CARTA Glossary

An explanation for the dietary shift to meat procurement during human evolution as a catalyst favoring a suite of transformative biological and behavioral adaptations.

An enzyme involved in the first step of aerobic oxidation of organic compounds.

Increased sensitivity to pain.

Pain, hypohedonia, dysphoria, anxiety, hyperalgesia, irritability, and sleep disturbances associated with drug abstinence following excessive drug taking.

Having a decreased tendency to provoke an allergic reaction.

A diminished capacity for pleasure.

A class of lectins belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily. e.g., Siglecs

A sign that shares perceived physical properties with the thing it refers to (its “referent”) (Kluender, 2020).

Behavior copying. This term has been used to mean everything from social learning in general to the reproduction of action intentions but is now most commonly used in the narrow sense of copying the form or topography of observed movements.

Cells that are part of the immune system. Most develop from stem cells in the bone marrow and become different types of white blood cells (the microglia of the brain originate in the yolk sack during embryonic development). Immune cells are broadly classified into innate and adaptive immune cells. Innate immune cells include neutrophils, basophils, mast cells, monocytes and eosinophils, dendritic cells, and macrophages. Adaptive immune cells include B-cells and T-cells. T-Cells and Natural Killer T-cells mediate important dialogues between innate (rapid) and adaptive (slower) immune responses. B-cells and T-cells can form long- term immunological memory.

The capability of multicellular organisms to resist harmful microorganisms from entering it and compromising its biological systems. The balanced state of adequate biological defenses to fight infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion, while having adequate tolerance to avoid allergy, and autoimmune diseases. It critically relies on recognition of both self and non-self.

A type of protein that forms antibodies and other receptors both on cell surfaces and as soluble proteins of vertebrates. Comprised of a massive superfamily, immunoglobulins perform many different functions, including recognition, binding, or adhesion processes of cells.

A highly conserved region in the cytoplasmic domain of signaling chains of adapter proteins and receptors and typically result in activation of inflammatory responses.

Long non-coding microRNA

A sign that depends for its reference on the physical presence of the thing that it refers (its “referent”) to at some point in space and time (e.g. smoke, a weather vane, a bullet hole, your index finger) (Kluender, 2020).

The transition from agrarian and handcraft manufacture of goods to large scale industrial production starting 1760 in Great Britain and the United States.

The capability of producing infection or spreading disease to others. Synonymous with communicable and transmissible.

The cerebral cortex on the inferior convexity of the temporal lobe in primates, including humans and is It is crucial for visual object recognition.

An often-painful localized redness, swelling, and heat that is the body’s response to an injury or infection. While uncomfortable, it indicates that your body is working hard to repair itself or to defend against infection.

Often referred to as “flu,” this is a highly contagious viral respiratory illness. Symptoms include fever, severe body aches, and catarrh. Because it is so contagious, influenza often produces epidemics. There are several influenza viruses that affect humans (A, B, C) - all enveloped RNA viruses.

In piercing, the act of putting jewelry into an existing pierced channel, often with the aid of an insertion taper.

The power of minds to be about, to represent, or to stand for, things, properties and states of affairs. Refers to the ability of the mind to form representations and should not be confused with intention. Beliefs about others’ beliefs display what is sometimes known as “higher-order intentionality.”

Temporal coordination of behavior, physiology, neural activity, and/or mental representations between individuals.

A proposition in which some of a system’s output is returned through the input for processing, which allows the system to make adjustments in the output.

A research framework that adapts procedures to be more inclusive of underrepresented groups through community engagement with diverse participants and individualized methods to accommodate neural diversity.

The interval of life between conception and birth.

Sequences between eons, don't encode proteins

A non-indigenous organism that can destabilize ecosystems when introduced.

Each of two or more forms of the same element that contain equal numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei, and hence differ in relative atomic mass but not in chemical properties; in particular, a radioactive form of an element.

An infection of the central nervous system caused by the Japanese Encephalitis Virus. Most infections are benign but occasionally can cause inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), headaches, vomiting, fever, confusion and seizures.

A yellowing of the eyes and skin due to rapid breakdown of red blood cells (RBCs) and release of degraded hemoglobin.

In 1989, at age 4-5, he witnessed his father murder his mother and subsequently fled into the Ugandan jungle. He was accepted as a peripheral member of a group of vervet monkeys who cared for and nourished him for a period of two years. He was found and captured in 1991.

A fossilized human cranium dated to approximately 300,000–125,000 years ago, that was discovered in 1921 in Kabwe (formerly Broken Hill), Zambia. It is classified as Homo heidelbergensis or sometimes as an archaic Homo sapiens. The skull has a large braincase of about 1,230 cubic centimeters but also retains robust features, such as a prominent brow ridge, broad face, and thick cranial bones. The Kabwe Skull may represent a transitional form between Homo erectus and later anatomically modern humans.

Chromosome number in the cell nucleus.

A gene that encodes a lysine demethylase enzyme and plays a crucial role in epigenetic regulation via histone demethylation, influencing gene expression, chromatin structure, and cellular function. Studies have shown a role in tumor suppression.

A collective term for non-Bantu indigenous people of South Africa, as well as for the related languages they speak.

A description of the forces acting on a body; the forces the body exerts (or resists) during locomotion.

A palaeoanthropological area in the southern Main Ethiopian Rift that was discovered 1991 The Konso-Gardula sediments span ~ 1.9 mya to 1.3 mya. Early Homo fossils and Acheulean stone tools have been found here. 

The lengthening of the inner or outer labia through a regimen of pulling and stretching, often with herbs. Formerly included in the World Health Organization (WHO) typology of female genital modifications. Also known as “labia minora elongation,” or LME.

The process of producing and secreting milk from the mammary glands.

A common genus of beneficial Lactobacillus bacteria that produces hydrogen peroxide (H₂0₂) and is found in the vagina and gastrointestinal system.

A structured system of communication that is generative (combine words/symbols to convey an infinite number of ideas), recursive (builds upon itself without limit), and has displaced reference (describe things not present).

The rough discrimination of collections of discrete items above the subitizing range, whose numerosities usually differ by a substantial amount.

Individuals from high-risk backgrounds who begin to manifest resilience later in adolescence or adulthood following a period of maladjustment or problems.

A protein that can bind to a glycan without catalyzing a modification of the glycan.

A method of creating stone tools by first striking flakes off the stone, or core, along the edges to create the prepared core and then striking the prepared core in such a way that the intended tool is flaked off with all of its edges pre-sharpened.

Word meanings.

Untrue stories the teller wants the listener to believe.