CARTA Glossary

A cancerous growth capable of invading normal tissues and growing in otherwise hostile environments.

The soft fatty substance in the cavities of bones that produces red and white blood cells and platelets.

The retention of exclusive reproductive access to a mate by attempting to restrict the access of others and discouraging the mate from seeking other sexual opportunities.

The portion of reproductive effort (time and energy invested) in the form of achieving matings (sexual access).

The term used to refer to (1) a group of indigenous languages spoken from Mexico to Honduras and El Salvador; (2) the people who speak those languages, considered as an ethnic group; (3) the archaeological culture of the ancestors of the contemporary speakers of Maya languages.

A commercial or homemade tool designed to assist or perform the actual piercing of the tissue.

A region of the brain located in the anterior part of the hypothalamus that critically regulates care giving behavior.

For most organisms, it is the pigment in skin and hair, but is also found in the iris of the eye, the inner ear, and some parts of the brain. Melanin is produced as three basic types: eumelanin, pheomelanin, and neuromelanin. The melanin in the skin is produced by melanocytes, which exist across human populations in similar concentration in their skin. However, the melanocytes in some populations produce variable amounts of melanin. This variation is likely due to the melanin’s property to absorb and dissipate UV radiation, protecting skin from harmful damage. UV exposure is associated with increased risk of malignant melanoma, a cancer of melanocytes.

The time of life when female menstruation naturally and permanently ceases.

The process of representing and reasoning about the mental states, thought, and feelings of the self and others. Also known as Theory of Mind.

The area from central Mexico to Honduras and El Salvador occupied by a network of indigenous societies united by use of related calendars, similar technologies, and the exchange of materials needed to support those technologies before the entry of Europeans into the region.

The rate at which fuels (such as sugars or fats) are broken down for the production of cellular energy.

The ethnic group that composed Aztec society in central Mexico during the 16th century CE.

The totality of all organisms (microbes) that live on and in the body.

A type of glia that functions as the primary innate immune cells of the central nervous system and are involved in brain development and maintenance. These cells are not of neuronal origin but rather migrate from the yolk sac to the brain during embryogenesis.

A chemical element or substance required in trace amounts for the normal growth and development of living organisms that the organism cannot synthesize itself. 

The second subdivision of the Paleolithic, or Stone Age and consist of use of prepared cores (Levallois Technique) and hafted tools and weapons. ~300 kya -30 kya.

A proposed singular phase in hominid evolution in which maladaptive mortality salience and death anxiety were triggered by acquiring the capacity for Extended Theory of Mind, but were (in this one instance) tolerated by the simultaneous acquisition of Reality Denial in the same minds - allowing gene culture-evolution to fix both capacities in the resulting hominin lineage, at the neurobiological and genetic level.

A meditative practice centered around being present in the moment.

Membrane-bound cell organelles that generate most of the chemical energy, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), needed to power the cell’s biochemical reactions. Mitochondria are believed to be endosymbionts that were originally prokaryotic cells that became incorporated into eukaryotic organisms.

The phenomenon whereby one organism produces molecules that are identical or very similar to those of another organism (such as its host). Parasites and pathogens repeatedly evolve molecular mimicry for host manipulation and immune evasion.

A simple sugar; the most basic unit of a carbohydrate.

The sub-discipline of linguistics concerned with the structure and parts of words (stems, root words, prefixes, and suffixes), how words are formed, and their relationship to other words in the same language. Parts of speech, intonation and stress, and contextual pronunciation and meaning are aspects of Morphology.

The part of the cerebral cortex in the brain where the nerve impulses originate that initiate voluntary muscular activity.

The part of the nervous system that controls voluntary movement.

A stone tool type characterized by hand- axes, scrapers, triangle points, and denticulates (a stone tool with edges of multiple notched shapes, or teeth) produced using a prepared core (i.e. Levallois Technique) and is most associated with Neanderthals. ~315 - 30 kya.

An auditory form of art composed of pitch (melody and harmony), rhythm (tempo, meter, articulation), dynamics (loudness/softness), timbre and texture.

An involuntary, permanent alteration of the body.

The pathogenic bacteria that causes tuberculosis.

Untrue stories that both the teller and listener usually believe to be true.

A common variant of sialic acid in many vertebrates that is not made by humans but can be incorporated from diets rich in red meat.

The factual or fictional representation of a coherent particular sequence of events, usually involving some agency and purpose.

A type of antibody that exists in the absence of active immunization via infection and/or contact with fetal antigens during pregnancy as a first line of defense until a specific antibody response is mounted.

The failure to provide for the development of the child in all spheres: health, education, emotional development, nutrition, shelter, and safe living conditions (including protecting the child from harm). It is the most common form of child maltreatment. In rodents, neglect it is similarly defined as inconsistent care, failure to group displaced infants in the nest, infant avoidance and failure to protect infants from harm or potential harm.

Meaning “new stone age,” it is an archaeological period representing the final division of the Stone Age in Europe, Asia, Mesopotamia, and Africa. The Neolithic dates between 10,000 and 2,000 BCE and encompasses the “neolithic revolution” in which farming, domestication, and permanent settlement began.

A tumor mass, either benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer), that is composed of cells that have lost their regulatory checks and multiply without control or do not undergo pre-programmed cell death.

A self-renewing, multipotent cell that generates the neurons and glia of the nervous system of all animals during embryonic development. Some persist in the adult vertebrate brain and continue to produce neurons throughout life.

A branch of linguistics that examines the connection between language and the structure and functioning of the brain.

The ability of the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections through growth and reorganization. These changes include new neural connections and cortical remapping resulting from learning, environmental influences, practice, and psychological stress.

A type of chemical messenger that transmits signals across a chemical synapse, such as a neuromuscular junction, from one neuron (nerve cell) to another “target” neuron, muscle cell, or gland cell.

A membrane receptor protein that is activated by a neurotransmitter.

A natural alkaloid and insecticide produced by several plant species (tobacco and jimson weed). It also functions as a central nervous system stimulant as an analog of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

A common chemical element with the atomic number 7. Most nitrogen on earth exists as inert gas (N₂).

Any story purported to tell factual information.

The use of various techniques, such as Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, to image the structure, function, or pharmacology of the nervous system.

So called “smart drugs” or cognitive enhancers that are claimed to improve cognitive function. E.g., Modafinil.

A new strain of a disease that has not been previously identified in a species.

Atmospheric areas that generate particulate matter PM2.5 from dissolved ammonia from agricultural nitrogen pollution.