Science Guide – A

Absorb – To soak something up, to retain in its pores e.g. A sponge absorbs water. See also PORES.

Adapt – The ability to change in order to survive e.g. Scorpions survive in the desert because the have adapted to the harsh environment. See Also EVOLUTION, NATURAL SELECTION, NOMAD & MODERNISATION.

Air – This is the mixture of gases which forms the earth’s atmosphere. See also ATMOSPHERE & GAS.

Albino – This is a person or animal with a very white skin, white hair and pink eyes. Insects can also be lacking in the normal skin pigmentation (colour) so they appear white or milky. See also PIGMENT & SKIN.

Algae – A major group of lower simple plant life which has no stems, roots or leaves. It is often green and slimy like seaweed. See also KELP, LIVERWORT & PLANKTON.

Ambient Noise – The background noise e.g. the ambient noise in the jungle is the sound of cicadas.

Amphibian – A cold-blooded soft skinned vertebrate which can live on both land and water e.g. frogs and toads are both amphibians. See also COLD-BLOODED, LARVA & VERTEBRATE.

Animal – This covers any living organism which is a) not a plant or a tree, and b) moves through locomotion using its senses to respond to stimuli around it. We normally use this term to describe dogs, pigs or horses, rather than humans, birds, fish and insects e.g. the tribesman hunted the wild animals with his blowpipe. See also LOCOMOTION, ORGANISM, SENSES & STIMULI.

Animist – This is a person who believes that everything in the entire universe is alive and has emotions and feelings. This includes objects like rocks, stones, trees and plants.

Annelid – A worm-like animal with its body divided into equal rings or segments e.g. earthworms. See also ANIMAL & INSECT.

Antennae – Whip-like jointed feelers on the heads of insects or crustaceans. They are used for feeling, smelling and tasting. See also CRUSTACEAN, INSECT & SENSE.

Anthers – The part of the stamen at the end of a fine stalk. The pollen is produced and matures in the anther. See also POLLEN, POLLINATE & STAMEN.

Aposematic – Bright, striking markings which act as a warning to predators. Predators soon learn to avoid them e.g. skunks and tiger centipedes are both aposematic. See also CAMOUFLAGE & PREY.

Aquatic – Living in water e.g. fish. See also ABOREAL & TERRESTRIAL.

Arachnid – A class of arthropods such as spiders, scorpions, ticks and mites. They all have two body segments and usually eight jointed legs. Some have adapted to living in very harsh dry conditions like a desert. See also ARTHROPOD & CHELICERA.

Arboreal – An animal which lives mainly in the trees e.g. orang utans and koalas are arboreal animals. See also AQUATIC & TERRESTRIAL.

Archipelago – A group of islands. See also ISLAND.

Aroma – This is a strong but pleasant smell (odour) often giving off by plants spices or food.

Arthropod – Animals with jointed legs e.g. spiders or scorpions etc. See also ARACHNID & CRUSTACEANS.

Atmosphere – The whole mass of air which surrounds the Earth. The earth’s atmosphere is made up of mostly nitrogen and oxygen. See also AIR, GAS, NITROGEN CYCLE, OXYGEN, POLLUTION & PLANET.

Atom – The smallest part of a substance (element) that can take part in a chemical reaction. It cannot be divided up into smaller parts. From the Latin word atomus, meaning ’smallest particle’. See also CHEMICAL, ELEMENT, MOLECULE, NUCLEUS & SUBSTANCE.