Biology key terms

A comparison set-up that shows changes caused by factors other than the one being investigated.

A comparison group or condition that does not receive the treatment being tested and provides a baseline.

The region that shows whether liquid has travelled through the strip and the test has operated correctly.

An action, rule or item of equipment used to reduce the likelihood or severity of harm from a hazard.

A factor kept the same so that it does not provide another explanation for a change in the result.

The number by which a value is multiplied or divided when changing between units.

A lens that is thicker in the middle than at the edges and brings light rays together, or converges them.

The organisation of information and instructions so that appropriate parts of the body work together to produce a suitable response.

The organisation and regulation of activities in different parts of the body so that they work together appropriately.

A part of a control system that receives and processes information from receptors, such as the brain, spinal cord or pancreas.

The part of a response pathway that processes information from receptors and sends instructions to effectors; in the nervous system this is the central nervous system.

The temperature of the body's internal tissues and organs, rather than the temperature at its surface.

The transparent front part of the eye that bends incoming light.

Blood vessels that supply the heart muscle itself with oxygenated blood.

Surgery that creates a new route for blood to flow around a narrowed or blocked coronary artery.

An operation that provides a new route for blood to flow around a narrowed or blocked coronary artery.

A disease in which fatty material builds up inside the coronary arteries, narrowing them and reducing blood flow to the heart muscle.

The structure formed from the empty follicle after ovulation; it produces progesterone.

A relationship in which two variables change together; it does not by itself show that one variable caused the other to change.

A small, thin piece of glass placed over a specimen to keep it flat and protect it.

A thin piece of glass placed over a specimen to keep it flat and hold the mounting liquid in place.

Growing different crops in a planned sequence on the same land, rather than growing the same crop continuously.

The unintended transfer of material from one sample to another, which can produce an incorrect result.

The area of a flat slice through an object; for an approximately circular colony or clear zone, it can be estimated using $\pi r^2$.

A technique that uses multiple X-ray measurements and computer processing to produce images of structures inside the body, including the brain.

The growth of microorganisms under controlled conditions so that they can be studied.

A liquid or solid material containing nutrients needed for microorganisms to grow.