Science terms starting with B

669 terms

Bioaugmentation Increasing the activity of bacteria that decompose pollutants; a technique used in bioremediation.
bioavailability The proportion of a nutrient or administered drug etc. that can be taken up by an organism in a biologically effective form.
Biobased products Fuels, chemicals, building materials, or electric power or heat produced from biological material(s).
biocatalysis The use of enzymes to improve the efficiency of chemical reactions.
Biochemical Chemical reactions in living organisms.
Biochemical Conversion Using enzymes and catalysts to change biological substances chemically to produce energy products.
Biochemical conversion process The use of living organisms or their products to convert organic material to fuels, chemicals or other products.
Biochemical Oxygen Demand The weight of oxygen taken up mainly as a result of the oxidation of the constituents of a sample of water by biological action; expressed as the number…
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) A standard means of estimating the degree of water pollution, especially of water bodies that receive contamination from sewage and industrial waste.
biochip See: DNA chip.
Bioconcentration (Bioaccumulation) The accumulation of a chemical in tissues of an organism to levels greater than in the environment in which the organism lives.
biocontrol Pest control by biological means. Any process using deliberately introduced living organisms to restrain the growth and development of other organisms…
bioconversion Conversion of one chemical into another by living organisms, as opposed to their conversion by isolated enzymes or fixed cells, or by chemical processes.
Biodegradable Capable of being biodegraded.
biodegrade The breakdown by micro-organisms of a compound to simpler chemicals. Materials that are easily biodegraded are colloquially termed biodegradable.
biodesulphurization The removal of organic and inorganic sulphur from coal by bacterial and soil micro-organisms.
Biodiesel Biodiesel is diesel fuel combined with a certain percentage of vegetable oil. B5 refers to a blend of diesel with 5% vegetable oil.
Biodiversity The wide diversity and interrelatedness of earth organisms based on genetic and environmental factors.
Bioenergy The conversion of the complex carbohydrates in organic material into energy.
Bioenrichment Adding nutrients or oxygen to increase microbial breakdown of pollutants.
Biofilms See Microbial mats.
Biofuel A gaseous, liquid or solid fuel derived from a biological source, e.g. ethanol, rapeseed oil or fish liver oil.
Biofuels Fuels made from biomass. Biofuels include ethanol, biodiesel and methanol.
Biogas A mixture of methane and carbon dioxide resulting from the anaerobic decomposition of waste such as domestic, industrial and agricultural sewage.
Biogasification or biomethanization The process of decomposing biomass with anaerobic bacteria to produce biogas.
Biogenic source (emissions) Biological sources such as plants and animals that emit air pollutants such as volatile organic compounds.
Biogeochemical Cycle Movements through the Earth system of key chemical constituents essential to life, such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus.
Bioinformatics (BY-oh-in-for-MA-tix) The science of using computers, databases, and math to organize and analyze large amounts of biological, medical, and health…
bioleaching The recovery of metals from their ores, using the action of micro-organisms, rather than chemical or physical treatment.
biolistics A technique to generate transgenic cells, in which DNA -coated small metal particles (tungsten or gold) are propelled by various means fast enough to…
biological ageing See: senescence.
Biological assessment A specific process required as part of an environmental assessment. An evaluation of potential effects of a proposed project on proposed, endangered…
Biological boundaries A concept that differentiates one organism from another and suggests that organisms cannot or should not exchange genetic material.
biological containment Restricting the movement of organisms from the laboratory. Can take two forms: making the organism unable to survive in the outside environment, or making…
biological control See: biocontrol.
Biological diversity See: biodiversity.
Biological growth The activity and growth of any and all living organisms.
Biological magnification The process by which substances such as pesticides or heavy metals become concentrated as they move up the food chain.
Biological magnification (biomagnification) Step by step concentration of substances in successive levels of food chains. The enhancement of a substance (usually a contaminant) in a food web such…
Biological Opinion (BO) Document stating the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) opinion as to whether a Federal action is…
Biological oxidation Decomposition of organic materials by microorganisms.
Biological oxygen demand (Abbreviation: BOD). The dissolved oxygen required for the respiration of a population of aerobic organisms present in water.
Biological processes Processes characteristic of, or resulting from, the activities of living organisms.
Biological soil crusts Commonly found in semiarid and arid environments, biological soil crusts are formed by living organisms and their by-products, creating a crust of soil…
Biologics Agents, such as vaccines, that give immunity to diseases or harmful biotic stresses.
Biology the science that studies living organisms.
bioluminescence The enzyme-catalyzed production of light by a number of diverse organisms (e.g. fireflies and many deep ocean marine organisms).
biomagnification See: bio-accumulation.
Biomass The aggregate amount of living matter or a specific species within a specific habitat, or the total number of a specific species in a specific habitat.
biomass concentration The amount of biological material in a specific volume.
Biomass energy Energy produced by the conversion of biomass directly to heat or to a liquid or gas that can be converted to energy.
Biomass Fuel Biomass converted directly to energy or converted to liquid or gaseous fuels such as ethanol, methanol, methane, and hydrogen.
Biomass Gasification The conversion of biomass into a gas, by biogasification (see above) or thermal gasification, in which hydrogen is produced from high-temperature…
biomass processing residues Byproducts from processing all forms of biomass that have significant energy potential.
Biome A major ecological community or complex of communities, extending over a large geographical area and characterized by a dominant type of vegetation.
biometry (by-AH-meh-tree) The science of collecting and analyzing biologic or health data using statistical methods.
biomimetic materials Employed to describe synthetic analogues of natural materials with advantageous properties.
biopesticide A compound that kills organisms by virtue of specific biological effects rather than as a broader chemical poison.
Biopharming The use of genetically transformed crop plants and livestock animals to produce valuable compounds, especially pharmaceuticals.
Biophotolysis The action of light on a biological system that results in the dissociation of a substrate, usually water, to produce hydrogen.
biopiracy The patenting of genetic stocks, and the subsequent privatization of genetic resources collections.
biopolymer Any large polymer (protein, nucleic acid, polysaccharide) produced by a living organism.
bioprocess Any process that uses complete living cells or their components (e.g. enzymes, chloroplasts ) to effect desired physical or chemical changes.
bioreactor A tank in which cells, cell extracts or enzymes carry out a biological reaction. Often refers to a fermentation vessel for cells or micro-organisms.
biorecovery The use of micro-organisms for the recovery of valuable materials (metals or particular organic compounds) from complex mixtures.
Bioremediation The use of microorganisms to remedy environmental problems. See Bioaugmentation, Bioenrichment.
Bioretention System The bioretention system (also referred to as a "rain garden" or a "biofilter") is a stormwater management practice to manage and treat stormwater runoff…
biosafety Referring to the avoidance of risk to human health and safety, and to the conservation of the environment, as a result of the use for research and…
biosafety protocol An inteRNA tionally agreed protocol set up to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by the release of genetically modified organisms.
biosensor A device that uses an immobilized biologically-related agent (such as an enzyme, antibiotic, organelle or whole cell) to detect or measure a chemical…
biosilk A biomimetic fibre produced by the expression of the relevant orb-weaving spider genes in yeast or bacteria, followed by the spinning of the expressed…
biosorbents Micro-organisms which, either by themselves or in conjunction with a substrate are able to extract and/or concentrate a desired molecule by means of its…
Biosphere The part of the earth and its atmosphere that is inhabited by living organisms.
biosynthesis Synthesis of compounds by living cells, which is the essential feature of anabolism.
biosynthetic antibody binding sites (Abbreviation: BABS). See: dAb.
Biota The animal and plant life of a region or period.
Biotechnology The scientific manipulation of living organ- isms, especially at the molecular genetic level, to produce useful products.
Biotechnology-derived The use of molecular biology and/or recombinant DNA technology, or in vitro gene transfer, to develop products or to impart specific capabilities in…
Biotic Pertaining to life or living organisms.
Biotic community A naturally occurring, interdependent community of plants and animals that live in the same environment.
biotic factor Other living organisms that are a component of an organism's environment, and form the biotic environment, affecting the organism in many ways.
Biotic potential Inherent capacity of an organism to reproduce and survive, which is pitted against limiting influences of the environment.
Biotic pyramid Set of all food chains or hierarchic arrangements of organisms as eaters and eaten in a prescribed area when tabulated by numbers or by biomasses, usually…
Biotic stress Living organisms which can harm plants , such as viruses, fungi, and bacteria, and harmful insects. See Abiotic stress.
biotic stress Stress resulting from attack by pathogenic organisms.
biotin A vitamin of the B complex, it acts as a co-enzyme for various enzymes that catalyse the incorporation of carbon dioxide into various compounds, and is…
biotin labelling The attachment of biotin to another molecule, especially DNA.
biotinylated-DNA A DNA molecule labelled with biotin by incorporation of a biotinylated nucleotide (usually uracil ) into a DNA molecule.
Biotope A small habitat in a large community.
biotoxin A naturally produced compound which shows pronounced biological activity, toxic to some or many organisms.
biotransformation The conversion of one chemical or material into another using a biological catalyst : a near synonym is biocatalysis, and hence the catalyst used is…
Biotype Genetically homogeneous population composed only of closely similar individuals; a genotypic race or group of organisms.
BIP Budget Input Program.
bipolar see-saw the occurrence of warm temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere while temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere are colder-than-average, or vice versa.
Birth defect A structural, functional, or metabolic abnormality present at birth that results in physical or mental disability or is fatal.
Bitumen Gooey, black, high-sulfur, heavy oil extracted from tar sand and then upgraded to synthetic fuel oil. See tar sand.
Bituminous Containing asphalt or tar.
Bituminous coal A dense, black, soft coal, often with well-defined bands of bright and dull material.
bivalent Two paired homologous chromosomes (one of maternal origin; the other of paternal origin) at prophase to anaphase of the first meiotic division.
BKN Broken