zones, where intense shearing has stretched and ground crystals into thin ribbons without breaking the rock into pieces.

Myosin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Myosins are a superfamily of motor proteins that convert the chemical energy of ATP into force and movement along actin filaments, powering muscle contraction and many kinds of transport inside cells.

Naked Mole-rat

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is a hairless, burrowing rodent of East Africa that lives in colonies ruled by a single breeding queen.

Nanopore Sequencing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Nanopore sequencing is a third-generation single-molecule sequencing technology that determines the nucleotide order of native DNA or RNA strands by measuring picoampere ionic current modulations as the polymer translocates through a nanoscale pore.

Narwhal

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is a medium-sized Arctic whale, famed for the long spiral tusk of the male, which is actually an enlarged canine tooth.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a federal scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that operates global weather, ocean, satellite, and climate monitoring infrastructure.

Native Bismuth

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Native bismuth is the element bismuth, Bi, found in nature as silvery-pink metallic crystals and masses. It is a brittle, heavy semimetal that grows into striking stair-stepped crystals when it solidifies slowly.

Native Copper

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Native copper is the element copper, Cu, found as a metal in nature. It forms branching, tree-like masses and sheets of a reddish metallic color, and it weathers to green. It was probably the first metal used by humans.

Native Gold

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Native gold is the element gold, Au, found in nature as a metal, usually alloyed with some silver. It is soft, heavy, bright yellow and does not tarnish, and it has been prized as a metal since prehistory.

Native Sulfur

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Native sulfur is the element sulfur, S, found as bright yellow crystals and crusts made of crown-shaped S₈ rings. It forms around volcanic vents and in some sedimentary deposits.

Natural Killer Cell

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A natural killer (NK) cell is a cytotoxic group 1 innate lymphoid cell that eliminates virus-infected and malignantly transformed target cells via germline-encoded activating and MHC Class I-specific inhibitory receptors without prior antigen sensitization.

Natural Product Drug Discovery

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Natural product drug discovery isolates, characterizes, and optimizes evolutionarily selected secondary metabolites from bacteria, fungi, plants, and marine organisms to yield structurally complex antibiotics, anticancer agents, and immunosuppressants.

Natural selection

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Unlike the stochastic molecular alterations generated by genetic mutation and genetic drift, natural selection is the deterministic mechanism driving adaptive evolution.

Navier-Stokes equations

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Navier-Stokes equations are a coupled system of non-linear partial differential equations governing the conservation of momentum in viscous fluids across engineering, meteorology, and oceanography.

Nearly Neutral Theory of Molecular Evolution

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The nearly neutral theory of molecular evolution is a foundational principle of evolutionary genetics formulated by Japanese geneticist Tomoko Ohta in 1973 (and expanded in 1992) as a major extension of Motoo Kimura's strict neutral theory of...

Negative Frequency-Dependent Selection

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Negative frequency-dependent selection is an evolutionary regime in which the Darwinian fitness of a genotype or phenotype decreases as its relative frequency in the population increases, conferring a selective advantage on rare variants.

Neodymium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Neodymium (Nd, Z = 60) is a Period 6 lanthanide (144.24 u, [Xe] 4f⁴ 6s²) that forms tetragonal Nd₂Fe₁₄B permanent magnets, 1,064 nm Nd:YAG solid-state lasers, and the ¹⁴⁷Sm–¹⁴³Nd radiometric chronometer of planetary mantle differentiation.

Neon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Neon is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Ne, atomic number 10, and standard atomic weight 20.18 u.

Neopilina

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Neopilina (Neopilina galatheae) is a deep-sea limpet-like mollusc that belongs to a class, the Monoplacophora, thought to have been extinct for 400 million years until living animals were dredged up off Costa Rica in 1952.

Nephron

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The nephron is the microscopic functional filtration and osmoregulatory unit of the vertebrate kidney, comprising a renal corpuscle and a segmented renal tubule that filters 180 liters of plasma daily and regulates extracellular fluid homeostasis.

Neptune Grass

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Neptune grass (Posidonia oceanica) is a seagrass found only in the Mediterranean. It forms dense underwater meadows that shelter fish, stabilize sediments, produce oxygen and store carbon. Seagrasses are flowering plants that returned to the sea.

Neptunium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Neptunium is a dense, silvery, radioactive transuranic f-block actinide metal on the periodic table designated by the symbol Np, atomic number 93, and reference mass number 237 u.

Nernst Equation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Nernst equation relates the reduction potential of an electrochemical half-cell or the equilibrium voltage of a permeant ion across a semipermeable membrane to temperature, ionic valence, and chemical activity gradients.

Neuron

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A neuron is an electrically excitable, polarized cell of the nervous system that integrates synaptic inputs and propagates action potentials to transmit information across neural circuits.

Neuroscientist

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A neuroscientist is a research scientist who investigates the biological mechanisms, structural architecture, and physiological functions of the nervous system.

Neurotransmitter

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A neurotransmitter is an endogenous chemical messenger synthesized and released by neurons at synapses to modulate the electrical excitability or signaling cascades of target cells.

Neutral Theory of Molecular Evolution

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Neutral Theory of Molecular Evolution is a quantitative framework in molecular evolutionary biology and population genetics which holds that at the molecular level of DNA nucleotides and protein amino acid sequences, the majority of...

Neutron Star

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A neutron star is the ultra-dense collapsed core remnant of a massive star, supported against gravitational collapse into a black hole by relativistic neutron degeneracy pressure and repulsive strong nuclear interactions.

New Drug Application and Regulatory Approval Pathways

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A New Drug Application and its associated regulatory approval pathways define the statutory standards, marketing dossiers, and expedited review mechanisms used by the FDA and global health authorities to authorize safe and effective pharmaceuticals.

NGC 1300

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

NGC 1300 is a classic barred spiral galaxy in Eridanus, about 61 million light-years away.

NGC 1365

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

NGC 1365 is a barred spiral in the Fornax Cluster, about 56 million light-years away and roughly 200,000 light-years across, among the largest and most prominent barred spirals known.

NGC 2207 and IC 2163

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

NGC 2207 and IC 2163 are a pair of spiral galaxies in Canis Major, about 80 million light-years away, caught in a slow grazing encounter. The larger NGC 2207 is passing the smaller IC 2163, whose gas and stars are being drawn into long arcs.

Nickel

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Nickel is a ferromagnetic Group 10 transition metal (Ni, Z = 28) featuring the highest nuclear binding energy per nucleon (62Ni), Mond carbonyl refining, austenitic superalloy stability, and catalytic roles in urease, [NiFe]-hydrogenase, and methanogen Cofactor F430.

Nicobar Pigeon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Nicobar pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) is a metallic green and copper pigeon of small islands from the Nicobar Islands to the Solomon Islands. Genetic work shows that it is the closest living relative of the extinct dodo.

Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+ and NADH) is a universal pyridine nucleotide coenzyme derived from vitamin B3 that mediates reversible two-electron hydride transfer in cellular metabolism and serves as a co-substrate for sirtuin and PARP signaling enzymes.

Nihonium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Nihonium (Nh, atomic number 113) is a synthetic Period 7 Group 13 post-transition metal and the first chemical element discovered in Asia (at RIKEN, Japan, by Kosuke Morita's team via ²⁰⁹Bi + ⁷⁰Zn cold fusion).

Nile Crocodile

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) is a large predator of the rivers, lakes and swamps of sub-Saharan Africa, growing to about 5 meters. It is the apex predator of many African waterways.

Nile Monitor

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus) is a large, strong-swimming lizard of sub-Saharan Africa, up to 2 meters long. It hunts along rivers and lakes and is a well-known egg thief.

Nine-banded Armadillo

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is an armored mammal that has spread northward from South America into the southern United States. A mother nearly always gives birth to identical quadruplets, and the species carries the leprosy bacterium.

Niobium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Niobium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Nb, atomic number 41, and a standard atomic weight of 92.90637(1) u.

Nitrogen

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The main chemical characteristic of nitrogen is the contrast between the unreactive dinitrogen molecule and the very large number of reactive nitrogen compounds.

Nitrogen (atmospheric)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Atmospheric nitrogen (N2) is a colorless, odorless, and largely inert diatomic gas that constitutes approximately 78.08% of the atmosphere by volume.

Nitrogen cycle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The nitrogen cycle is the complex, microbially mediated planetary biogeochemical cycle through which nitrogen is continuously converted into multiple chemical oxidation states as it circulates across the atmosphere, the terrestrial pedosphere, the biosphere, and the hydrosphere.

Nitrogen fixation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Within Earth system science, nitrogen fixation represents the primary biological bottleneck limiting primary productivity in terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Nitrogenase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Nitrogenase is the two-component prokaryotic metalloenzyme complex that catalyzes the ATP-dependent reduction of atmospheric dinitrogen (N2) to bioavailable ammonia (NH3) at ambient temperature and pressure, driving global biological nitrogen fixation.

Nitrous oxide

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Within the quantitative framework of Earth System Science, N2O is the third most significant long-lived anthropogenic greenhouse gas (N2 - N2O), following carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4).

Nitrous oxide (atmospheric)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The atmospheric fraction of nitrous oxide (N2O) is a long-lived, potent trace gas circulating within the global troposphere and stratosphere.

Nobelium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Nobelium (No, Z = 102) is a synthetic Period 7 actinide (259 u, [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 7s²) whose closed 5f¹⁴ shell makes divalent No²⁺ (E° = +1.45 V) the stable oxidation state in aqueous solution.

Noble Gas

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The noble gases constitute Group 18 of the periodic table—helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, radon, and oganesson—characterized by closed valence electron shells, high ionization energies, and specialized hypervalent reactivity in heavy congeners.

Noble Pen Shell

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis) is the largest bivalve of the Mediterranean, up to about 1.2 meters long, found in seagrass meadows. A parasite epidemic since 2016 has killed most populations, and it is listed as Critically Endangered.

Non-Enzymatic RNA Replication

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Non-enzymatic RNA replication is the chemical, template-directed polymerization of activated ribonucleotides into complementary RNA strands without protein enzymes or ribozymes, bridging prebiotic chemistry and the first RNA replicase.

Non-Homologous End Joining

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is the primary mammalian DNA repair pathway that resolves double-strand breaks throughout the cell cycle by directly synapsing, processing, and ligating broken DNA termini without requiring a homologous template.

Norite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Norite is a coarse-grained mafic plutonic rock made of calcium-rich plagioclase and orthopyroxene, the low-calcium pyroxene once called hypersthene or bronzite.

North American Beaver

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) is the largest rodent in North America after the capybara, and the world's foremost ecosystem engineer. By building dams, beavers create ponds and wetlands.

North Island Brown Kiwi

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) is a flightless, nocturnal bird of New Zealand that probes the forest floor for invertebrates with a long bill. It is listed as Vulnerable, with introduced predators the main threat.

Northern Brown Bandicoot

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The northern brown bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus) is an adaptable, sturdy marsupial of northern and eastern Australia and New Guinea. The word 'bandicoot' comes from an Indian name for a large rat.

Northern Marsupial Mole

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The northern marsupial mole (Notoryctes caurinus) is the second of the two species of marsupial mole, a blind burrower of the sandy deserts of Western Australia. It looks like a mole but is a marsupial.

Nuclear Envelope

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The nuclear envelope is the double membrane that surrounds the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell, separating the chromosomes from the rest of the cell. It is perforated by thousands of pores that control traffic of molecules in and out.

Nucleic acids

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Nucleic acids are structurally complex naturally occurring biopolymers that serve as the primary informational architectures within all known forms of cellular life and viruses.

Nucleobase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

When covalently bonded to a five-carbon sugar (ribose or deoxyribose) via a specific glycosidic bond, nucleobases form nucleosides that serve as the informational and energetic monomers of living systems.

Nucleoid

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The nucleoid is the membraneless, dynamically organized cytoplasmic subcompartment in bacteria, archaea, and endosymbiotic organelles that houses and compacts the primary genomic DNA.

Nucleosome

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The nucleosome is the repeating structural and regulatory subunit of eukaryotic chromatin, consisting of 147 base pairs of B-form DNA wrapped 1.65 left-handed superhelical turns around a disk-shaped octamer of core histone proteins.

Nucleosynthesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Nucleosynthesis is the astrophysical creation of atomic nuclei from pre-existing nucleons across Big Bang nucleosynthesis, stellar fusion, supernova explosions, neutron-star mergers, and cosmic-ray spallation.

Nucleotide Coenzymes

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Nucleotide coenzymes are universal metabolic cofactors—including ATP, NAD+, FAD, Coenzyme A, and S-adenosylmethionine—that retain an invariant ribonucleotide moiety derived from ancient RNA World ribozyme catalysis.

Nucleotide Excision Repair

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a versatile, multistep DNA repair pathway that detects and removes bulky, helix-distorting DNA lesions that locally disrupt Watson-Crick base pairing and impede replication or transcription.

Nucleotides

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Nucleotides are phosphorylated nucleosides composed of a nitrogenous base, a five-carbon pentose sugar, and one to three phosphate groups that serve as the monomeric units of DNA and RNA.

Nucleus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The cell nucleus (plural: nuclei) is a double-membrane-bound organelle in eukaryotic cells that compartmentalizes the nuclear genome and coordinates DNA replication, transcription, and RNA processing.

Numbat

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is a slender, striped marsupial of southwestern Australia that eats almost nothing but termites.

Obelisk (Biology)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Obelisks are a class of viroid-like, covalently closed circular single-stranded RNA genetic elements (~1,000 nucleotides) that colonize human microbiome bacteria and encode a novel protein superfamily named Oblins.

Oberth Effect

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Oberth effect is an astrodynamic principle whereby a rocket engine firing at high speed deep inside a gravitational potential well produces a much greater gain in orbital mechanical energy than the same burn executed at low speed.

Obsidian

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Obsidian is a natural volcanic glass, usually black and rich in silica, that forms when lava cools so fast that crystals cannot grow.

Ocean Acidification

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ocean acidification is the ongoing, global decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by the massive uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.

Ocean Deoxygenation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Unlike terrestrial environments where oxygen mixes freely, dissolved O2 in the ocean is constrained by physical thermodynamics, ventilation pathways, and biological respiration.

Ocean Heat Content

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ocean Heat Content (OHC) quantifies the integrated thermal energy stored in the global ocean, which absorbs over 90% of Earth's anthropogenic energy imbalance.

Ocean Sunfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The ocean sunfish (Mola mola) is the heaviest bony fish, reaching well over a tonne, with a round, flattened body and no true tail. It drifts through temperate and tropical seas and eats mostly jellyfish.

Ocean Worlds

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ocean worlds are planetary bodies—including icy moons, dwarf planets, and extrasolar planets—that harbor substantial liquid water oceans either on their surfaces or beneath protective cryospheric ice shells, serving as primary targets for astrobiological exploration.

Oceanic Niño Index

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) is the primary quantitative metric utilized in Earth system science and meteorology to monitor, classify, and predict the thermodynamic state of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

Oceanography

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Oceanography is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the global hydrosphere, integrating the fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, biogeochemistry, and ecology of the Earth's marine environments.

Ocellaris Clownfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The ocellaris clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) is a small orange reef fish with white bands that lives among the tentacles of sea anemones in the Indo-Pacific. It is the species popularized by the film Finding Nemo.

Ocellated Icefish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The ocellated icefish (Chionodraco rastrospinosus) is an Antarctic fish with transparent, nearly colorless blood. Like all icefishes (Channichthyidae), it has no hemoglobin and no red blood cells, the only adult vertebrates known with this trait.

Ochre Sea Star

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus) is an orange or purple sea star of Pacific rocky shores and the species behind the concept of the keystone predator. Robert Paine's experiments in the 1960s showed that removing it changed the whole community.

Octet Rule

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A foundational heuristic of chemical bonding stating that main-group atoms tend to gain, lose, or share valence electrons to achieve a closed-shell ns2np6 configuration of eight valence electrons.

Oganesson

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Oganesson is a synthetic superheavy transactinide element on the periodic table designated by the atomic symbol Og, atomic number 118, and a reference nucleon mass of 294 u (294Og, *t*1/2 ≈ 0.58–0.89 ms).

Oil Shale

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Oil shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock rich in solid organic matter called kerogen, which yields liquid hydrocarbons when heated.

Okazaki fragments

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Okazaki fragments are short, newly synthesized sequences of DNA that are formed on the lagging strand during the process of DNA replication.

Old World Hookworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Old World hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale) is a parasitic roundworm that lives in the human small intestine and feeds on blood. Together with the American hookworm, it infects hundreds of millions of people in warm regions.

Olive Baboon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The olive baboon (Papio anubis) is a large Old World monkey that lives in troops across the savannas and woodlands of central Africa. It is the most widespread baboon and has been central to studies of stress and social behavior.

Olivine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Olivine is a magnesium iron silicate, (Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄, that forms a continuous series between magnesium-rich forsterite and iron-rich fayalite. It is the main mineral of Earth's upper mantle, and its gem variety is peridot.

On the Origin of Species

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

On the Origin of Species is the foundational 1859 monograph by English naturalist Charles Darwin that established descent with modification from common ancestors driven primarily by natural selection.

Oncology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Oncology is the branch of medicine that studies, prevents, diagnoses, stages, and treats neoplasms. The discipline integrates molecular genetics, histopathology, diagnostic imaging, surgical resection, radiation physics, cytotoxic pharmacology, and immunotherapy.

Oolitic Limestone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Oolitic limestone is a limestone made of ooids, tiny spheres about 0.2 to 2 millimeters across with concentric layers of calcium carbonate, resembling fish roe. The name comes from the Greek for 'egg.'

Operon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An operon is a contiguous cluster of prokaryotic structural genes transcribed from a single promoter under the control of shared regulatory elements into a single polycistronic mRNA, enabling coordinate metabolic gene expression.

Orange-footed Sea Cucumber

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The orange-footed sea cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa) is a large sea cucumber of the cold North Atlantic that feeds with a crown of branching tentacles. It is the target of a growing fishery for Asian food markets.

Orbital Hybridization

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Orbital hybridization is the mathematical mixing of non-equivalent atomic orbitals on a single atom to generate degenerate directional hybrid orbitals that form covalent sigma frameworks.

Orbital Resonance

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An orbital resonance occurs when two or more orbiting bodies exert regular, periodic gravitational perturbations on each other because their orbital periods or precession frequencies are related by a ratio of small integers.

Orca

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The orca or killer whale (Orcinus orca) is the largest dolphin and an apex predator of every ocean. The IUCN lists it as Data Deficient, because distinct ecotypes may represent separate species, and some regional populations are endangered.

Organ system

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An organ system is a highly complex, integrated biological network consisting of two or more distinct organs that coordinate structurally and physiologically to execute specific, macroscopic life functions.

Organelle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An organelle is a specialized subcellular compartment—either bounded by phospholipid membranes or assembled via liquid-liquid phase separation—that segregates distinct biochemical pathways within eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells.

Organism

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An organism is an autonomous, contiguous living entity bounded by semipermeable membranes that maintains non-equilibrium thermodynamic homeostasis, processes hereditary information, and functions as an integrated unit of natural selection.

Oriental Cockroach

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) is a dark, shiny cockroach, sometimes called a waterbug, that lives in damp, cool places such as drains, cellars and sewers. It originated in or near the Mediterranean region and now occurs worldwide.

Origins of replication

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

While the specific nucleotide sequences dictate origin sites, they vary significantly across the different domains of life.

Orion Nebula

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Orion Nebula (Messier 42, NGC 1976) is a diffuse H II region in Orion's sword, about 1,344 light-years away, the nearest high-mass star-forming region to Earth and visible to the naked eye as a fuzzy star.

Orthoclase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Orthoclase is a potassium feldspar, KAlSi₃O₈, a monoclinic framework silicate with a hardness of 6 that is the reference mineral for that number on the Mohs scale.

Osmium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Osmium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Os, atomic number 76, and standard atomic weight 190.23 u.

Osmoregulation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Osmoregulation is the active homeostatic control of internal fluid osmotic pressure and ionic composition across aquatic and terrestrial environmental gradients.

Osprey

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a fish-eating raptor found on every continent but Antarctica. It plunges feet-first into water and carries its catch headfirst like a torpedo.

Ostrich Fern

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) is a large fern of damp woods and floodplains in the Northern Hemisphere, forming vase-shaped clumps of plume-like fronds. Its coiled young fronds, called fiddleheads, are eaten as a spring vegetable.

Oxidation State

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Oxidation state is the hypothetical charge an atom within a molecule or ion would possess if all bonds to different elements were cleaved heterolytically toward the more electronegative partner.

Oxidative Phosphorylation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Oxidative phosphorylation is the chemiosmotic bioenergetic process in the inner mitochondrial membrane (or prokaryotic plasma membrane) that couples respiratory electron transport to O2 with proton-motive rotary synthesis of ATP.

Oxygen

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Due to its high electronegativity, oxygen readily forms chemical compounds (specifically oxides) with almost all other elements.

Oxygen (atmospheric)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Atmospheric oxygen (O2) is a reactive, colorless, and odorless diatomic gas that constitutes approximately 20.95% of dry air in Earth's atmosphere by volume.

Oyster Mushroom

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) is a widely cultivated edible mushroom that grows in shelf-like clusters on dead hardwood. It is also a predator: the fungus can trap and digest nematode worms.

Ozone depletion potential

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ozone depletion potential (ODP) is a standardized, relative metric used in atmospheric chemistry and Earth system science to quantify the expected degradation of the stratospheric ozone layer caused by the emission of a chemical compound.

Ozone Layer

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The ozone layer is a region of Earth's stratosphere between 15 and 35 kilometers altitude containing elevated concentrations of triatomic oxygen that absorbs 97% to 99% of incoming biologically damaging solar ultraviolet radiation.

p53

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

p53 (encoded by the human TP53 gene at chromosome 17p13.1) is a sequence-specific homotetrameric transcription factor and tumor suppressor protein that coordinates cell-cycle arrest, DNA repair, senescence, and apoptosis in response to genotoxic and oncogenic stress.

Pacific Banana Slug

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Pacific banana slug (Ariolimax columbianus) is a large yellow slug of the redwood and rainforests of the Pacific coast of North America. It is the second-largest slug in the world, up to about 25 centimeters.

Pacific Geoduck

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Pacific geoduck (Panopea generosa) is the world's largest burrowing clam, with a shell about 20 centimeters long and a neck-like siphon that can reach a meter. It lives buried deep in the sandy seabed of the Pacific Northwest.

Pacific Hagfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii) is a jawless, eel-shaped scavenger of the seafloor in the eastern Pacific. Like the Atlantic hagfish, it defends itself with huge amounts of slime.

Pacific Lamprey

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) is a parasitic, jawless fish that spends years in the North Pacific before returning to rivers of the West Coast to spawn.

Pacific Sea Nettle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Pacific sea nettle (Chrysaora fuscescens) is a golden-brown jellyfish of the northeastern Pacific, with a bell up to about a meter across and long, ruffled oral arms trailing beneath.

PAH World Hypothesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The PAH world hypothesis is a prebiotic chemistry model proposing that amphiphilic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons self-assembled into discotic columnar stacks with a 0.34-nanometer interplanar spacing that templated the first RNA-like oligomers.

Pahoehoe Basalt

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pahoehoe is basaltic lava with a smooth, billowy or ropy surface. The word is Hawaiian, and it describes fluid lava that advances in small lobes beneath a thin, flexible skin.

Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), alternatively designated Eocene Thermal Maximum 1 (ETM1), was an abrupt global hyperthermal climate event that occurred ~55.9 million years ago (Ma) at the geological boundary separating the...

Paleoclimatology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Paleoclimatology (also spelled palaeoclimatology) is the study of Earth's climate before the instrumental record began in the mid-19th century.

Palladium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Palladium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Pd, atomic number 46, and standard atomic weight 106.42 u.

Panspermia

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Panspermia (from the ancient Greek πᾶν [pan], meaning "all," and σπέρμα [sperma], meaning "seed") is the astrobiology hypothesis that viable microorganisms, dormant microbial endospores, or complex prebiotic organic molecules (pseudo-panspermia...

Paris Agreement

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change, formally adopted by 196 Parties at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December 2015.

Parrot's Beak Lamp Shell

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The parrot's beak lamp shell (Hemithiris psittacea) is a small brachiopod of Arctic and cold northern seas, named for the beak-like hinge of its shell. It lives attached to rocks.

Parthenogenesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Parthenogenesis is a mode of asexual reproduction in which an unfertilized female ovum develops directly into a new individual without genetic contribution from a male gamete.

Pauli Exclusion Principle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The quantum-mechanical law stating that no two identical fermions may simultaneously occupy the same quantum state, arising from the antisymmetry requirement of multi-fermion wavefunctions under particle exchange.

Pea Aphid

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) is a small sap-sucking insect that attacks peas, alfalfa and clover. It is a model for studying symbiosis, since it depends on bacteria that supply nutrients missing from sap.

Peacock Butterfly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The peacock butterfly (Aglais io) is a European and Asian butterfly with large eyespots on each wing. It startles predators by flashing the spots and making a hissing sound.

Peacock Mantis Shrimp

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) is a brightly colored crustacean of Indo-Pacific reefs that punches with the fastest strikes in the animal kingdom. It smashes shells with a club-like appendage.

Peacock Spider

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The peacock spider (Maratus volans) is a tiny Australian jumping spider, about five millimeters long, whose males unfold brightly colored flaps on the abdomen and wave their legs in a courtship dance.

Peat Moss

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Peat moss (Sphagnum palustre) is a moss that dominates cool, wet bogs and builds peat, a deposit of partly decayed plant matter. Peatlands cover only a small share of the land but store roughly a third of the world's soil carbon.

Pedosphere

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The pedosphere is the outermost reactive soil layer of the continental crust where the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere intersect to regulate biogeochemical cycling and land-surface energy fluxes.

Pegmatite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pegmatite is an igneous rock with exceptionally large crystals, often several centimeters and sometimes meters long, most commonly of granitic composition.

Pelagic, Benthic, and Deep-Sea Ecosystems

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pelagic, benthic, and deep-sea ecosystems span the vertical bathymetric and photic zones of the global ocean, linked by diel vertical migration, marine snow carbon flux attenuation, piezophilic biochemistry, and chemosynthetic whale-fall and seep communities.

Penicillium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Penicillium chrysogenum (now often classed as P. rubens) is the blue-green mold that gave the world penicillin, the first widely used antibiotic.

Pentose Phosphate Pathway

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The pentose phosphate pathway is a cytosolic metabolic shunt parallel to glycolysis that oxidizes glucose-6-phosphate to generate cytosolic NADPH for reductive biosynthesis and antioxidant defense alongside ribose-5-phosphate for nucleotide synthesis.

Peptide and Macrocycle Therapeutics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Peptide and macrocycle therapeutics are intermediate-sized drug modalities between 500 and 5,000 Daltons that combine the high target specificity of biologics with engineered proteolytic stability, conformational pre-organization, and membrane permeability.

Peptide bonds

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sequential formation of millions of peptide bonds is the primary energetic output of translation, allowing the cell to construct the vast array of structural and catalytic proteins required for life.

Peptide Nucleic Acid

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a synthetic, achiral, uncharged nucleic acid analog in which the sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA and RNA is replaced by repeating N-(2-aminoethyl)glycine pseudopeptide units bearing canonical nucleobases.

Peptidoglycan

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Peptidoglycan is the mesh-like polymer of sugars and short peptides that forms the cell wall of nearly all bacteria, giving them their shape and protecting them from bursting under internal pressure.

Peptidyl Transferase Center

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The peptidyl transferase center (PTC) is the universally conserved ribozyme active site located in Domain V of the large ribosomal subunit rRNA that catalyzes peptide bond formation and ester hydrolysis during protein translation.

Peregrine Falcon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is the fastest animal in the world, reaching over 300 kilometers per hour in a hunting dive called a stoop. It nests on cliffs and, increasingly, on skyscrapers, on every continent except Antarctica.

Perfluorocarbons

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are fully fluorinated synthetic organofluorine compounds characterized by exceptional carbon-fluorine bond strength, multi-millennial atmospheric lifetimes, and strong infrared radiative forcing.

Peridotite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Peridotite is a dense, coarse-grained ultramafic rock made mostly of olivine and pyroxene. It is the main rock of Earth's upper mantle, and pieces of it reach the surface as fragments carried in lavas and as slabs of oceanic mantle in ophiolites.

Periodic Table

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Periodic Table of the Elements organizes all 118 IUPAC chemical elements by atomic number (Z), quantum electron shell configuration (s, p, d, f blocks), and recurring chemical periodicity.

Periodical Cicada

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The periodical cicada (Magicicada septendecim) is one of several North American cicadas that spend 13 or 17 years underground before emerging together in enormous numbers. M. septendecim is a 17-year species of the northeastern United States.

Permafrost

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Permafrost is defined as any layer of the pedosphere (soil, rock, or sediment) that remains continuously at or below 0°C (32°F) for a minimum of two consecutive years.

Permian–Triassic Extinction Event

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Permian–Triassic extinction event (251.90 Ma) was the largest Phanerozoic biotic crisis, triggered by Siberian Traps flood volcanism and contact metamorphism that eradicated 81–96% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species.

Peroxisome

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A peroxisome (historically termed a microbody) is a dynamic, single-membrane-bound oxidative organelle present in nearly all eukaryotic cells, typically ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 μm in diameter and numbering between 200 and 1,000 copies per mammalian hepatocyte.

Phagocytosis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Phagocytosis is an actin-driven, receptor-mediated cellular process by which professional phagocytes engulf particulate targets larger than 0.5 micrometers into membrane-bound phagosomes for lysosomal degradation and oxidative microbial killing.

Phantom Galaxy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Phantom Galaxy (Messier 74, NGC 628) is a face-on grand-design spiral in Pisces, around 32 million light-years away.

Pharmacodynamics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pharmacodynamics is the quantitative study of the biochemical, biophysical, and physiological mechanisms by which unbound drug concentrations bind to macromolecular targets and transduce cellular dose-response effects.

Pharmacogenetics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pharmacogenetics is the discipline within human genetics and clinical pharmacology that investigates how inherited monogenic and oligogenic germline DNA variants—including single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), short insertions and deletions...

Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pharmacogenomics is the study of how inherited and somatic variation across the human genome influences drug pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, efficacy, and adverse drug reactions.

Pharmacokinetics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pharmacokinetics is the quantitative mathematical modeling of drug absorption, tissue distribution, enzymatic metabolism, and excretory clearance that governs systemic and target-site drug concentrations over time.

Pharmacology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pharmacology is the quantitative biomedical science investigating the bidirectional interactions between chemical xenobiotics or biologics and living systems through the coupled disciplines of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.

Pharmacophore

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A pharmacophore is the abstract three-dimensional spatial arrangement of steric and electronic interaction features required for a ligand to achieve molecular recognition with a biological receptor and elicit or block its response.

Phase I and Phase II Drug Metabolism

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Phase I and Phase II drug metabolism is the sequential enzymatic biotransformation framework that converts lipophilic xenobiotics into polar, water-soluble derivatives via oxidative/hydrolytic functionalization and cofactor conjugation for renal and biliary excretion.

Phenology and Trophic Mismatch

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Phenology examines the seasonal timing of recurring biological life-history events governed by photoperiod and thermal degree-day cues, whose differential shifts under climate warming drive trophic mismatches.

Phenotype

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A phenotype is the composite of observable structural, biochemical, physiological, and behavioral traits of an organism across all levels of biological organization, arising from the expression of its genotype in interaction with environmental factors and developmental noise.

Phenotypic Plasticity

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Phenotypic plasticity is the capacity of a single genotype to express distinct morphological, physiological, biochemical, or behavioral phenotypes across varying environmental conditions.

Phenotypic Screening and Chemoproteomics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Phenotypic screening and chemoproteomics combine target-agnostic bioactivity discovery in physiologically relevant cellular or whole-organism models with quantitative chemical proteomics to deconvolute the molecular targets and binding sites of active small molecules.

Phloem

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Phloem is the living vascular tissue in tracheophytes that translocates photoassimilates, amino acids, and systemic signaling macromolecules from photosynthetic sources to metabolic sinks via osmotically driven positive hydrostatic pressure flow.

Phosphatidylserine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Phosphatidylserine (PS) is the principal anionic glycerophospholipid of eukaryotic cell membranes, sequestered in the inner cytosolic leaflet by ATP-dependent flippases and exposed on the cell surface by scramblases to trigger blood coagulation and apoptotic phagocytic clearance.

Phosphodiester bond

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A phosphodiester bond is the stable covalent linkage that forms the continuous, structural sugar-phosphate backbone of all biological nucleic acids.

Phosphorus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Phosphorus (P, atomic number 15) is a reactive Period 3 pnictogen nonmetal (30.974 u) that exists as white, red, violet, and black allotropes and forms the negatively charged phosphodiester backbone of DNA and RNA, the phosphoanhydride bonds of ATP, and vertebrate bone mineral.

Phosphorus and Sulfur Biogeochemical Cycles

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The phosphorus and sulfur cycles govern the crustal weathering, edaphic sorption, microbial redox transformations, and oceanic burial of two macroelements required for nucleic acids, bioenergetics, and proteins.

Phosphorylation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Phosphorylation is the covalent attachment of a phosphoryl group (PO3^2-) to an organic molecule or protein residue, serving as the universal mechanism of cellular energy coupling and reversible signal transduction.

Photorespiration

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Photorespiration, formally termed the C2 oxidative photosynthetic carbon cycle, is the light-dependent uptake of molecular oxygen (O2) and release of carbon dioxide (CO2) in oxygenic photoautotrophs triggered by the oxygenase activity of...

Photosynthesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Photosynthesis is the fundamental biological process by which autotrophic organisms—primarily terrestrial plants, marine phytoplankton, and cyanobacteria—convert incoming shortwave solar radiation into usable chemical energy.

Photosystem II

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Photosystem II (PSII) is the protein complex in the thylakoid membranes of plants, algae and cyanobacteria that uses light energy to split water into oxygen, protons and electrons. It is the source of almost all the oxygen in Earth's atmosphere.

Phred Quality Score

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A Phred quality score is a logarithmic metric (Q = -10 log10 P_e) assigned to each nucleotide base call in DNA sequencing that quantifies the probability of an incorrect base identification.

Phycomyces

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Phycomyces blakesleeanus is a mold whose tall, single-celled stalks can sense light, gravity, touch and even nearby objects. It is a classic organism for studying sensory physiology.

Phyllite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Phyllite is a fine-grained metamorphic rock between slate and schist, with a silky, shimmering sheen on its wavy foliation surfaces. The sheen comes from tiny flakes of white mica and chlorite that have grown slightly larger than those of slate.

Phylogenetics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Phylogenetics is the quantitative reconstruction of evolutionary ancestry and lineage divergence among organisms or genes using cladistic synapomorphies, distance matrices, maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference.

Physical Oceanography and Circulation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The specific heat capacity of seawater (cp ≈ 3,990 J kg−1 K−1) is about four times that of dry air, and the mass of the ocean is about 270 times that of the atmosphere.

Physics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Physics is the foundational operating system of the Earth System and the planetary biosphere.

Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling is a mechanistic mathematical framework representing the body as an anatomical network of physiological organs connected by arterial and venous blood flows to predict drug disposition and tissue concentrations.

Phytoplankton

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Phytoplankton account for about half of global net primary production, roughly 45 to 50 petagrams of carbon per year, even though they make up only about 1 percent of the photosynthetic biomass on Earth.

Pill Millipede

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The pill millipede (Glomeris marginata) is a small millipede of European woodland litter that rolls into a ball when disturbed. It looks like a pill bug but is not related, an example of convergent evolution.

Pillow Basalt

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pillow basalt is basaltic lava that erupted underwater and cooled into rounded, pillow-shaped lobes with glassy rinds. It covers much of the sea floor and is a signature of submarine volcanism, even in rocks now exposed on land.

Pineapple Sea Cucumber

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The pineapple sea cucumber (Thelenota ananas) is a large, Endangered Indo-Pacific holothurian of the family Stichopodidae, characterized by star-shaped dorsal papillae, catch-collagen dermal mechanics, and high commercial value in the bêche-de-mer trade.

Pinwheel Galaxy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101, NGC 5457) is a large face-on spiral in Ursa Major, about 21 million light-years away and some 170,000 light-years across, noticeably wider than the Milky Way.

Placenta

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The placenta (from the Latin placenta, meaning "flat cake") is a temporary, composite fetomaternal organ that develops inside the uterus during gestation in eutherian (placental) mammals, with simpler choriovitelline or chorioallantoic homologs...

Plains Zebra

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The plains zebra (Equus quagga) is the most common and widespread zebra, found in grasslands and savannas of eastern and southern Africa, and listed as Near Threatened. The extinct quagga was a subspecies.

Plakina Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Plakina sponge (Plakina monolopha) is a thin, encrusting sponge of rocky Mediterranean shores and caves. Like other homoscleromorphs, it has a tissue organized into true epithelial layers.

Planarian

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The planarian Schmidtea mediterranea is a freshwater flatworm about a centimeter long and one of the most famous regenerators in biology. A piece cut from its body can regrow into a complete worm.

Planetary biological pump

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The planetary biological pump (or marine biological carbon pump) is the ocean's biologically driven mechanism for transporting carbon from the surface hydrosphere to the deep ocean interior and seafloor sediments.

Planetary boundaries

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Planetary boundaries is a quantitative framework within Earth system science that defines the safe operating space for humanity across nine coupled biophysical processes regulating Holocene stability.

Planetary Habitability

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Planetary habitability is the quantitative measure of an astronomical body's capacity to develop and sustain liquid-solvent environments, bio-essential CHNOPS elements, and thermodynamic free-energy fluxes capable of supporting life over geological timescales.

Planetary Science

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Planetary science is the quantitative interdisciplinary study of planets, moons, small bodies, and exoplanetary systems, examining their nebular accretion, interior differentiation, magnetohydrodynamics, and atmospheric evolution.

Plants

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Plants (Kingdom Plantae / Embryophyta) are multicellular photosynthetic eukaryotes with cellulosic cell walls and chloroplasts that colonized land approximately 470 million years ago, constituting roughly 80% of Earth's living biomass and driving global primary production.

Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) is the reference quantitative serological bioassay that measures functional virus-neutralizing antibody titers by quantifying the reduction of viral plaques on confluent cell monolayers.

Plasmid

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A plasmid is a small DNA molecule that replicates independently of a cell's chromosomes, most often a circular double-stranded molecule found in bacteria.

Plasmodium falciparum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Plasmodium falciparum causes the great majority of malaria deaths, estimated at about 600,000 a year, of which roughly 94% occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, mostly in children under five and in pregnant women.

Plasmodium vivax

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Plasmodium vivax is a single-celled parasite of the phylum Apicomplexa and the most geographically widespread cause of human malaria.

Plate tectonics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Plate tectonics is the unifying geophysical theory describing the large-scale kinematic motion and dynamic recycling of the Earth's rigid outer shell.

Platinum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Platinum is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Pt, atomic number 78, and standard atomic weight 195.08 u.

Platypus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic mammal of eastern Australia that lays eggs, has a duck-like bill and, in males, a venomous spur.

Pleiades

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Pleiades (Messier 45) is an archetypal young open star cluster in the constellation Taurus located at a Gaia parallax distance of 136.2 parsecs (444 light-years) and containing over 1,000 gravitationally bound Population I stars aged roughly 115 to 125 million years.

Pluto

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pluto is the largest known dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt, forming a mutually tidally locked binary with Charon and hosting the convecting nitrogen glacier Sputnik Planitia above a candidate subsurface water ocean.

Plutonium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Plutonium is a dense, silvery, radioactive transuranic f-block actinide metal on the periodic table designated by the symbol Pu, atomic number 94, and reference mass number 244 u.

Point Mutation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A point mutation is a change in a single base pair of DNA. It is the simplest type of genetic mutation, and depending on where it falls and what it changes, it may have no effect, a small effect or a major one.

Pollen

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pollen is the microscopic, sporopollenin-walled male microgametophyte of seed plants (gymnosperms and angiosperms) that produces and delivers haploid male gametes to the female ovule via a siphonogamous pollen tube for fertilization.

Pollination Ecology and Seed Dispersal Networks

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pollination and seed dispersal networks mediate plant reproductive gene flow across landscapes through sensory-guided animal mutualisms, abiotic vectors, and nested bipartite network architectures.

Polonium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Polonium is a rare, radioactive post-transition metal and chalcogen on the periodic table designated by the symbol Po, atomic number 84, and mass number 209 u.

Poly-A tail

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The poly-A tail is a continuous sequence of multiple adenine (A) nucleotides appended to the 3' end of a messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript.

Polygenic Inheritance

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Polygenic inheritance is the quantitative transmission of continuous phenotypic traits governed by the cumulative additive effects of many genetic loci interacting with environmental variation.

Polymerase chain reaction

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a ubiquitous in vitro molecular technique utilized to geometrically amplify a specific target sequence of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

Polypeptides

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Polypeptides are linear, unbranched heteropolymers of proteinogenic amino acids linked head-to-tail by covalent amide peptide bonds synthesized during ribosomal translation.

Polyploidy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Polyploidy is the condition of having more than two complete sets of chromosomes in a cell. Humans and most animals are diploid, with two sets, but polyploidy is common in plants and has been an important force in the evolution of crops and wild species.

Pompeii Worm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Pompeii worm (Alvinella pompejana) lives on the chimneys of hydrothermal vents in the East Pacific, one of the most heat-tolerant animals known. Its tail sits in water near 80 °C while its head is in cooler water.

Pond Olive

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The pond olive (Cloeon dipterum) is a small mayfly of still waters in Europe and Asia. It is unusual among mayflies in laying eggs that hatch immediately and in having only a single pair of wings.

Pond Slider

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The pond slider (Trachemys scripta), including the red-eared slider subspecies, is a common freshwater turtle of the southern United States. It has become one of the most widespread invasive reptiles through the pet trade.

Population Bottleneck

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A population bottleneck is an acute demographic contraction that reduces a population's effective size, accelerating genetic drift, purging rare alleles, and elevating genome-wide homozygosity.

Population genetics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Operating as the mathematical core of evolutionary theory, population genetics treats evolution as a deterministic and stochastic dynamical process acting upon a population's gene pool.

Porcelain Anemone Crab

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The porcelain anemone crab (Neopetrolisthes maculatus) is a small, white-and-red-spotted crab that lives among the tentacles of large sea anemones on Indo-Pacific reefs. It is not a true crab but a porcelain crab.

Pork Tapeworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The pork tapeworm (Taenia solium) is a parasitic flatworm that lives as an adult in the human intestine and as larval cysts in pigs, and sometimes in people.

Portuguese Man o' War

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Portuguese man o' war (Physalia physalis) drifts on the surface of warm oceans under a gas-filled float. It looks like a jellyfish but is a siphonophore, a colony of specialized, genetically identical individuals that cannot live alone.

Post-Translational Modification

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The covalent enzymatic or spontaneous modification of amino acid side chains or peptide backbones during or after ribosomal translation that regulates protein activity, localization, stability, and interaction networks.

Potassium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Potassium is a low-density Group 1 alkali metal (K, Z = 19) whose monovalent cation (K+) is the primary intracellular electrolyte in living cells, establishing resting membrane potentials and driving plant osmoregulation.

Potato Wart Fungus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The potato wart fungus (Synchytrium endobioticum) is a chytrid that causes warty, cauliflower-like growths on potato tubers and renders them unmarketable. It is not the cause of the Irish potato famine, which was due to an unrelated oomycete.

Praseodymium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Praseodymium is a malleable, silvery-yellow metallic element on the periodic table identified by the atomic symbol Pr, atomic number 59, and standard atomic weight 140.91 u.

Prebiotic Chemistry

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Prebiotic chemistry investigates the abiotic reaction networks and geochemical pathways through which simple planetary feedstock molecules self-assemble into nucleotides, amino acids, lipids, and catalytic polymers prior to the origin of life.

Precision Medicine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Precision medicine is a clinical and molecular framework that stratifies disease prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment selection by integrating an individual's germline genome, somatic mutations, multi-omic profiles, microbiome composition, and environmental exposures.

Precision Oncology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Precision oncology is the molecular profiling of malignant neoplasms to match somatic driver alterations and immune microenvironmental features with targeted small-molecule inhibitors, antibody-drug conjugates, and immunotherapies.

Preclinical Toxicology and Safety Pharmacology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Preclinical toxicology and safety pharmacology encompass the mandatory in vitro and in vivo nonclinical studies conducted under Good Laboratory Practice to characterize organ toxicity, genotoxicity, and safe human starting doses before clinical trials.

Predator–Prey Dynamics and Optimal Foraging Theory

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Predator-prey dynamics and optimal foraging theory link individual consumer functional responses, diet selection, and patch residence decisions to coupled population oscillations and non-consumptive landscape-of-fear cascades.

Primary Production

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Primary production is the rate at which autotrophic organisms synthesize organic carbon compounds from inorganic carbon dioxide and water using radiative solar energy or chemical oxidation, forming the energetic foundation of global trophic webs.

Primase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Primase is a highly specialized type of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase that plays an indispensable role in DNA replication.

Primers

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Primers are short single-stranded nucleic acid polymers that base-pair to a template strand and provide a free 3'-hydroxyl nucleophile required by DNA polymerases to initiate DNA synthesis.

Principles of Climate Modeling

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Because the Earth System is too massive and complex to replicate in a physical laboratory, climate scientists rely on highly advanced computer simulations to understand past climate shifts and project future scenarios.

Principles of Mendelian Genetics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Prior to Mendel, nineteenth-century heredity was dominated by the hypothesis of blending inheritance, which posited that parental traits mixed irreversibly in offspring like miscible fluids.

Prion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A prion is an infectious, self-propagating protein isoform devoid of nucleic acid that transmits neurodegenerative transmissible spongiform encephalopathies by templating the conformational conversion of normal host cellular prion protein into beta-sheet-rich amyloid aggregates.

Pristionchus Roundworm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pristionchus pacificus is a small soil nematode that lives with scarab beetles and is a model for studying how new traits evolve. It can develop two different mouth forms, one of which is a predator.

Proboscis Monkey

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) is a large monkey of the mangrove and riverine forests of Borneo, known for the huge nose of the adult male. It is listed as Endangered.

Prodrug

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A prodrug is a pharmacologically inactive or weakly active bioreversible chemical derivative that undergoes in vivo enzymatic or chemical biotransformation to liberate the active parent drug at or prior to its biological target.

Prokaryotes

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Prokaryotes are single-celled organisms comprising the domains Bacteria and Archaea, defined structurally by an unbounded nucleoid, 70S ribosomes, coupled transcription-translation, and diverse chemolithotrophic and phototrophic metabolisms.

Promethium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Promethium (Pm, Z = 61) is the only radioactive lanthanide in Period 6 (145 u, [Xe] 4f⁵ 6s²), governed by Mattauch's isobar rule, discovered via ion-exchange chromatography at Oak Ridge in 1945, and applied in ¹⁴⁷Pm betavoltaic nuclear batteries.

Promoter

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A promoter (or promoter region) is a specific cis-regulatory sequence of DNA located upstream (towards the 5' region) of a target gene's transcription start site (+1).

Protactinium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Protactinium is a dense, silvery-gray, radioactive f-block actinide metal on the periodic table designated by the symbol Pa, atomic number 91, and standard atomic weight 231.04 u.

Protease

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A protease (also termed a peptidase, proteinase, or proteolytic enzyme) is an enzyme classified under Enzyme Commission category EC 3.4 that catalyzes the hydrolytic cleavage of peptide bonds linking amino acids within polypeptide chains.

Proteasome

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The proteasome is a massive, highly organized ATP-dependent macromolecular protease complex found in the cytoplasm and nucleus of all eukaryotes, Archaea, and some Bacteria.

Protein Folding

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Protein folding is the physical self-assembly process by which a linear polypeptide chain synthesized by the ribosome adopts its native three-dimensional conformation down a funnel-shaped free-energy landscape.

Protein-Protein Interaction Inhibitor

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Protein-protein interaction inhibitors are small molecules, peptidomimetics, or macrocycles engineered to target energetic hot-spot residues across protein interfaces, disrupting or stabilizing non-enzymatic macromolecular complexes in oncology, immunology, and virology.

Proteins

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Proteins are nitrogenous biological macromolecules composed of linear chains of amino acids that execute the majority of catalytic, structural, and mechanical work within living cells.

Proteomics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Within the central dogma of molecular biology, proteomics represents the ultimate physical execution layer.

Protocell

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A protocell is a self-assembled, membrane-bounded prebiotic vesicle that encapsulates replicating genetic polymers such as RNA together with chemical substrates, enabling cellular individuality and Darwinian selection prior to LUCA.

Protozoa

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Protozoa are a polyphyletic functional assemblage of unicellular heterotrophic eukaryotes that feed by phagotrophy or osmotrophy and include free-living microbial grazers as well as major human pathogens.

PubChem and ChEMBL

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

PubChem and ChEMBL are the two largest open-access chemical biology repositories, archiving standardized chemical structures, physicochemical properties, and quantitative bioactivity measurements for global chemoinformatics and drug discovery.

Public Health

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Public health is the interdisciplinary science of protecting and improving the biological integrity of human populations at the macroscopic level.

Puddingstone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Puddingstone, a quartz-pebble conglomerate, is a rock in which smooth, rounded pebbles of quartz, chert, flint or jasper are locked in a hard silica cement. The name compares the pebbles to plums in a Christmas pudding.

Pumice

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pumice is a pale, light, glassy volcanic rock so full of gas bubbles that many pieces float on water. It forms when gas-rich silicic magma foams during an explosive eruption and is quenched before the bubbles can escape.

Punctuated Equilibrium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Punctuated equilibrium is a macroevolutionary theory proposing that sexually reproducing metazoan species exhibit long geological intervals of morphological stasis interrupted by brief, geologically rapid episodes of cladogenetic speciation in small peripheral populations.

Purifying Selection

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Purifying selection, or negative selection, is the pervasive evolutionary process that removes deleterious mutations from a population, preserving functional protein sequences, regulatory grammar, and low nonsynonymous-to-synonymous substitution ratios.

Purple Rock Urchin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The purple rock urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) is a sea urchin of the Mediterranean and northeastern Atlantic that excavates shallow burrows in rock. Its roe is a delicacy in Mediterranean cuisine.

Purple Sea Urchin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) is a spiny grazer of the Pacific coast of North America and one of the most important organisms in developmental biology. Its genome was sequenced in 2006.

Purple-spotted Mantis Shrimp

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The purple-spotted mantis shrimp (Gonodactylus chiragra) is a smasher mantis shrimp of Indo-Pacific shores, with a green-brown body and purple spots on its club. It lives in burrows and crevices in coral rubble.

Purse Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The purse sponge (Grantia compressa) is a small, flattened, purse-shaped calcareous sponge of rocky shores of the North Atlantic. It hangs from rocks and seaweed and has a single opening at the top.

Pyrethroids

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pyrethroids are synthetic photostable cyclopropanecarboxylate ester insecticides modeled on natural botanical pyrethrins that disrupt insect neurotransmission by delaying the inactivation and deactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels.

Pyrimidine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A pyrimidine is an organic molecule with a six-membered ring containing two nitrogen atoms. The term also names a class of nucleobases that includes cytosine, thymine and uracil, which carry information in DNA and RNA.

Pyriproxyfen

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pyriproxyfen is an insect growth regulator that mimics juvenile hormone, the hormone that keeps insects in their immature stages. It is used to control mosquito larvae, fleas and other pests, because it prevents them from developing into reproducing adults.

Pyrite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pyrite is iron disulfide, FeS₂, a brassy, metallic mineral with isometric crystals and a hardness of 6 to 6.5.

Pyrocumulonimbus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb, formally cumulonimbus flammagenitus) is a fire-triggered thunderstorm cloud whose buoyant updrafts loft smoke aerosols and combustion gases to the tropopause and lower stratosphere.

Pyromorphite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pyromorphite is a lead chlorophosphate, Pb₅(PO₄)₃Cl, a dense, vivid green mineral with hexagonal crystals that belongs to the apatite group. The name comes from the Greek for 'fire form,' because a melted fragment crystallizes again on cooling.

Pyrosequencing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Pyrosequencing is a real-time bioluminescent sequencing-by-synthesis method that detects nucleotide incorporation through an enzymatic cascade converting released inorganic pyrophosphate into ATP and visible luciferase chemiluminescence.

Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationship

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) modeling is a statistical and machine-learning framework in chemoinformatics that correlates numerical molecular descriptors or fingerprints with biological potency or physicochemical endpoints.

Quantum Numbers

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Quantum numbers are sets of discrete integer or half-integer eigenvalues that specify the quantized energy, orbital angular momentum, spatial orientation, and intrinsic spin state of an electron in an atom.

Quartz

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Quartz is a silicon dioxide (SiO₂) mineral and the second most abundant mineral in the continental crust, after the feldspars.

Quartz Arenite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Quartz arenite is a sandstone composed of more than about 90 to 95 percent quartz, depending on the classification used, in well-sorted, rounded grains. It is the 'cleanest' and most mature sandstone, the end product of repeated weathering and reworking.

Quartzite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock formed from quartz-rich sandstone, in which the sand grains have recrystallized into an interlocking mosaic of quartz. It is white, pink, grey or purple, and it breaks through the grains rather than around them.

Quasispecies Model

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The quasispecies model is a mathematical framework formulated by Manfred Eigen and Peter Schuster describing the mutation-selection equilibrium of asexually replicating macromolecules and RNA viruses at high mutation rates.

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) is the largest butterfly in the world, with a wingspan of up to about 25 to 28 centimeters. It lives only in a small area of rainforest in Papua New Guinea and is listed as Endangered.

Queen Conch

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The queen conch (Aliger gigas) is a large sea snail of the Caribbean with a heavy, spiky shell lined in pink. It has been a key food and fishery of the region, and has been heavily overfished.

Queensland Lungfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Queensland lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri) is a large, long-lived lungfish confined to a few rivers of southeastern Queensland, Australia.

Quokka

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The quokka (Setonix brachyurus) is a small, cat-sized wallaby of southwestern Australia, best known from Rottnest Island, where it lives in numbers. It looks as though it is smiling, and is listed as Vulnerable.

Quorum Sensing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Quorum sensing is a cell-density-dependent bacterial communication process mediated by secreted chemical signaling molecules called autoinducers that synchronize population-wide transcription of virulence factors, bioluminescence, and biofilms.

r/K Selection Theory

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

r/K selection theory is an evolutionary life-history framework contrasting rapid, high-fecundity reproductive strategies in unstable habitats (r-selection) against slow, competitive, high-investment strategies near carrying capacity (K-selection).

Rabbit Fish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The rabbit fish or ghost shark (Chimaera monstrosa) is a deep-sea cartilaginous fish of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.

Radiative forcing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Because the Earth System naturally seeks thermal equilibrium, radiative forcing is the primary physical driver of global climate change.

Radiolysis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Radiolysis is the dissociation of chemical bonds by high-energy ionizing radiation, generating reactive radicals, molecular hydrogen, and oxidants such as oxygen and hydrogen peroxide in planetary crusts and icy ocean worlds.

Radiometric Dating

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Radiometric dating (geochronology) determines the absolute age of rocks, minerals, fossils, and meteorites from the first-order exponential radioactive decay of parent isotopes into radiogenic daughter isotopes.

Radium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Radium is a silvery-white, radioactive alkaline earth metal on the periodic table designated by the symbol Ra, atomic number 88, and reference mass number 226 u.

Radon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Radon is a dense, colorless, radioactive noble gas on the periodic table designated by the symbol Rn, atomic number 86, and reference mass number 222 u.

Rafflesia arnoldii

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rafflesia arnoldii is a parasitic plant of Sumatra and Borneo that produces the largest single flower in the world, up to about a meter across. It has no leaves, stems or roots, and lives hidden inside the tissues of a forest vine.

Rainbow Mantis Shrimp

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The rainbow mantis shrimp (Pseudosquilla ciliata) is a mantis shrimp of tropical shores that can change color to match its surroundings. It is found across the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic.

Rajah Pitcher Plant

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Rajah pitcher plant (Nepenthes rajah) is a giant carnivorous plant of the high slopes of Mount Kinabalu and neighboring mountains in Borneo.

Ramachandran Plot

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A Ramachandran plot is a two-dimensional conformational map that charts the sterically allowed backbone dihedral torsion angles ψ (psi) versus φ (phi) of amino acid residues in a polypeptide chain.

Randomized Controlled Trials and Clinical Biostatistics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Randomized controlled trials and clinical biostatistics provide the experimental design, probability theory, sample-size power equations, survival analysis, and alpha-spending methodologies required to establish causal drug efficacy in human clinical trials.

Reactive Oxygen Species

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are a family of partially reduced, chemically reactive free-radical and non-radical derivatives of molecular dioxygen (O2) generated continuously as byproducts of aerobic cellular respiration and photosynthetic...

Receptor Agonist and Antagonist

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Receptor agonists and antagonists are pharmacological ligands classified by how their differential binding affinities for inactive and active receptor conformations modulate cellular signal transduction or block endogenous ligand action.

Receptor Tyrosine Kinase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A receptor tyrosine kinase is a high-affinity, single-pass transmembrane cell-surface receptor with intrinsic cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase activity that transduces polypeptide growth factor signals via ligand-induced dimerization and trans-autophosphorylation.

Recombinant Subunit and Virus-Like Particle Vaccines

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Recombinant subunit and virus-like particle vaccines use heterologous expression systems to produce purified pathogen surface glycoproteins or self-assembling non-infectious icosahedral protein shells that cross-link B-cell receptors.

Red Fox

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has the widest geographic range of any wild carnivore, occurring across the Northern Hemisphere and, after introduction, Australia. A flexible omnivore that thrives in cities and countryside alike, it is listed as Least Concern.

Red Harvester Ant

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The red harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) is a seed-eating ant of the deserts of the southwestern United States and Mexico.

Red Kangaroo

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The red kangaroo (Osphranter rufus) is the largest living marsupial, with males standing up to about 1.8 meters tall. It roams the arid interior of Australia in groups called mobs and is listed as Least Concern.

Red King Crab

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) is a giant crab of the North Pacific, with a leg span of up to about 1.8 meters. It supports a major fishery in Alaska and is an invader in the Barents Sea.

Red Lionfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a striped, venomous reef fish of the Indo-Pacific that has become a major invader in the western Atlantic and Caribbean. It has flowing fins and thirteen venomous spines.

Red Panda

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is a small, russet, tree-living mammal of the Himalayan forests, with a ringed bushy tail. Despite sharing the name, it is not closely related to the giant panda. It is listed as Endangered.

Red Queen Hypothesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Red Queen hypothesis proposes that species must continually evolve and adapt against coevolving biotic antagonists—such as parasites, predators, and competitors—simply to maintain constant relative fitness and avoid extinction.

Red Ribbon Worm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The red ribbon worm (Lineus ruber) is a small, reddish-brown ribbon worm that lives under stones and among seaweed on rocky shores of the North Atlantic. It is known for its ability to regenerate.

Red Sea Plume

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The red sea plume (Asparagopsis taxiformis) is a feathery red seaweed of warm seas that has attracted attention because feeding a little of it to cattle sharply reduces their methane emissions.

Red Sea Urchin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The red sea urchin (Mesocentrotus franciscanus) is the largest sea urchin, up to about 19 centimeters across, and lives in the kelp forests of the Pacific coast of North America. It can live for over a hundred years.

Red Slate Pencil Urchin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The red slate pencil urchin (Heterocentrotus mammillatus) is a sea urchin of Indo-Pacific reefs with a few thick, blunt spines that look like slate pencils, surrounded by short, shorter spines.

Red Velvet Mite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The red velvet mite (Trombidium holosericeum) is a bright red, velvety mite a few millimeters long that appears on the ground after rain in Europe. It is harmless to people.

Red-eyed Tree Frog

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) is a bright green tree frog of the Central American rainforest, with bulging red eyes, blue and yellow flanks and orange feet. It is a symbol of rainforest conservation.

Red-footed Booby

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The red-footed booby (Sula sula) is the smallest booby, a seabird of tropical oceans with striking red feet. It nests in trees and shrubs on remote islands, unlike most other boobies, which nest on the ground.

Red-legged Seriema

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata) is a long-legged, crested bird of the grasslands of South America that hunts snakes and lizards on foot. Its relatives include the extinct 'terror birds'.

Red-tailed Hawk

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is the most common large hawk of North America, easily recognized by the rusty red tail of the adult. It soars over open country and, increasingly, over cities.

Redfield Ratio

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Redfield ratio is the empirical molar stoichiometry of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus (106 C : 16 N : 1 P, with −138 O2) shared between marine plankton biomass and deep-ocean dissolved nutrient inventories, first formulated by Alfred C. Redfield in 1934.

Reindeer Lichen

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Reindeer lichen (Cladonia rangiferina) is a pale gray, branching lichen that carpets tundra and open boreal forests. It is a key winter food for reindeer and caribou, which dig it from beneath the snow.

Reinforcement (Speciation)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Reinforcement is the evolutionary process by which natural selection directly increases prezygotic reproductive isolation between hybridizing populations in response to reduced postzygotic hybrid fitness.

Replication fork

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The replication fork is the dynamic, Y-shaped micro-architectural structure that forms during DNA replication.

Reproductive Isolation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Reproductive isolation comprises the prezygotic and postzygotic biological barriers that prevent interbreeding and gene flow between diverging populations, driving the origin of new species.

Residence Time

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Residence time is the average duration that an atom, molecule, or chemical species remains within a defined geophysical or biogeochemical reservoir before being removed by physical transport or chemical transformation.

Restoration Ecology, Trophic Rewilding, and Assisted Migration

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Restoration ecology, trophic rewilding, and assisted migration apply ecological succession, alternative stable states, apex predator cascades, and climate-adaptive translocation to repair degraded ecosystems.

Restriction Enzyme

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A restriction enzyme (also termed a restriction endonuclease) is a prokaryotic site-specific deoxyribonuclease (EC 3.1.21.3–5) that recognizes a specific short nucleotide sequence—typically 4 to 8 base pairs (bp) in length—within...

Reticulated Sea Biscuit

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The reticulated sea biscuit (Clypeaster reticulatus) is a thick, domed, oval sea urchin of the Indo-Pacific. A net-like pattern of ridges covers its skeleton.

Retroviruses

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Retroviruses are enveloped positive-sense RNA viruses of the family Retroviridae that reverse-transcribe their diploid RNA genomes into double-stranded DNA for integration into host chromosomes.

Reverse transcriptase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Reverse transcriptase (RT) is a multifunctional RNA-dependent DNA polymerase enzyme that synthesizes complementary DNA (cDNA) from an RNA template, a biochemical process termed reverse transcription.

Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) is a molecular biology and clinical diagnostic technique that couples enzymatic reverse transcription of RNA into complementary DNA (cDNA) with geometric amplification by the polymerase chain reaction.

Reverse Vaccinology and Structural Vaccinology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Reverse vaccinology and structural vaccinology use whole-genome bioinformatics, human B-cell repertoire mining, and atomic-resolution cryo-EM or X-ray crystallography to identify and stabilize protective vaccine immunogens.

Rhenium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rhenium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Re, atomic number 75, and standard atomic weight 186.21 u.

Rhesus Macaque

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is a hardy Old World monkey that lives from Afghanistan to China and is the most widely used nonhuman primate in biomedical research. It adapts to forests, farms and cities.

Rhizosphere Ecology and Plant–Soil Feedbacks

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rhizosphere ecology and plant-soil feedbacks examine how root exudates, mycorrhizal symbioses, rhizobacteria, and soilborne pathogens regulate nutrient acquisition and plant community coexistence.

Rhodium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rhodium (Rh, Z = 45) is a monoisotopic Period 5, Group 9 platinum-group transition metal (102.91 u) with a [Kr] 4d8 5s1 ground state whose Rh(I)/Rh(III) redox cycle powers Wilkinson hydrogenation, Monsanto acetic acid carbonylation, hydroformylation, and automotive NOx reduction.

Rhodochrosite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rhodochrosite is a manganese carbonate, MnCO₃, with the same structure as calcite, in rose-pink to raspberry-red crystals. The name comes from the Greek for 'rose-colored.' It is the national gemstone of Argentina and the state mineral of Colorado.

Rhyolite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rhyolite is a fine-grained or glassy volcanic rock rich in silica, with more than about 69 weight percent SiO₂.

Ribonuclease

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ribonuclease (commonly abbreviated as RNase) encompasses a superfamily of hydrolytic enzymes that catalyze the degradation of ribonucleic acid (RNA) into smaller oligonucleotide components or individual nucleotides.

Ribonuclease P

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is a universally conserved endoribonuclease ribozyme that catalyzes the divalent-metal-dependent hydrolytic cleavage of the 5' leader sequence from precursor transfer RNA transcripts across Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

Ribonucleoprotein World

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Ribonucleoprotein World is the evolutionary transition stage between the primordial RNA World and modern cellular life, during which catalytic RNA molecules co-evolved with short peptides to enhance structural stability and enzymatic catalysis.

Ribonucleotide Reductase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ribonucleotide reductase is the universal free-radical metalloenzyme that catalyzes the de novo reduction of ribonucleotides into 2'-deoxyribonucleotides, providing the monomeric precursors required for DNA replication and repair.

Ribose

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ribose, specifically the biologically active enantiomer D-ribose, is a highly conserved five-carbon monosaccharide (aldopentose) with the chemical formula C5H10O5 (molar mass 150.13 g/mol).

Ribosome

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Unlike most cellular enzymes, which are composed entirely of protein, the ribosome is a ribonucleoprotein complex.

Riboswitch

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A riboswitch is a structured cis-regulatory RNA domain typically located in the 5' untranslated region of messenger RNA that directly binds small-molecule metabolites or elemental ions without protein cofactors to control gene expression.

Ribozyme

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A ribozyme (ribonucleic acid enzyme) is a structured RNA molecule capable of catalyzing specific biochemical reactions with a kinetic efficiency and structural specificity comparable to protein enzymes.

RIG-I

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

RIG-I (retinoic acid-inducible gene I, encoded by DDX58) is a cytosolic pattern-recognition receptor that detects short blunt-ended viral double-stranded RNA bearing a 5′-triphosphate or 5′-diphosphate moiety and activates MAVS-mediated interferon production.

Ring Nebula

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Ring Nebula (Messier 57, NGC 6720) is a planetary nebula in Lyra, about 2,600 light-years away, a glowing shell of gas shed by a dying Sun-like star. Antoine Darquier discovered it in 1779, and a small telescope reveals the famous smoke-ring shape.

Ring Species

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A ring species is a connected geographic chain of interbreeding populations encircling an uninhabitable barrier whose terminal populations overlap in sympatry and exhibit reproductive isolation.

Ring-tailed Lemur

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) is a primate endemic to southern Madagascar, recognizable by its black-and-white banded tail.

Ringed Caecilian

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The ringed caecilian (Siphonops annulatus) is a limbless, burrowing amphibian of South America, whose body is ringed with folds like an earthworm. It belongs to Gymnophiona, the third group of living amphibians, alongside frogs and salamanders.

River Blindness Worm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The river blindness worm (Onchocerca volvulus) is a filarial nematode transmitted by blackflies that breed in fast-flowing rivers. It causes onchocerciasis, with intense itching, skin disease and in many cases blindness, mostly in Africa.

RNA

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

RNA (ribonucleic acid) is a polymeric nucleic acid macromolecule that mediates the coding, decoding, regulation, catalysis, and expression of genes across all cellular life and RNA viruses.

RNA Interference

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

RNA Interference (RNAi) is a sequence-specific, evolutionarily conserved cellular mechanism in eukaryotes by which short non-coding RNA molecules guide Argonaute effector complexes to cleave or translationally repress complementary target messenger RNAs.

RNA polymerase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

RNA polymerase (RNAP, systematically classified as DNA-directed RNA polymerase, EC 2.7.7.6) is a multi-subunit nucleotidyltransferase enzyme that synthesizes RNA from a DNA template during transcription.

RNA Polymerase II

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

RNA Polymerase II (Pol II or RNAP II) is a 550-kilodalton, 12-subunit eukaryotic nuclear holoenzyme that catalyzes the DNA-dependent transcription of all protein-coding precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs), most long non-coding RNAs, and small nuclear/microRNAs.

RNA primer

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An RNA primer is a short, transient single-stranded oligoribonucleotide of 7 to 12 nucleotides synthesized de novo by primase to provide the free 3'-hydroxyl terminus required by DNA polymerases to initiate chromosomal DNA replication.

RNA Replicase Ribozyme

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An RNA replicase ribozyme is a catalytic RNA enzyme that performs template-directed 5'-to-3' polymerization of ribonucleoside triphosphates or oligonucleotide triplets, representing the central experimental catalyst of the RNA World hypothesis.

RNA Splicing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

RNA splicing is the co-transcriptional and post-transcriptional molecular process in which non-coding introns are excised from precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) and protein-coding exons are ligated together via two sequential transesterification reactions.

RNA virus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

An RNA virus is a virus whose genetic material is single-stranded or double-stranded RNA replicated by a virus-encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerase or reverse transcriptase.

RNA World Hypothesis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The RNA world hypothesis is a foundational paradigm in abiogenesis, prebiotic chemistry, and evolutionary biology proposing that an early stage of cellular or pre-cellular life on the Hadean–Archean Earth relied on ribonucleic acid (RNA)...

RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp, EC 2.7.7.48) is a template-directed nucleotidyltransferase enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of a complementary RNA strand from an RNA template, serving as the hallmark replication enzyme of RNA viruses and eukaryotic RNA silencing pathways.

RNA-Seq

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

RNA-Seq (whole-transcriptome shotgun sequencing) is a high-throughput molecular and bioinformatics methodology that uses massively parallel sequencing or long-read DNA sequencing platforms to catalog and quantify the cellular repertoire of RNA...

Roche Limit

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Roche limit is the minimum orbital distance from a primary celestial body at which a secondary body held together solely by its own self-gravity is disrupted by differential gravitational tidal forces.

Rock Cycle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The rock cycle is the continuous planetary system of petrogenetic transformations linking igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks through plate tectonics, mantle convection, and surface weathering and erosion.

Rock Gypsum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rock gypsum is a sedimentary rock made of the hydrated calcium sulfate mineral gypsum, CaSO₄·2H₂O. It forms by evaporation in lagoons and coastal flats, is so soft that a fingernail scratches it, and does not fizz in acid.

Rock Hyrax

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) is a rabbit-sized, social mammal that lives among rocks in Africa and the Levant. Though it looks like a large guinea pig, its closest living relatives are elephants and manatees. It is listed as Least Concern.

Rock Pigeon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The rock pigeon or rock dove (Columba livia) is a bird of cliffs and rocky slopes in Europe, North Africa and Asia that has been domesticated for thousands of years. City pigeons are feral descendants of domestic birds.

Rock Salt

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rock salt is a sedimentary rock made of the mineral halite, sodium chloride (NaCl), formed by evaporation of seawater or salt-lake water. It occurs as thick beds and as salt domes in sedimentary basins.

Rocks and Minerals

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rocks are natural aggregates of minerals, sorted by how they formed: igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic. This hub explains the scheme and links the rocks and minerals of the CRV Science Geology Guide.

Roentgenium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Roentgenium (Rg, atomic number 111) is a synthetic Period 7 Group 11 noble coinage-group metal named after Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen whose relativistic [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d⁹ 7s² ground state inverts the classical d¹⁰ s¹ configuration of copper, silver, and gold.

Ronald Fisher

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher (1890-1962) was a British statistician, evolutionary biologist, and geneticist who established the mathematical foundations of modern statistics, experimental design, quantitative genetics, and the Modern Synthesis.

Ronald Ross

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sir Ronald Ross (1857–1932) was a British physician, Indian Medical Service officer, and mathematician who received the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering the mosquito transmission cycle of malaria and founding mathematical epidemiology.

Rosalind Franklin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rosalind Franklin (full name Rosalind Elsie Franklin, 25 July 1920 – 16 April 1958) was a British physical chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose experimental research established the quantitative structural parameters of DNA, RNA, viruses, and coal.

Rose of Jericho Spikemoss

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The rose of Jericho (Selaginella lepidophylla) is a desert spikemoss of the Chihuahuan Desert that curls into a dry brown ball when it dries out and unfurls and turns green again within hours of being watered. It is one of the best-known resurrection plants.

Ross-Macdonald Model

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Ross-Macdonald model is the mathematical framework of vector-borne epidemiology describing the transmission dynamics, vectorial capacity, and basic reproduction number of mosquito-borne pathogens.

Rossby Wave

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rossby waves, or planetary waves, are synoptic- to planetary-scale undulations in rotating atmospheres and oceans restored by the latitudinal gradient of planetary vorticity.

Rosy Feather Star

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The rosy feather star (Antedon bifida) is a crinoid of the northeastern Atlantic, a free-swimming relative of the sea lilies. Crinoids were abundant in Paleozoic seas, and their fossils form entire layers of limestone.

Rough endoplasmic reticulum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The rough endoplasmic reticulum is a ribosome-studded membrane domain of the eukaryotic endoplasmic reticulum that executes cotranslational translocation, oxidative folding, N-linked glycosylation, and quality control of secretory and membrane proteins.

Rough-skinned Newt

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) is a salamander of the Pacific Northwest whose skin contains tetrodotoxin, among the most potent natural toxins known. It is a classic example of a coevolutionary arms race.

RRNA

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is a structured, non-coding RNA molecule that serves as the structural and catalytic core of the ribosome.

Rubber Eel

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The rubber eel (Typhlonectes natans) is a smooth, dark, eel-like amphibian that lives in the rivers and swamps of Colombia and Venezuela. It is an aquatic caecilian and not an eel.

Rubidium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rubidium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Rb, atomic number 37, and a standard atomic weight of 85.4678(3) u.

RuBisCO

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

RuBisCO (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) is the primary carbon-fixing enzyme of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle and the single most abundant protein in the Earth's biosphere.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is the only hummingbird that breeds in eastern North America. Weighing about as much as a penny, it migrates each year to Central America and is listed as Least Concern.

Ruthenium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ruthenium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Ru (from Medieval Latin Ruthenia, referring to Rus' and Russia), atomic number 44, and standard atomic weight 101.07 u.

Rutherfordium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rutherfordium (Rf, Z = 104) is the first transactinide element (Group 4, Period 7, 267 u, [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d² 7s²), forming volatile RfCl₄ and RfBr₄ tetrahalides and hexacoordinate [RfF₆]²⁻ complexes.

Rutile

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Rutile is titanium dioxide, TiO₂, with tetragonal crystals, a hardness of 6 to 6.5 and a brilliant, almost metallic luster. It forms reddish-brown to golden needles and is one of the main ores of titanium.

Saber-toothed Cat

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The saber-toothed cat (Smilodon fatalis) was a powerful predator of the Americas during the Pleistocene, with upper canine teeth up to about 28 centimeters long.

Sacred Lotus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is an aquatic plant of Asia and Australia whose large pink flowers rise above round leaves. It is a symbol of purity in several religions, and has been studied for its self-cleaning leaves and long-lived seeds.

Sacred Scarab

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sacred scarab (Scarabaeus sacer) is a dung beetle of the Mediterranean region that rolls balls of dung. Ancient Egyptians saw it as a symbol of the sun god Khepri rolling the sun across the sky.

Saddleback Harvestman

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The saddleback harvestman (Mitopus morio) is a harvestman with a dark saddle-shaped patch on its back that lives across the Northern Hemisphere, including Arctic tundra and high mountains.

Sago Palm Cycad

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sago palm (Cycas revoluta) is a stout cycad from southern Japan with a crown of stiff, glossy fronds. Despite the name it is not a palm: cycads are an ancient group of seed plants that flourished in the age of dinosaurs.

Salamander Chytrid Fungus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The salamander chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, Bsal) is a skin-eating fungus that kills salamanders and newts. Described in 2013, it has devastated fire salamanders in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Salinity

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Salinity is the mass fraction of dissolved inorganic salts in seawater or continental waters, governing fluid density, thermohaline stratification, freezing point depression, and gas solubility across the global hydrosphere.

Salivary Gland

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A salivary gland is an exocrine gland that synthesizes and secretes saliva through a branching ductal tree into the oral cavity of terrestrial vertebrates or onto the feeding mouthparts of arthropods, mollusks, and annelids.

Salticidae Visual Optics & Jumping Spider Biomechanics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Salticidae Visual Optics & Jumping Spider Biomechanics examines the sensory optics, four-tiered retinal neurobiology, monocular depth-from-defocus rangefinding, and semi-hydraulic locomotor mechanics of jumping spiders (family Salticidae).

Saltwater Crocodile

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest living reptile, with big males reaching 5 to 6 meters. It lives in coastal waters, mangroves and rivers from India through Southeast Asia to northern Australia.

Saltwater Wheel Rotifer

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The saltwater wheel rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis) is a microscopic animal, a few tenths of a millimeter long, that lives in brackish and saline waters. Its crown of beating cilia looks like a spinning wheel, giving rotifers their name.

Samarium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Samarium (Sm, Z = 62) is a Period 6 lanthanide (150.36 u, [Xe] 4f⁶ 6s²) central to high-temperature SmCo₅ and Sm₂Co₁₇ permanent magnets, Kagan's single-electron reductant samarium(II) diiodide (SmI₂), ¹⁴⁹Sm nuclear reactor neutron control, and ¹⁵³Sm-EDTMP bone cancer palliation.

Sandfish Sea Cucumber

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sandfish (Holothuria scabra) is a sea cucumber of Indo-Pacific shallow seagrass beds and sandy bottoms, one of the most valuable species in the dried sea cucumber (bêche-de-mer) trade.

Sandfish Skink

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sandfish skink (Scincus scincus) is a small, smooth desert lizard of the Sahara and Arabia that dives into loose sand and 'swims' beneath the surface.

Sanger Sequencing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sanger sequencing is a first-generation enzymatic DNA sequencing method based on the stochastic incorporation of chain-terminating 2',3'-dideoxynucleotides by DNA polymerase followed by single-base-resolution electrophoretic separation.

Sarcastic Fringehead

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sarcastic fringehead (Neoclinus blanchardi) is a small, aggressive fish of the Pacific coast of North America, which defends its burrow by opening its enormous mouth in a threat display. The mouth can gape wider than the fish's head.

Sarcomere

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sarcomere is the fundamental repeating ~2.2-micrometer contractile unit of striated skeletal and cardiac muscle myofibrils, generating mechanical force via ATP-driven cyclic interactions between bipolar myosin II thick filaments and polar actin thin filaments.

Sargassum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sargassum (Sargassum natans) is a golden-brown seaweed that floats freely on the open ocean, giving its name to the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic. Its floating mats shelter a unique community of animals.

Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The satanic leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus) is a tiny, nocturnal gecko of Madagascar, only about 10 centimeters long, with a flat tail that looks exactly like a dead leaf. It is one of the best examples of camouflage in the animal kingdom.

Savanna, Temperate Grassland, and Fire Ecology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Savannas and temperate grasslands are graminoid-dominated biomes shaped by seasonal water deficits, C4 and C3 photosynthetic niches, recurrent surface fire regimes, mammalian megafaunal grazing, and deep Mollisol soil carbon sequestration.

Scandium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Scandium is the first d-block transition metal (Sc, Z = 21) and the lighter Group 3 congener of yttrium, predicted by Mendeleev as ekaboron and used to precipitate coherent Al3Sc nanoparticles in aerospace aluminum alloys.

Scarlet Elf Cup

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The scarlet elf cup (Sarcoscypha coccinea) is a cup-shaped fungus with a bright red interior that grows on fallen, mossy sticks in damp woods in winter and early spring, in Europe, Asia and North America.

Scarlet Ibis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber) is a brilliant red wading bird of the coastal wetlands and mangroves of northern South America and the Caribbean. It is the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago.

Scarlet Macaw

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The scarlet macaw (Ara macao) is a large, brilliantly colored parrot of the rainforests of Central and South America. It lives for decades, forms lifelong pairs and is a skilled mimic.

Schrödinger Equation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The fundamental partial differential equation of non-relativistic quantum mechanics that governs how the quantum wavefunction of a physical system evolves over space and time and determines quantized energy eigenvalues.

Schwarzschild Radius

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Schwarzschild radius (r_s = 2GM / c^2) is the characteristic gravitational length scale defining the spherical event horizon of a static, spherically symmetric, uncharged black hole of mass M in general relativity.

Scoria

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Scoria is a dark, bubble-filled volcanic rock, usually basaltic or andesitic, that forms when gas-rich lava is thrown into the air and cools into a frothy cinder.

Scots Pine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) is a pine with orange-red upper bark and blue-green needles in pairs, and the most widely distributed pine in the world, from Spain to eastern Siberia. In Scotland, remnants of the ancient Caledonian pine forest survive.

Sculptor Galaxy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253, Caldwell 65) is a nearly edge-on spiral about 11 million light-years away, the brightest member of the Sculptor Group and one of the nearest starburst galaxies. Caroline Herschel discovered it in 1783.

Scyphozoa Fluid Mechanics & Vortex Propulsion

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Scyphozoa Fluid Mechanics & Vortex Propulsion investigates the hydrodynamic mechanisms and viscoelastic tissue mechanics that make true jellyfish (class Scyphozoa, phylum Cnidaria) the most energetically efficient metazoan swimmers on Earth.

Sea Gooseberry

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sea gooseberry (Pleurobrachia pileus) is a round, transparent comb jelly about the size of a gooseberry that drifts in the plankton of the North Atlantic. Two long, sticky tentacles trail from its body.

Sea ice

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sea ice is frozen seawater that forms, grows, and melts on the polar ocean surface, regulating planetary albedo, air-sea heat fluxes, thermohaline deep-water formation via brine rejection, and sympagic polar ecosystems.

Sea Lamprey

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is a jawless, eel-like fish native to the North Atlantic, whose adults attach to other fish with a toothed sucker and feed on their blood. It invaded the Great Lakes of North America and devastated native fisheries.

Sea Lettuce

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca) is a green seaweed whose thin, bright green blades are only two cells thick. It grows on rocky shores worldwide and is edible, but it is also a source of nuisance blooms called green tides.

Sea level rise

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sea level rise (SLR) is the macroscopic, long-term geophysical expansion of the global hydrosphere.

Sea Otter

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a small marine mammal of North Pacific coasts and a classic keystone species. Hunted for its fur until only a few small populations remained, it is listed as Endangered.

Sea Palm

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sea palm (Postelsia palmaeformis) is a brown seaweed that looks like a miniature palm tree and grows on wave-battered rocks of the Pacific coast of North America. It lives in the most violent surf zone.

Sea Pig

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sea pig (Scotoplanes globosa) is a pink, plump sea cucumber that walks on the abyssal seafloor on tube feet modified into legs. Herds of sea pigs graze through the mud at depths of thousands of meters.

Sea Slater

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sea slater (Ligia oceanica) is a large, fast-running isopod of rocky shores of the northeast Atlantic that lives just above the high-tide line. It is a relative of woodlice that has stayed near the sea.

Sea surface temperature

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sea surface temperature (SST) is the thermodynamic temperature of the uppermost layer of the global ocean, governing air-sea fluxes of heat, moisture, momentum, and carbon across the Earth system.

Sea Walnut

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sea walnut (Mnemiopsis leidyi) is a comb jelly of the western Atlantic coast, a transparent, bioluminescent animal that propels itself with rows of beating cilia.

Sea Wasp

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sea wasp (Chironex fleckeri) is a box jellyfish of northern Australian waters and one of the most venomous marine animals known. Its square bell and 24 eyes set it apart from true jellyfish.

Seaborgium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Seaborgium (Sg, Z = 106) is a synthetic Group 6 transactinide transition metal (269 u, [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d⁴ 7s²) named after Glenn T. Seaborg and characterized via volatile SgO₂Cl₂ and seaborgium hexacarbonyl Sg(CO)₆.

Second law of thermodynamics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Second law of thermodynamics is a foundational principle of physical chemistry and statistical mechanics stating that the total entropy of an isolated system does not decrease over time; it remains constant in ideal reversible processes and...

Second Messenger System

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A second messenger system is an intracellular signaling cascade in which low-molecular-weight diffusible molecules or ions transduce and amplify extracellular receptor binding into downstream enzymatic, electrical, and transcriptional responses.

Sedimentary Breccia

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sedimentary breccia is a coarse clastic rock of sharp, angular fragments larger than 2 millimeters, cemented in a finer matrix. Its angular clasts show that the debris was buried close to its source.

Selective Sweep

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A selective sweep is the reduction or elimination of nucleotide diversity across a chromosomal neighborhood surrounding a strongly beneficial allele that rapidly rises to fixation under positive natural selection.

Selenium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Selenium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Se, atomic number 34, and a standard atomic weight of 78.971(8) u.

SELEX

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment) is a combinatorial in vitro evolution method that isolates high-affinity nucleic acid aptamers and catalytic ribozymes from randomized sequence libraries.

Self-Fertilization

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Self-fertilization (also termed autogamy or selfing) is the fusion of male and female gametes (such as pollen and ovules, or sperm and ova) produced by a single hermaphroditic or monoecious individual.

Semi-conservative (replication)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Semi-conservative (replication) (also known as semi-conservative replication) is the fundamental mechanism by which DNA is duplicated in all known cellular organisms.

Sensible Heat

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sensible heat is the thermal energy transferred between two bodies or thermodynamic systems that results in a direct, measurable change in temperature.

Sensitive Plant

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) is a small tropical weed whose compound leaves fold up and droop within seconds when touched. It has fascinated naturalists for centuries as a plant that appears to move like an animal.

Serine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Serine (abbreviated Ser or S; systematic IUPAC name `(2S)-2-amino-3-hydroxypropanoic acid`) is a polar, uncharged, proteinogenic α-amino acid with the molecular formula `C`3`H`7`NO`3 and a molecular mass of `105.09 Da`.

Serpentinite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Serpentinite is a mottled green rock made mostly of serpentine minerals, formed when water reacts with olivine and pyroxene in mantle rock. Its waxy, snakeskin-like look gives it its name.

Serpentinization

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Serpentinization is an exothermic hydrothermal metamorphic process in which water hydrates and oxidizes ultramafic olivine and pyroxene minerals into serpentinite, magnetite, and molecular hydrogen gas while generating alkaline fluids.

Seven-spot Ladybird

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) is a red beetle with seven black spots that is one of the most familiar insects of Europe and Asia. Both adults and larvae eat aphids, which makes the beetle a gardener's ally.

Sewall Wright

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sewall Green Wright (December 21, 1889 – March 3, 1988) was an American geneticist whose quantitative models of inbreeding, stochastic allele frequency change, and epistatic gene interaction established the mathematical architecture of population genetics.

Sexual Selection

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sexual selection is an evolutionary mechanism arising from variance in mating and fertilization success among conspecifics competing for access to gametes.

Shingleback Skink

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The shingleback skink (Tiliqua rugosa) is a stocky Australian lizard covered in rough, pinecone-like scales with a short, blunt tail. It is also called the sleepy lizard or stumpy-tail.

Shining Clubmoss

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The shining clubmoss (Huperzia lucidula) is a glossy, dark green lycophyte of damp, shaded forests in eastern North America. Its upright stems carry shiny leaves and it reproduces by bulbils as well as spores.

Shoebill

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) is a tall wading bird of the papyrus swamps of central and eastern Africa, named for its enormous, clog-shaped bill. It is listed as Vulnerable, with perhaps a few thousand left.

Short-beaked Echidna

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) is a spiny, egg-laying mammal of Australia and New Guinea. With the platypus, it is one of the few surviving monotremes.

Shotgun Sequencing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Shotgun sequencing is a genomic sequencing strategy in which long DNA molecules are randomly sheared into millions of overlapping fragments that are sequenced individually and computationally reassembled into contiguous chromosomes.

Sickle Cell Disease

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder in which red blood cells become rigid and crescent-shaped.

Silicate weathering

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Silicate weathering is the suite of low-temperature geochemical reactions in which aqueous carbonic acid (H2CO3) and biogenic organic acids dissolve silicate minerals in continental and seafloor rocks, releasing divalent and monovalent metal...

Silicon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Silicon is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Si, atomic number 14, and a conventional standard atomic weight of 28.085 u (interval [28.084, 28.086] u).

Silky Shrew Opossum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The silky shrew opossum (Caenolestes fuliginosus) is a small, shrew-like marsupial of the cool, wet Andean forests of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. It belongs to the order Paucituberculata, a small and ancient South American lineage.

Siltstone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Siltstone is a fine-grained clastic rock made mostly of silt, grains between about 0.004 and 0.0625 millimeters across. It sits between sandstone and mudstone in grain size and often feels gritty against the teeth or fingernail.

Silver

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Silver is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Ag (from Latin argentum and Proto-Indo-European h₂erǵ-, 'shining' or 'white'), atomic number 47, and standard atomic weight 107.8682 u.

Silvery Bryum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Silvery bryum (Bryum argenteum) is a tiny moss that forms silvery-green cushions in cracks in pavements, roofs and walls. It lives in cities and deserts, and occurs on every continent, including Antarctica.

Simplified Molecular-Input Line-Entry System

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Simplified Molecular-Input Line-Entry System (SMILES) is a compact ASCII line notation that encodes two-dimensional chemical graphs and three-dimensional stereochemistry via depth-first spanning-tree traversal and numeric ring closures.

Single-Cell Sequencing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Single-cell sequencing encompasses high-throughput molecular and bioinformatics technologies that profile the genome (scDNA-seq), transcriptome (scRNA-seq), or epigenome (scATAC-seq and single-cell DNA methylation) of individual isolated cells...

Single-Molecule Real-Time Sequencing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing is a third-generation long-read DNA sequencing method that observes uninterrupted DNA synthesis by single phi29 polymerase molecules inside nanophotonic Zero-Mode Waveguides using phospholinked fluorescent nucleotides.

Single-strand binding proteins

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

During DNA replication, the enzyme helicase moves along the double helix, breaking the hydrogen bonds between complementary base pairs to create an active replication fork.

Six-lined Racerunner

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The six-lined racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineata) is a fast, slender, striped lizard of the central and southeastern United States. It is a member of the whiptail lizards, a genus that includes some species consisting only of females.

Skarn

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Skarn is a coarse, colorful rock of calcium-rich silicate minerals that forms where hot, metal-bearing fluids from a magma chamber react with carbonate rock such as limestone.

Slate

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Slate is a fine-grained metamorphic rock formed from mudstone or shale at low grade, which splits into smooth, flat plates along a property called slaty cleavage. It is dull, hard and dense, and it rings with a clear 'clink' when tapped.

Smooth endoplasmic reticulum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) is an interconnected tubular membrane network within eukaryotic cells lacking bound ribosomes that executes phospholipid and steroid biosynthesis, cytochrome P450 xenobiotic metabolism, and intracellular calcium storage.

Snow Leopard

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is an elusive big cat of the high mountains of Central and South Asia, living at elevations up to about 4,500 meters. It is listed as Vulnerable, with a few thousand mature individuals.

Snowy Owl

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) is a large white owl of the Arctic tundra that hunts lemmings in daylight. It is listed as Vulnerable, and its numbers swing with the cycles of its prey.

Soapstone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Soapstone, or steatite, is a soft, greenish-grey metamorphic rock rich in talc, with a smooth, soapy feel. It is easy to carve and holds heat well, so it has been used for vessels, carvings and stoves for thousands of years.

Socotra Dragon Tree

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Socotra dragon tree (Dracaena cinnabari) is an umbrella-shaped tree found only on the Yemeni island of Socotra. Its red resin, known as dragon's blood, has been traded as a dye and medicine since antiquity. The IUCN lists it as Vulnerable.

Sodium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sodium is a soft, reactive Group 1 alkali metal (Na, Z = 11) whose monovalent cation (Na+) serves as the dominant extracellular electrolyte in animal physiology, driving osmotic balance, secondary active transport, and neuronal action potentials.

Solar Radiation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Solar radiation is the broadband spectrum of electromagnetic energy emitted by the Sun, generated via proton-proton nuclear fusion within the solar core and radiated into space from the solar photosphere at an effective blackbody temperature of approximately 5,772 K.

Solar Sail

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A solar sail is a propellantless spacecraft propulsion system that utilizes the radiation momentum pressure of reflected photons from the Sun or a directed laser beam to generate continuous thrust across interplanetary space.

Solar System

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Solar System is the gravitationally bound planetary system of the Sun, formed 4.567 billion years ago from the collapse of a presolar molecular cloud into eight planets, dwarf planets, and small-body reservoirs.

Solar-powered Sea Slug

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The solar-powered sea slug or eastern emerald elysia (Elysia chlorotica) is a small green sea slug of salt marshes in the northeastern United States.

Solomon Islands Skink

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Solomon Islands skink (Corucia zebrata) is the largest skink in the world, up to about 70 centimeters long, and lives in the trees of the Solomon Islands. Unlike most lizards, it is a herbivore with a prehensile tail.

Sombrero Galaxy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Sombrero Galaxy (Messier 104, NGC 4594) is a nearly edge-on spiral about 31 million light-years away in Virgo, named for the broad-brimmed hat suggested by its bright bulge and razor-thin dust lane.

South American Lungfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The South American lungfish (Lepidosiren paradoxa) is an eel-like air-breathing fish of swamps and floodplains in the Amazon, Paraguay and Paraná basins. It has two functioning lungs and tiny, thread-like fins.

Southern Brown Bandicoot

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus) is a stocky, short-eared marsupial of heathlands and forests in southern Australia. It digs conical pits as it forages for insects and fungi.

Southern Cassowary

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) is a large, flightless bird of the rainforests of New Guinea and northeastern Australia. It has glossy black plumage, a blue neck and a horn-like casque on its head, and is capable of dangerous kicks.

Southern Maidenhair Fern

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The southern maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris) is a delicate fern with fan-shaped leaflets on black, wiry stalks, growing on damp, shady cliffs and seeps in warm regions around the world. The name means 'hair of Venus'.

Southern Marsupial Mole

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The southern marsupial mole (Notoryctes typhlops) is a blind, burrowing marsupial of the central Australian deserts that 'swims' through sand. It looks remarkably like the moles of other continents, but is only distantly related to them.

Southern Pinwheel Galaxy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 83, NGC 5236) is a starburst spiral in Hydra, about 15 million light-years away, discovered by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1752.

Spanish Dancer Nudibranch

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Spanish dancer (Hexabranchus sanguineus) is one of the largest nudibranchs, a shell-less sea slug that can reach 40 centimeters. Its red mantle ruffles during swimming like the skirt of a flamenco dancer.

Speciation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Speciation is the evolutionary process by which genetically continuous populations of an ancestral organism diverge and evolve reproductive isolation, splitting into two or more distinct biological species.

Specific heat capacity

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Specific heat capacity matters in many fields, including thermodynamics, materials science, engineering, chemistry, and Earth system science.

Specific humidity

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Specific humidity is a fundamental thermodynamic variable in meteorology and Earth system science utilized to quantify the moisture content of an air parcel.

Spectacled Caiman

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) is a small crocodilian of Central and South America, named for a bony ridge between the eyes that looks like spectacles. It is one of the most widespread and adaptable crocodilians.

Sperm Whale

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest toothed predator, with males reaching about 16 meters. It dives thousands of meters to hunt squid and has the largest brain of any animal. It is listed as Vulnerable.

Sphalerite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sphalerite is zinc sulfide, (Zn,Fe)S, the main ore of zinc. It ranges from honey-yellow and ruby-red to black, with a resinous luster. The name comes from the Greek for 'treacherous,' because miners often mistook it for galena and found it yielded no lead.

Spiegelman's Monster

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Spiegelman's Monster is a 218-nucleotide self-replicating RNA molecule evolved in vitro in 1967 by Sol Spiegelman from the 4,217-nucleotide bacteriophage Q-beta genome through 74 serial cell-free transfers.

Spiegelmer

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A Spiegelmer is a biostable mirror-image oligonucleotide aptamer composed of non-natural L-ribonucleotides or L-deoxyribonucleotides that binds biological targets with high affinity while resisting enzymatic nuclease degradation.

Spindle Galaxy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Spindle Galaxy (NGC 5866) is an edge-on lenticular galaxy in Draco, about 44 million light-years away.

Spinosad

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Spinosad is a macrocyclic lactone bioinsecticide produced by the fermentation of the soil actinomycete Saccharopolyspora spinosa, acting as an allosteric modulator of insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Spiny Dogfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) is a small shark found in cool temperate seas worldwide, known for the venom-tipped spine in front of each of its two dorsal fins. Globally it is listed as Vulnerable.

Spliceosome

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The spliceosome is a dynamic ribonucleoprotein complex found within the cell nucleus of eukaryotes that catalyzes pre-mRNA splicing.

Spottail Mantis Shrimp

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The spottail mantis shrimp (Squilla mantis) is a burrowing stomatopod crustacean of the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic that ambushes prey using latch-mediated spring-actuated spearing appendages and trinocular compound eyes containing 12 to 16 photoreceptor classes.

Spotted African Lungfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The spotted African lungfish (Protopterus dolloi) is a slender, eel-like lungfish of the Congo basin, with tiny, whip-like paired fins. It lives in swamps, flooded forests and slow rivers.

Spotted Eagle Ray

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) is a graceful, white-spotted ray that flaps its wing-like fins through tropical seas, sometimes leaping out of the water. It has a pointed snout and a long tail with venomous spines.

Spotted Hyena

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is a large carnivoran of sub-Saharan Africa that lives in female-dominated clans and hunts most of its own food.

Spotted Lanternfly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is a planthopper from China with spotted gray forewings and hidden red hindwings. First detected in Pennsylvania in 2014, it has spread across the eastern United States.

Spotted Salamander

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) is a black, yellow-spotted salamander of eastern North American forests that spends most of its life underground and gathers in vernal pools on rainy nights in spring to breed.

Spotted Slate

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Spotted slate, or spotted phyllite, is a fine-grained, cleaved rock speckled with small dark knots. It forms in the outer zone of the baked halo, called an aureole, around an igneous intrusion, where heat has begun to grow new minerals in an existing slate.

Stabilizing Selection

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Stabilizing selection is a mode of natural selection in which intermediate phenotypes near an ecological optimum achieve the highest Darwinian fitness while extreme phenotypes at both distribution tails are selected against.

Staghorn Coral

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) is a branching reef-building coral of the Caribbean and western Atlantic, once among the most abundant corals in shallow reefs. It is listed as Critically Endangered after losing the large majority of its population.

Staghorn Fern

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The staghorn fern (Platycerium bifurcatum) is an epiphytic fern of Australia and New Guinea that grows on tree trunks and branches rather than in soil. Its antler-shaped fronds give it its name.

Stalked Jellyfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The stalked jellyfish (Haliclystus octoradiatus) is a small, trumpet-shaped cnidarian that clings to seaweed in cold coastal waters of the North Atlantic. It belongs to Staurozoa, a class that looks like a cross between a polyp and a jellyfish.

Standard Electrode Potential

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Standard electrode potential (E°) is the thermodynamic electromotive force of a reversible half-cell reduction reaction measured in volts relative to the Standard Hydrogen Electrode at unit activity, 1 bar pressure, and 298.15 K.

Starlet Sea Anemone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The starlet sea anemone (Nematostella vectensis) is a small, burrowing anemone of salt marshes and estuaries on both sides of the North Atlantic and the Pacific coast of North America. It has become a model organism for how animal body plans evolved.

Statistical Downscaling

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Global climate models, such as General Circulation Models (GCMs) and Earth System Models (ESMs), are designed to simulate planetary-scale atmospheric and oceanic circulation.

Statistical Mechanics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Statistical mechanics is the theoretical framework that derives macroscopic thermodynamic observables such as temperature, pressure, entropy, and free energy from the probabilistic distribution of microscopic phase-space states across large ensembles of particles.

Statistics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Statistics is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data.

Staurolite Mica Schist

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Staurolite mica schist is a silvery mica schist studded with dark reddish-brown crystals of staurolite, an index mineral of medium-grade metamorphism. Staurolite often forms cross-shaped twins, and the name comes from the Greek for 'cross.'

Stefan-Boltzmann Law

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Stefan-Boltzmann law is a thermodynamic radiation law stating that the total hemispherical radiant exitance integrated over all wavelengths emitted by a blackbody scales with the fourth power of its thermodynamic temperature.

Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Stem cell biology and regenerative medicine are the interdisciplinary biological and clinical sciences that study how self-renewing cells of the body can be made, maintained, directed, and used to repair or replace damaged tissue.

Stephan's Quintet

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Stephan's Quintet (HCG 92, Arp 319) is a compact group of galaxies in Pegasus, discovered by Édouard Stephan in 1877 and the first compact group ever found.

Sterile Insect Technique

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a species-specific, autocidal method of biological insect suppression and eradication in which mass-reared sterile males are released to mate with wild females, preventing viable offspring production.

Sterlet

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) is a small sturgeon, rarely longer than a meter, that lives entirely in fresh water in rivers of Eastern Europe and Siberia, including the Danube and Volga. It is listed as Endangered (2022).

Stibnite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Stibnite is antimony sulfide, Sb₂S₃, which grows as long, sword-like metallic blades with a lengthwise cleavage. It is the main ore of antimony and a favorite of mineral collectors.

Stoma

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A stoma (plural: stomata) is a microscopic, turgor-regulated epidermal pore apparatus in land plants bounded by a pair of specialized guard cells that dynamically balances diffusive carbon dioxide uptake for photosynthesis against evaporative water loss.

Stomata

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Stomata are microscopic pores in the epidermis of leaves and stems, each bordered by a pair of guard cells that open and close the pore to balance carbon dioxide uptake against water loss.

Stove-pipe Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The stove-pipe sponge (Aplysina archeri) is a purple-gray tube sponge of Caribbean reefs that grows as long, slender tubes up to a couple of meters tall. It is known for the chemicals it makes.

Stratosphere

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The stratosphere is the stably stratified second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, extending from the tropopause at 9 to 17 km to the stratopause near 50 km and hosting the protective ozone layer.

Stratospheric Ozone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Stratospheric ozone (O3) is a highly reactive, naturally occurring trace gas concentrated within the lower and middle stratosphere, primarily between 15 and 35 kilometers above the Earth's surface.

Strawberry Poison-dart Frog

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The strawberry poison-dart frog (Oophaga pumilio) is a tiny, brightly colored frog of the rainforests of Central America. It comes in dozens of color morphs, including the red-with-blue-legs 'blue jeans' frog.

Strontium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Strontium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Sr, atomic number 38, and a standard atomic weight of 87.62(1) u.

Structure-Based Drug Design

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Structure-based drug design (SBDD) is the rational design and optimization of therapeutic ligands guided by atomic-resolution three-dimensional coordinates of the target biological macromolecule determined via X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, NMR, or AI folding models.

Subduction

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Subduction is the convergent plate-tectonic process in which cold, dense oceanic lithosphere sinks beneath an overriding plate into the mantle along deep-sea trenches, driving global plate motion, arc volcanism, and megathrust earthquakes.

Subglacial Lake

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A subglacial lake is a permanent or transient body of liquid water trapped beneath a continental ice sheet or glacier, sustained by geothermal heat flux, insulating ice cover, and pressure-induced depression of the freezing point.

Suevite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Suevite is an impact breccia, a rock made of shattered target rock and fragments of glass and melt produced by a meteorite impact, welded in a fine matrix. It is named for Suevia, the Latin name of Swabia, after the Ries crater in Germany.

Sugar Glider

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small nocturnal marsupial of Australia and New Guinea that glides between trees on a furry membrane. It looks much like a flying squirrel, a placental mammal, because both evolved gliding independently.

Sulfur

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sulfur (IUPAC standard spelling; sulphur in traditional Commonwealth usage) is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol S, atomic number 16, and a conventional standard atomic weight of 32.06 u ([32.059, 32.076] u).

Sulfur hexafluoride

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sulfur hexafluoride is a synthetic octahedral inorganic gas used as a high-voltage electrical dielectric that exhibits a 3,200-year atmospheric lifetime and the highest Global Warming Potential of any evaluated greenhouse gas.

Sunda Colugo

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Sunda colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) is a cat-sized gliding mammal of Southeast Asian forests. It is often called a flying lemur, but it is neither a lemur nor does it fly.

Sunflower Galaxy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Sunflower Galaxy (Messier 63, NGC 5055) is a spiral in Canes Venatici about 29 million light-years away, roughly 100,000 light-years across.

Sunflower Sea Star

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) is the largest sea star in the world, with up to about 24 arms and a span of a meter, found along the Pacific coast of North America.

Supernova

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A supernova is an energetic stellar explosion triggered either by runaway thermonuclear fusion in a degenerate white dwarf or by the gravitational core collapse of a high-mass star, releasing approximately 10 to the 44th power joules of ejecta kinetic energy.

Surface Plasmon Resonance and Isothermal Titration Calorimetry

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) are the two gold-standard orthogonal, label-free biophysical methodologies employed throughout drug discovery—from high-throughput screening hit confirmation and...

Sword-billed Hummingbird

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sword-billed hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) of the Andes has a bill about 10 centimeters long, longer than its body without the tail. It is the only bird in the world whose bill is longer than the rest of its body.

Sycon Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The sycon sponge (Sycon ciliatum) is a small, vase-shaped calcareous sponge of cold North Atlantic waters. Sponges are among the simplest animals: they have no organs or true tissues, yet they are the best clue we have to how animals began.

Syenite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Syenite is a coarse-grained plutonic rock dominated by alkali feldspar, with little or no quartz.

Sylvite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sylvite is potassium chloride, KCl, a soft, glassy mineral with isometric crystals and cubic cleavage, like halite. It is the main ore of potash, the potassium fertilizer essential to modern agriculture.

Symbiosis, Mutualism, and Coevolution

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Symbiosis encompasses intimate interspecific associations across the fitness continuum from parasitism to mutualism, stabilized by partner sanctions and shaped across landscapes by reciprocal coevolutionary selection.

Sympatric Speciation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Sympatric speciation is the evolutionary divergence of a single ancestral panmictic population into two or more reproductively isolated species within the same geographic area without extrinsic physical barriers to gene flow.

Synapse

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A synapse is a specialized intercellular junction through which a neuron transmits electrical or chemical signals to another neuron, muscle fiber, or gland cell.

Synthetic biology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Synthetic biology is a highly interdisciplinary and quantitative scientific discipline that merges the principles of engineering with molecular biology to design, construct, and modify biological systems.

Synthetic Biology and Orthogonal Systems

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Synthetic biology and orthogonal systems apply formal engineering principles—modular standardization, Boolean circuit design, whole-genome codon compression, and biochemically insulated replication, transcription, and translation—to build programmable biological systems.

Synthetic Lethality and PARP Inhibitors

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Synthetic lethality occurs when the simultaneous perturbation of two genes causes cell death whereas disruption of either gene alone is viable, a principle exploited by PARP inhibitors to eradicate BRCA-mutated homologous-recombination-deficient tumors.

Synthetic Primers

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Because synthetic DNA is significantly more physically and thermally stable than RNA, it can withstand the extreme temperature fluctuations required for laboratory techniques without degrading.

Systems biology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Systems biology is an interdisciplinary, quantitative field of study that investigates the dynamic, non-linear interactions within biological networks.

Systems Biology and Metabolic Engineering

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Systems biology and metabolic engineering integrate multi-omics profiling, genome-scale stoichiometric flux modeling, and rational genetic circuit design to rewire cellular metabolism for industrial biomanufacturing and therapeutics.

T Cell

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

T cells (T lymphocytes) are thymus-matured leukocytes of the adaptive immune system that recognize antigenic peptides bound to Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules via somatically rearranged T-cell receptors to orchestrate cell-mediated immunity.

Tadpole Shrimp

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The tadpole shrimp (Triops cancriformis) is a small freshwater crustacean with a shield-like shell and long tail forks, living in temporary pools in Europe and Asia. Almost identical fossils appear in rocks more than 200 million years old.

Tajima's D

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tajima's D is a statistical neutrality test in population genetics that compares average pairwise nucleotide differences against the number of segregating sites to detect natural selection and demographic history.

Tamoya Box Jellyfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Tamoya box jellyfish (Tamoya haplonema) is a box jellyfish of the western Atlantic and Mediterranean that can deliver a painful sting. It is a larger box jelly, with bell heights of 10 centimeters or more.

Tantalum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tantalum is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Ta, atomic number 73, and standard atomic weight 180.95 u.

Tanzanian Giant Whip Spider

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Tanzanian giant whip spider (Damon diadema) is a large amblypygid of East African forests with whip-like front legs that are used as antennae. It is harmless to people, and neither a spider nor a scorpion.

Target Identification and Validation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Target identification and validation is the opening stage of drug discovery that discovers a biological macromolecule causally linked to human pathophysiology and demonstrates that modulating its activity produces a safe, disease-modifying therapeutic effect.

Targeted Protein Degradation and PROTACs

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Targeted protein degradation uses heterobifunctional PROTACs or monovalent molecular glues to induce proximity between a disease-causing protein and an E3 ubiquitin ligase, triggering catalytic polyubiquitination and 26S proteasomal destruction.

Tasmanian Devil

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is the largest living carnivorous marsupial and is found in the wild only on the island of Tasmania. The IUCN lists it as Endangered, mainly because of a contagious cancer.

Technetium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Technetium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Tc, atomic number 43, and a mass number of 97 or 98 (`[97]` or `[98]` u) for its longest-lived radioisotopes.

Tellurium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tellurium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Te (from Latin tellus, 'Earth'), atomic number 52, and standard atomic weight 127.60 u.

Telomerase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Telomerase is an enzyme that adds repeating DNA sequences to the ends of chromosomes, rebuilding the telomeres that shorten each time a cell divides. It is a ribonucleoprotein, made of a protein subunit and an RNA molecule that serves as its built-in template.

Telomeres

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Telomeres are specialized nucleoprotein structures composed of tandem hexameric TTAGGG repeats and the six-subunit shelterin complex that cap linear eukaryotic chromosomes, prevent illicit DNA repair fusions, and regulate cellular replicative lifespan.

Temperature

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Temperature is the intensive physical quantity that governs the direction of spontaneous thermal energy transfer between systems and measures the mean translational kinetic energy per degree of freedom of constituent particles.

Template Strand

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The template strand is the strand of DNA that is read by an enzyme to build a new complementary strand. In transcription it is the strand that RNA polymerase copies into RNA, and in replication both strands act as templates.

Tennessine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tennessine (Ts, atomic number 117) is a synthetic Period 7 Group 17 superheavy element synthesized from berkelium-249 and calcium-48 whose relativistic 7p₃/₂³ valence shell makes it behave as a volatile metalloid or post-transition metal rather than a classical halogen.

Terbium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Terbium (Tb, Z = 65) is a monoisotopic Period 6 heavy lanthanide (158.93 u, [Xe] 4f⁹ 6s²) noted for 544 nm green Tb³⁺ (⁵D₄ → ⁷F₅) photoluminescence, the giant magnetostrictive sonar alloy Terfenol-D, and grain-boundary coercivity enhancement in Nd₂Fe₁₄B magnets.

Terrestrial Biomes and Holdridge Life Zones

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Terrestrial biomes and Holdridge Life Zones are macroecological classification frameworks that map global vegetation formations and ecosystem productivity across quantitative gradients of temperature, precipitation, and potential evapotranspiration.

Thallium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Thallium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Tl, atomic number 81, and standard atomic weight 204.38 u.

The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology, formulated by Francis Crick in 1958 and refined in 1970, defines the directional residue-by-residue transfer of genetic sequence information among nucleic acids and proteins.

The Global Carbon Cycle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged, transformed, and conserved among the biosphere, pedosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and atmosphere.

The Greenhouse Effect and Radiative Forcing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The greenhouse effect is the radiative-convective process by which optically active trace gases and clouds in a planetary atmosphere absorb and re-emit outgoing thermal infrared radiation, elevating surface temperature above the effective...

Therapeutic Index

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The therapeutic index is the quantitative pharmacological ratio of the dose or concentration producing toxicity in 50 percent of a population (TD50 or LD50) to the dose producing the desired clinical effect in 50 percent of the population (ED50).

Thermocline

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The thermocline is a stratified subsurface fluid layer in oceans and lakes characterized by a steep vertical temperature gradient that separates the wind-mixed surface layer from the cold abyssal interior.

Thermodynamic flux

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Thermodynamic flux is the quantitative, directional rate of transfer of a physical property—such as mass, thermal energy, momentum, or electrical charge—across a defined system boundary per unit area, per unit time.

Thermodynamics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Operating independently of any specific microscopic model of matter, classical thermodynamics relies on empirical axioms known as the Four Laws of Thermodynamics.

Thermohaline circulation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Thermohaline circulation is the global-scale meridional overturning of the oceanic hydrosphere, driven by high-latitude surface buoyancy fluxes in temperature and salinity coupled with mechanical wind and tidal mixing.

Thiopurine and Fluoropyrimidine Pharmacogenetics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Thiopurine and fluoropyrimidine pharmacogenetics utilizes pre-treatment genotyping of TPMT, NUDT15, and DPYD to prevent life-threatening myelosuppression, pancytopenia, and gastrointestinal toxicity from antimetabolite cytotoxic and immunosuppressive therapies.

Tholin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tholins are complex, nitrogen-rich macromolecular organic solids synthesized abiotically in outer Solar System atmospheres and cryogenic ices when methane, nitrogen, and simple volatiles are irradiated by ultraviolet photons, magnetospheric electrons, or cosmic rays.

Thorium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Thorium is a weakly radioactive primordial f-block actinide metal on the periodic table designated by the symbol Th, atomic number 90, and standard atomic weight 232.04 u.

Thorny Devil

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The thorny devil (Moloch horridus) is a small, spiny lizard of the Australian deserts. Its skin is covered in conical thorns, and it eats almost nothing but ants.

Three-Center Four-Electron Bond

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A three-center four-electron (3c-4e) bond is a delocalized colinear bonding model that explains hypervalent main-group molecules such as XeF2, I3-, PF5, and SF6 using only valence s and p orbitals without invoking d-orbital hybridization.

Three-colored Caecilian

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The three-colored caecilian (Ichthyophis tricolor) belongs to Ichthyophis, a genus of striped, burrowing, limbless amphibians of South and Southeast Asia. Like other members of the genus, it has a larval stage with gills that lives in streams.

Threonine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Threonine is an essential, polar uncharged beta-hydroxy alpha-amino acid bearing two chiral centers, serving as a major substrate for eukaryotic protein phosphorylation, mucin O-glycosylation, and bacterial isoleucine biosynthesis.

Threose Nucleic Acid

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Threose nucleic acid (TNA) is an artificial and prebiotically candidate genetic polymer composed of repeating four-carbon alpha-L-threofuranosyl sugars linked by 3'-to-2' phosphodiester bonds that cross-pairs with RNA and DNA.

Thulium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Thulium (Tm, Z = 69) is the least abundant non-radioactive Period 6 lanthanide (168.93 u, [Xe] 4f¹³ 6s²), applied in portable ¹⁷⁰Tm industrial radiography sources, high-efficiency 1.94–2.0 μm Tm:YAG and thulium fiber surgical lasers, and blue euro-banknote phosphors.

Thylacine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The thylacine or Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was the largest carnivorous marsupial of modern times. The last known individual died in the Hobart Zoo in 1936, after decades of persecution.

Thymidylate Synthase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Thymidylate synthase is the conserved methyltransferase enzyme that catalyzes the reductive C5-methylation of 2'-deoxyuridine-5'-monophosphate (dUMP) to 2'-deoxythymidine-5'-monophosphate (dTMP) for DNA synthesis and repair.

Thymine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Thymine (5-methyluracil) is a pyrimidine nucleobase featuring a six-membered heterocyclic ring that pairs with adenine in double-stranded DNA.

Tidal Heating

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tidal heating is the conversion of orbital and rotational mechanical energy into internal thermal energy through viscoelastic friction and fluid dissipation in a planetary body subjected to a time-varying gravitational potential.

Tidal Locking

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tidal locking (captured rotation) is the orbital-rotational dynamical state in which gravitational tidal dissipation synchronizes a celestial body's rotational period with its orbital period (typically in a 1:1 spin–orbit resonance, or 3:2 for eccentric Mercury).

Tiger Quoll

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The tiger quoll or spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) is the largest carnivorous marsupial on mainland Australia, a spotted predator of eastern forests. It is listed as Near Threatened.

Tillite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tillite is lithified glacial till: a poorly sorted rock of clasts of every size in a fine matrix, deposited directly by glacial ice. The more general name for any such unsorted mixture of mud and gravel is diamictite.

Tin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tin is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Sn (from Latin stannum), atomic number 50, and standard atomic weight 118.710 u.

Tipping Points in the Climate System

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tipping points in the climate system are warming or radiative forcing thresholds beyond which large-scale Earth subsystems undergo self-amplifying, non-linear, and potentially irreversible transitions into new equilibrium states.

Tisza Mayfly

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Tisza mayfly (Palingenia longicauda) is the largest European mayfly, with a body up to about 4 centimeters and tails twice as long. Its mass emergence from the Tisza River in Hungary each June is called the 'blossoming of the Tisza'.

Titan

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Titan is Saturn's largest moon, possessing a dense nitrogen-methane atmosphere of 1.45 bar, stable surface liquid hydrocarbon seas, and a global subsurface liquid water-ammonia ocean beneath its icy crust.

Titan Arum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) is a plant of the rainforests of Sumatra that produces the largest unbranched flower cluster in the world, up to three meters tall, and a smell of rotting flesh. The IUCN lists it as Endangered.

Titan Atmospheric Dynamics & Methane Hydrology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Titan Atmospheric Dynamics & Methane Hydrology examines the meteorology, stratospheric photochemistry, and surface-atmosphere volatile exchange of Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

Titan Subsurface Ocean Astrobiology & Speculative Pelagic Biota

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Titan Subsurface Ocean Astrobiology & Speculative Pelagic Biota examines the biophysical constraints, chemotrophic metabolic pathways, membrane chemistry, and fluid-mechanical adaptations required for hypothetical pelagic lifeforms—modeled in...

Titania and Oberon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Titania (Uranus III) and Oberon (Uranus IV) are the two largest, most massive, and outermost major moons of Uranus, identified as candidate ocean worlds capable of retaining residual subsurface liquid brine layers driven by radiogenic heating.

Titanium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Titanium is a Group 4 d-block transition metal (Ti, Z = 22) combining the highest strength-to-density ratio of any metallic element with TiO2 passive corrosion immunity, human bone osseointegration, and Kroll-process aerospace metallurgy.

Togaviridae

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Togaviridae is a family of small, spherical, enveloped positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses with double T = 4 icosahedral symmetry comprising the genus Alphavirus, which includes chikungunya and equine encephalitis viruses.

Tokay Gecko

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) is a large, loudly vocal gecko of South and Southeast Asia, named for its call, a series of sharp 'to-kay' notes. It is a model system for the physics of adhesion.

Toll-Like Receptor

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Toll-like receptors are germline-encoded type I transmembrane pattern recognition receptors with leucine-rich repeat ectodomains and cytoplasmic TIR domains that detect microbial PAMPs and trigger MyD88 or TRIF innate immune signaling.

Tongue-eating Louse

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The tongue-eating louse (Cymothoa exigua) is a parasitic isopod that enters a fish through its gills, attaches to its tongue and replaces it. It is harmless to people.

Topoisomerase

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

During DNA replication, the enzyme helicase rapidly forces the two parental strands of the double helix apart to create a replication fork.

Tourmaline

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tourmaline is a group of complex boron silicate minerals with trigonal crystals, a hardness of 7 to 7.5 and an extraordinary range of colors. Black schorl, lithium-rich elbaite in pink and green, and brown dravite are its common members.

Toxoid and Polysaccharide-Protein Conjugate Vaccines

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Toxoid and polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines are subunit antibacterial platforms that neutralize secreted bacterial exotoxins or link capsular carbohydrates to carrier proteins to recruit T-cell-dependent germinal center immunity.

TP53 (Tumor Protein p53)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

TP53 is the most frequently mutated tumor suppressor gene in human cancer, encoding the homotetrameric transcription factor p53 that integrates DNA damage and oncogenic stress signals to enforce cell-cycle arrest, DNA repair, senescence, or apoptosis.

Trace gases (Earth)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Trace gases are chemical elements and compounds present in small molar concentrations (<0.1% of dry air) that govern planetary radiative transfer, atmospheric chemistry, and global climate.

Trachyte

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Trachyte is a pale, fine-grained volcanic rock made mostly of alkali feldspar, with little or no quartz. It is the extrusive counterpart of syenite, and its name comes from the Greek word for 'rough,' after the gritty feel of its surface.

Trade winds

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The trade winds are the persistent east-to-west prevailing lower-tropospheric winds spanning the Earth's tropics that form the surface return branch of the Hadley circulation.

Transcription

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Transcription is the enzymatic process by which a DNA template strand is copied into a complementary RNA molecule by RNA polymerase.

Transcription factors

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

To exert regulatory control without unwinding the DNA double helix, transcription factors must 'read' the genetic code from the outside.

Transcriptome

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The transcriptome is the complete set of RNA transcripts—including protein-coding messenger RNAs and diverse functional non-coding RNAs—expressed within a cell, tissue, or organism at a specified developmental stage and physiological condition.

Transcriptomics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Transcriptomics is the highly quantitative, systems-level study of the transcriptome—the complete set of RNA transcripts produced by an organism's genome under specific environmental, developmental, or physiological conditions.

Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

However, the discipline of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance challenges this classical paradigm.

Transition Metal

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A transition metal is a d-block metallic element whose neutral atom contains an incomplete d subshell or can form stable cations with an incomplete d subshell, exhibiting variable oxidation states, paramagnetism, and colored coordination complexes.

Translation (biology)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Translation (biology) (commonly referred to as translation) is the multi-step biochemical process by which the genetic sequence carried by a messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript is decoded in the 5′ to 3′ direction to polymerize a specific sequence...

Transmembrane pump

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A transmembrane pump is an integral membrane protein complex that couples an exergonic energy source—such as ATP hydrolysis, photon absorption, or a coupled ion gradient—to transport solutes uphill against their electrochemical potential.

Transpiration

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Within Earth System Science, transpiration is not viewed merely as a localized botanical function, but as the colossal biological engine of the terrestrial water cycle.

Transposable Element

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Transposable elements are discrete mobile DNA sequences capable of relocating or multiplying within host genomes via RNA intermediates or DNA transposases, shaping eukaryotic genome architecture, epigenetic regulation, and evolutionary innovation.

Transverse Lamp Shell

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The transverse lamp shell (Terebratalia transversa) is a brachiopod of the Pacific coast of North America. Brachiopods have two shells like clams, but are unrelated to them; they were one of the dominant animal groups of the Paleozoic.

Travertine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Travertine is a banded, often porous form of calcium carbonate that precipitates from hot springs and cave waters. It builds terraces and ledges at thermal springs and is widely used as a building stone.

Tree of life (biology)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A single bifurcating tree is an accurate summary for most animals, plants, and fungi, where inheritance is overwhelmingly from parent to offspring.

Trichinella spiralis

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Trichinella spiralis is a parasitic roundworm that causes trichinellosis (trichinosis) when people eat undercooked meat, most often pork or wild game, containing its encysted larvae. It is unusual in completing both larval and adult stages in a single host.

Triton

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Triton is Neptune's largest moon and the only large satellite in the Solar System with a retrograde orbit, representing a captured Kuiper Belt dwarf planet with active nitrogen geysers and a likely obliquity-heated subsurface ocean.

TRNA

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

tRNA molecules are relatively small, highly structured polymers typically consisting of 73 to 90 nucleotides.

Trona

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Trona is a sodium carbonate-bicarbonate mineral, Na₃(CO₃)(HCO₃)·2H₂O, that forms thick evaporite beds in alkaline lakes. It is the main source of natural soda ash.

Trophic Cascade

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A trophic cascade is an indirect ecological interaction across three or more trophic levels in which top-down predator regulation suppresses herbivores and releases primary producers from grazing pressure.

Trophic Level

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A trophic level (from the Greek trophē, meaning nourishment) represents the hierarchical position an organism or guild occupies within an ecological food web, determined by the number of energy-transfer steps separating it from basal primary production.

Tropical Cyclone

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A tropical cyclone is a synoptic-scale, warm-core, non-frontal low-pressure system that originates over tropical or subtropical oceans and is powered by surface enthalpy fluxes and latent heat release.

Tropical Rainforests and Canopy Ecology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tropical rainforests are equatorial broadleaf evergreen biomes characterized by multi-layered vertical canopy architecture, rapid nutrient cycling over weathered Oxisols and Ultisols, high arthropod and epiphyte diversity, and regional evapotranspiration moisture recycling.

Tropical Two-wing Flyingfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The tropical two-wing flyingfish (Exocoetus volitans) leaps out of the ocean and glides for long distances on its enlarged, wing-like pectoral fins. The behavior helps it escape predators such as mahi-mahi and tuna.

Tropopause

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The tropopause is the dynamic thermodynamic and chemical boundary separating the convectively mixed troposphere below from the stably stratified stratosphere above, governing stratosphere-troposphere exchange and tropical dehydration.

Troposphere

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The troposphere is the lowest and densest structural layer of the atmosphere, extending from the planetary surface to the base of the tropopause and containing roughly 80% of atmospheric mass and 99% of total water vapor.

Tuatara

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) is a lizard-like reptile found only on offshore islands of New Zealand. It is the sole survivor of Rhynchocephalia, an order that flourished with the dinosaurs, and is not a lizard at all.

Tungsten

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tungsten is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol W, atomic number 74, and standard atomic weight 183.84 u.

Turgor Pressure

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Turgor pressure is the positive hydrostatic pressure exerted by the intracellular fluid of a walled cell against its rigid cell wall, driven by osmotic water uptake across the selectively permeable plasma membrane.

Turkey Tail

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor) is a thin, leathery bracket fungus whose concentric colored bands resemble a turkey's tail. It grows on dead hardwood logs worldwide and is one of the most common wood-rotting fungi.

Turquoise

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Turquoise is a hydrated copper aluminum phosphate, CuAl₆(PO₄)₄(OH)₈·4H₂O, an opaque blue to green mineral that has been valued as a gemstone for thousands of years. The name comes from the French for 'Turkish,' because the stone reached Europe through Turkey.

Type Ia Supernova

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A Type Ia supernova is a thermonuclear explosion of a degenerate carbon-oxygen white dwarf star in a binary system, serving as a cosmological standardizable candle and a primary cosmic source of iron-peak elements.

Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors are low-molecular-weight pharmacologic agents that block aberrant phosphorylation cascades by binding competitively, allosterically, or covalently to the catalytic domain of receptor or cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases.

Ubiquitin

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ubiquitin is a conserved 76-amino-acid, 8.5-kilodalton regulatory protein in eukaryotes that is covalently conjugated to target substrates through an ATP-dependent E1-E2-E3 enzymatic cascade to direct proteasomal degradation, DNA repair, and intracellular signaling.

UGT1A1 and SLCO1B1 Pharmacogenetics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

UGT1A1 and SLCO1B1 pharmacogenetics examines the molecular genetics and clinical prescribing guidelines for the premier Phase II conjugating enzyme pharmacogene (UGT1A1 on chromosome 2q37.1) and the premier hepatic uptake membrane drug...

Ultraviolet Radiation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum between 10 and 400 nanometers, bridging visible light and X-rays and driving atmospheric photochemistry, DNA mutagenesis, vitamin D synthesis, and germicidal disinfection.

Underdominance

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Underdominance, or heterozygote disadvantage, is a mode of natural selection in which heterozygous individuals exhibit lower Darwinian fitness than either corresponding homozygote.

United Nations Environment Programme

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the principal institution within the United Nations system tasked with assessing global environmental conditions, setting the international environmental agenda, and coordinating multilateral environmental governance.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Operating with near-universal membership of 198 Parties, the UNFCCC secretariat is headquartered in Bonn, Germany.

Upside-down Jellyfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea andromeda) lies on the bottom of warm, shallow lagoons with its bell down and its frilly arms up, facing the sun. It originated in the Red Sea and has invaded the eastern Mediterranean.

Upwelling

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Within Earth system science, upwelling is a foundational mechanism connecting planetary atmospheric circulation to marine biology and global climatology.

Uracil

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Uracil is classified as a pyrimidine, consisting of a single, six-membered heterocyclic ring containing both nitrogen and carbon atoms. Its chemical formula is C4H4N2O2.

Uranium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Uranium is a dense, silvery-gray, primordial f-block actinide metal on the periodic table designated by the symbol U, atomic number 92, and standard atomic weight 238.03 u.

Urea Cycle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The five-step cyclic metabolic pathway in vertebrate hepatocytes that converts neurotoxic ammonium ions from amino acid catabolism into water-soluble, neutral urea for renal excretion.

Urey Reaction

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Urey reaction is the net reversible geochemical equilibrium between calcium silicate minerals and carbon dioxide to form calcium carbonate and silica, representing the thermodynamic basis of the long-term geological carbonate-silicate cycle.

Vaccine

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

At the population level, vaccination is the primary intervention utilized in public health and epidemiology to mechanically disrupt the transmission networks of communicable diseases.

Vaccine Adjuvants and Innate Immune Sensing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Vaccine adjuvants are pharmacological delivery vehicles and innate pattern-recognition receptor agonists that provide costimulatory signals and polarizing cytokines to amplify adaptive immunity to subunit antigens.

Vaccine Manufacturing, Cold Chain, and Global Access

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Vaccine manufacturing and cold-chain engineering integrate upstream bioreactor or cell-free enzymatic synthesis, analytical lot-release testing, and thermodynamic stabilization to deliver intact immunogens across global distribution networks.

Vaccine Safety Science and Enhanced Disease Mechanisms

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Vaccine safety science investigates immunopathological mechanisms such as Fc-receptor-mediated antibody-dependent enhancement and Th2-skewed enhanced respiratory disease while deploying active pharmacovigilance cohorts to detect rare adverse events.

Vampire Bat

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) is a small bat of Latin America that feeds on the blood of mammals and birds. It is one of only three living bat species with a blood diet and is also a vector of rabies for livestock.

Vampire Squid

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) is a deep-sea cephalopod and the sole extant member of the order Vampyromorpha, adapted to bathypelagic oxygen minimum zones where it harvests sinking marine snow using two retractile sensory filaments.

Van der Waals Force

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Van der Waals forces are the collective electrodynamic intermolecular attractions and short-range Pauli repulsions acting between electrically neutral molecules, encompassing Keesom orientation, Debye induction, and London dispersion forces.

Vanadinite

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Vanadinite is a lead chlorovanadate, Pb₅(VO₄)₃Cl, a mineral that forms brilliant red hexagonal crystals in the weathered zones of lead deposits. It is a minor ore of vanadium and a favorite collector's mineral.

Vanadium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Vanadium is a multivalent Group 5 transition metal (V, Z = 23) renowned for its four colorful aqueous oxidation states (+2 to +5), V2O5 contact-process sulfuric acid catalysis, ascidian vanabin hyperaccumulation, and vanadium nitrogenase.

Vapor Pressure Deficit

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) is the thermodynamic difference between the saturation vapor pressure of water at a given temperature and the actual partial pressure of water vapor present in the air.

Variegated Whip Spider

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The variegated whip spider (Damon variegatus) is a mottled-brown whip spider of the savannas and woodlands of southern and eastern Africa. It lives under bark and in cracks.

Vector control

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Vector control encompasses environmental, chemical, biological, and genetic interventions designed to suppress or modify arthropod and snail populations that transmit human and animal pathogens.

Veiled Chameleon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus) is a large chameleon from the mountains and coasts of Yemen and southwestern Saudi Arabia, named for the tall casque on its head.

Vema Limpet

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Vema limpet (Vema ewingi) is a deep-sea monoplacophoran, a rarely seen mollusc with a cap-shaped shell. It was dredged from the Peru-Chile Trench, and belongs to a group that was known as fossils before living animals were found.

Venus Flytrap

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a carnivorous plant whose hinged leaves snap shut on insects. It grows wild only in a small region of the coastal plain of North and South Carolina, and is listed as Vulnerable.

Venus' Flower Basket

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Venus' flower basket (Euplectella aspergillum) is a glass sponge of the deep western Pacific whose skeleton is a delicate lattice of silica fibers.

Venus' Girdle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Venus' girdle (Cestum veneris) is a ribbon-shaped comb jelly of warm seas that can be over a meter long. It swims by wavy movements of its body and rows of beating combs.

Victoria Crowned Pigeon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Victoria crowned pigeon (Goura victoria) is a huge, blue-gray pigeon of the lowland forests of New Guinea, crowned with a fan of lacy feathers. It is about the size of a turkey and is among the largest pigeons in the world.

Viral Vector and DNA Vaccines

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Viral vector and DNA vaccines use engineered replication-deficient adenoviruses, attenuated poxviruses or rhabdoviruses, or bacterial plasmids to deliver antigen transgenes for endogenous host cell expression and T-cell priming.

Viral Vector Engineering

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Viral vector engineering is the molecular modification of viruses into replication-defective delivery vehicles that transport therapeutic transgenes, gene-editing machinery, or vaccine antigens into target host cells.

Virginia Opossum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is the only marsupial living north of Mexico. A hardy omnivore, it has expanded its range northward over the last century and is listed as Least Concern.

Viroid

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Viroids are the smallest known autonomous infectious pathogens, consisting of short (246 to 434 nucleotides), covalently closed circular single-stranded RNA molecules that encode zero proteins and lack a capsid.

Virtual Screening

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Virtual screening is a computational cascade in drug discovery that filters libraries of millions to billions of chemical structures via ligand-based similarity or structure-based docking to prioritize active compounds for experimental testing.

Virus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A virus is a submicroscopic, obligate intracellular infectious agent composed of a DNA or RNA genome encased within a protective protein capsid and, in many families, an outer lipid envelope.

Vis-Viva Equation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The vis-viva equation is a foundational astrodynamic conservation law of the Keplerian two-body problem that relates the instantaneous orbital speed of a body to its radial distance and semi-major axis.

Volcanic Bomb

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A volcanic bomb is a mass of molten or partly molten lava larger than 64 millimeters that is thrown from a vent and shaped by its flight before it lands.

Volcanic Breccia

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Volcanic breccia is a rock of sharp, angular volcanic fragments larger than 64 millimeters set in a finer matrix of ash or lava. It builds up where eruptions or collapses shatter solid lava.

Volvox

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Volvox aureus is a green alga that lives as a hollow ball of hundreds to thousands of cells. It spins slowly through ponds and is a classic model for the evolution of multicellular life.

VSEPR Theory

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) theory predicts three-dimensional molecular geometry from the electrostatic and Pauli repulsion of bonding and non-bonding electron domains around a central atom.

Walker circulation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Walker circulation is a thermally direct zonal overturning atmospheric cell across the equatorial Pacific Ocean driven by longitudinal sea surface temperature gradients and coupled to the Bjerknes feedback.

Walnut Orb-legged Harvestman

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The walnut orb-legged harvestman (Dicranopalpus ramosus) is a small harvestman with forked palps that spread across Europe from the Iberian Peninsula during the twentieth century.

Warburg Effect (Oncology)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Warburg effect is the metabolic reprogramming of cancer and rapidly proliferating cells toward high-flux aerobic glycolysis and lactate fermentation even in the presence of abundant oxygen, supplying carbon intermediates and NADPH for biomass synthesis.

Warfarin Pharmacogenetics

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Warfarin pharmacogenetics is the paradigm of combined pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic precision dosing in clinical medicine.

Wastewater-based epidemiology

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Wastewater-based epidemiology is the quantitative analysis of biological and chemical biomarkers in municipal sewage to monitor population-level infectious diseases, substance consumption, and antimicrobial resistance.

Water cycle

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The water cycle (or hydrological cycle) is the continuous, mass-conserving circulation of water across the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the cryosphere, the lithosphere, and the biosphere.

Water Flea

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The water flea (Daphnia magna) is a small, transparent freshwater crustacean, a few millimeters long, that swims by beating its branched antennae. It is a key grazer in lakes and a standard model animal in ecology and toxicology.

Water Louse

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The water louse (Asellus aquaticus) is a small, flattened freshwater isopod of ponds, streams and ditches across Europe. It is common in polluted and low-oxygen water, and some populations live in caves.

Water on Mars

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Water on Mars encompasses the planet's hydrological evolution from an early Noachian and Hesperian surface environment of rivers, lakes, and phyllosilicate-forming groundwater to a modern cryosphere and deep mid-crustal aquifer system.

Water Opossum

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The water opossum or yapok (Chironectes minimus) is the only semi-aquatic marsupial. It lives along forest streams from Mexico to Argentina, hunting for fish and crustaceans.

Water vapor

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Water vapor (H2O) is the gaseous phase of water and the dominant greenhouse gas in Earth's atmosphere, accounting for roughly half of clear-sky longwave radiative trapping and governing latent heat transport across the hydrological cycle.

Water vapor (atmospheric)

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Unlike the long-lived, well-mixed greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, water vapor is a condensable gas with an atmospheric residence time of about 8 to 10 days.

Weather

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Weather is the instantaneous and short-term thermodynamic, kinematic, and hydrological state of Earth's troposphere, governed by differential solar heating, fluid dynamics, and water phase transitions.

Weathering

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Weathering is the in situ physical disaggregation and chemical alteration of rocks and minerals at or near Earth's surface driven by thermodynamic equilibration with atmospheric gases, meteoric water, temperature cycles, and biological activity.

Welded Tuff

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Welded tuff, also called ignimbrite, is a volcanic rock formed from the hot ash and pumice of a pyroclastic flow that was still soft enough to stick together and compact after it came to rest.

Welwitschia

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Welwitschia (Welwitschia mirabilis) is a bizarre desert plant of the Namib Desert in Namibia and Angola. It has only two leaves, which grow continuously throughout its life, and individuals can live for well over a thousand years.

West African Lungfish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The West African lungfish (Protopterus annectens) is an eel-like fish of seasonal swamps in West Africa that survives dry seasons buried in a cocoon of mud. Its genome, published in 2021, is one of the largest sequenced.

West Indian Fuzzy Chiton

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The West Indian fuzzy chiton (Acanthopleura granulata) is a chiton of Caribbean rocky shores whose shell plates carry hundreds of tiny eyes. It is one of the few animals with eyes made of the mineral aragonite.

West Indian Manatee

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) is a slow-moving aquatic herbivore of the coastal waters, rivers and springs of the southeastern United States, the Caribbean and northern South America.

West Nile Fever

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

West Nile fever is an infectious disease caused by West Nile virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne orthoflavivirus of the family Flaviviridae.

West Nile virus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

West Nile virus (WNV; species Orthoflavivirus nilense) is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus in the genus Orthoflavivirus and family Flaviviridae.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) is a large pit viper of the southwestern United States and Mexico, with diamond-shaped patterns on its back and a rattle on its tail. It is responsible for many venomous snakebites in its range.

Western Honeybee

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The western honeybee (Apis mellifera) is the most widely managed pollinator in the world, a eusocial insect native to Europe, Africa and western Asia. Bees are not a separate branch from wasps: they are wasps that switched to a diet of pollen and nectar.

Western Long-beaked Echidna

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The western long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bruijnii) is a large, spiny, egg-laying mammal of the mountain forests of New Guinea. It has a long, down-curved snout and is Critically Endangered.

Wetlands, Peatlands, and Mangrove Blue Carbon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Wetlands, peatlands, and intertidal mangrove forests are hydrologically saturated ecosystems governed by anoxic soil redox thermodynamics, aerenchyma gas transport, Sphagnum acidification, and millennia-scale organic carbon preservation.

Whale Shark

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish in the world, reaching well over 12 meters, yet it feeds on plankton. It roams tropical and warm temperate seas and is listed as Endangered.

Whirlpool Galaxy

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Whirlpool Galaxy (Messier 51, NGC 5194) is a face-on grand-design spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici, roughly 30 million light-years away, locked in a gravitational encounter with its smaller companion NGC 5195.

White Dwarf

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A white dwarf is a compact, electron-degenerate stellar remnant that represents the final evolutionary endpoint for all low- and intermediate-mass main-sequence stars with initial birth masses between ~0.08 M☉ and ~8 M☉—accounting for...

White Sturgeon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) is the largest freshwater fish in North America, living in rivers of the Pacific coast and reaching about 6 meters in length. It can live for a century or more, and it belongs to an ancient group of armored fishes.

Whiteschist

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Whiteschist is a rare, pale metamorphic rock rich in talc and kyanite, formed at very high pressure from magnesium- and aluminum-rich rocks. It records the deep burial of continental crust, to about 100 kilometers in the best-known example.

Whole Genome Sequencing

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Whole genome sequencing is the laboratory and computational determination of the nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence of an organism, capturing both protein-coding exons and the remaining 98.5% non-coding genomic sequence in a single assay.

Wild Turkey

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is a large ground-dwelling bird native to North America and the ancestor of the domestic turkey. After nearly vanishing in the early twentieth century, it was restored to its range by careful wildlife management.

Wildfire

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A wildfire is an unplanned, self-propagating exothermic combustion process in terrestrial vegetation that recycles biomass carbon, emits trace gases and aerosols, and shapes ecosystem succession.

Wobble Base Pair

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A wobble base pair is a non-Watson–Crick hydrogen-bonded pairing between two nucleotides in RNA duplexes, most notably between the third (3′) base of an mRNA codon and the first (5′, position 34) base of a tRNA anticodon during translation.

Wolbachia

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Wolbachia is a genus of maternally inherited, obligate intracellular Gram-negative Alphaproteobacteria that infect arthropods and filarial nematodes, manipulating host reproduction and blocking arbovirus transmission.

Woolly Mammoth

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) was a shaggy, long-tusked elephant of the cold steppes of Eurasia and North America.

World Meteorological Organization

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized intergovernmental agency of the United Nations dedicated to the international coordination of meteorology, climatology, operational hydrology, and related geophysical sciences.

Wright–Fisher Model

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Wright-Fisher model is the foundational discrete-time Markov chain model of population genetics that quantifies random genetic drift via binomial sampling of 2N gametes across non-overlapping generations.

X-Inactivation

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

X-inactivation is the epigenetic dosage-compensation process in therian female mammals by which one of the two X chromosomes is transcriptionally silenced and compacted into a heterochromatic Barr body during early embryonic development.

X-Linked Inheritance

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

X-linked inheritance is the mode of genetic transmission governing loci situated on the non-pseudoautosomal region of the X chromosome in organisms with XX/XY or XX/X0 heterogametic sex-determination systems.

X-ray crystallography

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

X-ray crystallography is a quantitative analytical technique within biophysics, chemistry, and solid-state physics utilized to determine the three-dimensional atomic coordinates of a molecule.

Xeno-Nucleic Acid

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Xeno-Nucleic Acid (XNA) is a class of synthetic and prebiotically candidate genetic polymers in which the canonical β-D-ribose or β-D-2'-deoxyribose sugar-phosphate backbone of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is...

Xenon

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Xenon is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Xe (from the Greek xenos, 'stranger' or 'foreign'), atomic number 54, and standard atomic weight 131.293 u.

Xylem

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Xylem is the vascular tissue that carries water and dissolved minerals from the roots to the rest of a plant, pulled upward under tension by evaporation from the leaves.

Yellow Boring Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The yellow boring sponge (Cliona celata) is a sponge that excavates tunnels in limestone, shells and coral. Its bright yellow body shows at the surface only as a mass of small papillae, while most of the animal lies hidden inside the rock.

Yellow fever

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Yellow fever is an acute, mosquito-borne viral hemorrhagic fever that affects humans and non-human primates.

Yellow Morel

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The yellow morel (Morchella esculenta) is a prized edible fungus whose honeycomb-patterned, hollow cap appears in spring in woodlands and orchards. Despite decades of effort, it is difficult to cultivate reliably.

Yellow Network Lattice Sponge

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The yellow network lattice sponge (Clathrina clathrus) is a bright yellow calcareous sponge of the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic, formed of a delicate network of interconnected tubes. It has one of the simplest body plans among sponges.

Yeti Crab

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The yeti crab (Kiwa hirsuta) is a pale, hairy crab found in 2005 at hydrothermal vents on the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge south of Easter Island. Its claws are covered in dense bristles that carry colonies of bacteria.

Younger Dryas

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The Younger Dryas (formally designated Greenland Stadial 1, or GS-1, in ice-core stratigraphy) was an abrupt, millennial-scale return to near-glacial climatic conditions that occurred between approximately 12,900 and 11,700 calendar years...

Ytterbium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Ytterbium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Yb, atomic number 70, and standard atomic weight 173.05 u.

Yttrium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Yttrium is a silvery-metallic Group 3 transition and rare-earth element (Y, Z = 39) with a [Kr] 4d1 5s2 electron configuration, forming the host crystal of 1,064 nm Nd:YAG lasers, the 93 K high-temperature superconductor YBCO, red Y2O3:Eu3+ phosphors, and 90Y radioimmunotherapy.

Zebra Finch

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is a small songbird of arid Australia and the main laboratory model for studying how brains learn vocal communication. It was the first songbird to have its genome sequenced, in 2010.

Zebra Jumping Spider

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The zebra jumping spider (Salticus scenicus) is a small black-and-white spider that stalks flies on walls and fences across the Northern Hemisphere. Jumping spiders have the sharpest vision of any spiders and use no web to catch prey.

Zebra Mantis Shrimp

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The zebra mantis shrimp (Lysiosquillina maculata) is one of the largest mantis shrimps, up to about 40 centimeters long, with bold black-and-white stripes. It lives in burrows in sandy flats of the Indo-Pacific.

Zebrafish

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a small striped freshwater fish from South Asia that is one of the most widely used vertebrate model organisms. Its embryos are transparent and develop outside the mother, so researchers can watch organs form in a living animal.

Zika fever

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Zika fever, also called Zika virus disease, is an infectious disease caused by Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne orthoflavivirus of the family Flaviviridae.

Zika virus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

First isolated in 1947 from a caged monkey in the Zika Forest of Uganda, Zika virus is an Aedes-borne orthoflavivirus that causes Zika fever, congenital Zika syndrome, and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Zinc

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Zinc is a Group 12 d-block metal (Zn, Z = 30) with a closed-shell [Ar] 3d10 4s2 configuration whose redox-inert divalent cation (Zn2+) serves as a Lewis acid cofactor in over 300 enzymes and stabilizes DNA-binding zinc-finger transcription factors.

Zirconium

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Zirconium is a chemical element on the periodic table with the atomic symbol Zr, atomic number 40, and a standard atomic weight of 91.224(2) u.

Zombie Ant Fungus

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The zombie ant fungus (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, a species complex) infects carpenter ants in tropical forests and manipulates them to climb and die in a spot ideal for the fungus to spread.

Zygote

CRV Science Editorial — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

A zygote is the totipotent diploid cell formed by the fusion of two haploid gametes during sexual reproduction, initiating embryonic development.