CARTA Glossary

An indigenous population of San people in northeastern Namibia and northwestern Kalahari desert region of Botswana.

An important archaeological site in Africa with a sequence of human activity over 250,000 years. Kalambo Falls is located in northeastern Zambia, along the border with Tanzania.

A vast semi-arid grassland region in Central Asia, covering much of northern and central Kazakhstan and extending into parts of Russia, Uzbekistan, and China. It is part of the larger Eurasian Steppe, a continuous belt of grasslands stretching from Eastern Europe to Mongolia.

A state in which the accumulation of space-debris in low Earth orbit causes a cascade of collisions with space vehicles and other orbital objects (satellites) results in more space debris, rendering parts of space unusable for human purposes. Proposed by Donald J. Kessler in 1978.

A description of the motion of objects; how the limbs and joints, or combinations of these bodies, move during a particular type of locomotion.

A river and cave system in the Tsitsikamma coast, Humansdorp district, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Evidence for middle stone age-associated human habitation has been found in the nearby cave system dating to ~125 kya.

Thousand years ago.

A plastic surgery to cut and remove part of the genital labia, often to reduce the inner labia so they are contained behind the outer labia.

A genus of Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria that convert sugars to lactic acid. In humans, they are a significant component of the microbiome and can survive in the harsh pH conditions of the digestive and genital systems. Lactobacillus species are normally a major part of the vaginal microbiota. While receiving nutrients from their human host, Lactobacilli protect the host against certain pathogens, even helping to treat diarrhea, vaginal infections, and skin disorders such as eczema. Lactobacillus is also utilized for many traditional food fermentations and as a probiotic, perhaps most notable for its use in yogurt.

A common genus of beneficial Lactobacillus bacteria that normally inhabits the lower reproductive system and vagina of healthy women.

Machine learning algorithms that can recognize, summarize, translate, predict, and generate human languages on the basis of very large text-based datasets.

The Last Glacial Maximum occurred about 20,000 years ago (or more specifically between 24,000 and 18,000 years BP) during the last phase of the Pleistocene Epoch, when the global sea level was some 125 meters lower than it is today, due to the sea water being locked up as glaciers and ice sheets, and having reached their maximum total mass during the last ice age. The climate was much colder and drier.

A sleep schedule therapy hypothesized to relieve peripartum depression by altering melatonin and sleep timing (sleep from 9:00 pm - 01:00 am).

The progressive atrophy (shrinkage and loss of neurons) of the front (anterior) part of the left temporal lobe of the brain.

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.

The subfield of linguistic semantics that studies how individual words convey meaning, the relationship between those meanings, and how the lexicon is structured in the mind.

Untrue stories the teller wants the listener to believe.

An evolutionary framework for understanding the timing of developmental milestones and life stages.

Structures of the brain that deal with emotions and memory.

A chemical compound that causes a plant to grow faster when it is added. Biologically available nitrogen is a limiting nutrient for plants in almost all terrestrial ecosystems that have been studied. Other soil nutrients that are limiting include calcium, phosphate, magnesium and potassium.

The scientific study of human language.

One of the four classes of major biomolecules. The overall name for DNA and RNA, which are composed of nucleotides. DNA is double-stranded and more stable while RNA is single-stranded and less stable.

A unique physical position on a chromosome.

A DNA sequencing technology that generates reads that are typically longer than 10 kbp in length. To be distinguished from short read sequencing technology (eg. Illumina), which is typically 100-250 bp in length.

A complex physiological and psychological phenomenon driven by a combination of hormonal, neural, and biochemical processes. These processes involve several key brain regions and chemicals that influence attraction, bonding, and attachment between individuals. Love as a social concept is dependent on a variety of cultural, societal, and interpersonal dynamics.

A prominent groove on the lateral surface of the occipital lobe that marks the anterior boundary of the primary visual cortex; its posterior displacement in human evolution is often cited as evidence for the expansion of parietal association areas.

Thin-walled vessels (tubes) of the lymphatic system that are complementary to the cardiovascular system and are devoted to the movement of lymphatic fluid.

Specialized immune cells involved in the detection, phagocytosis and destruction of bacteria and other harmful organisms. In addition, they can also present antigens to T cells and initiate inflammation by releasing molecules.

An organism’s way of maintaining its body and physiological homeostasis while also defending against parasites, pathogens, and internal crises (e.g. cancer).

A set of closely linked polymorphic genes that code for cell surface proteins (MHC molecules) that assist the adaptive immune system in detection of foreign molecules.

An infectious disease that affects humans and other animals and caused by single-celled organisms belonging to genus Plasmodium and transmitted by mosquitos (commonly female Anopheles mosquitos). Initial symptoms are flu-
like and may include headache, fever, shivering, joint pain, vomiting, anemia, jaundice, hemoglobin in the urine, retinal damage, and convulsions. The classic symptom of malaria is a cyclical occurrence of sudden coldness and shivering and then fever and sweating. The disease is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions of the equator. In 2018, there were 228 million cases of malaria worldwide resulting in an estimated 405,000 deaths. The high levels of mortality caused by malaria has repeatedly placed selective pressure on the human genome, resulting in several genetic factors (including Sickle Cell Trait) that mediate its effect to some degree.

A vertebrate animal belonging to the class Mammalia, characterized by hair or fur, three middle-ear bones, and mammary glands that produce milk to nourish offspring. Most mammals are warm-blooded, breathe air with lungs, and give birth to live young, although there are exceptions such as the egg-laying monotremes.

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

High through-put experimental techniques used to study the regulatory activity of thousands of DNA sequences simultaneously.

An experimental paradigm in which the experimenter separates a mother rat or mouse from her offspring for some period of time (minutes to hours) to study the effects of maternal deprivation on offspring development.

One of the large, two front teeth of the upper jaw.

A walled Maya city in Yucatan built after 1000 CE and abandoned before 1500 CE.

A protein kinase, which in humans is encoded by the MTOR gene.

A special type of GABAergic inhibitory cell representing 95% of neurons within the human striatum, a basal ganglia structure.

The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information.

A bacterium that can cause meningitis and meningococcemia, a life-threatening infection in the bloodstream (sepsis).

Relating to monthly ovulation or menses.

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.

A type of RNA that conveys the genetic instructions from DNA in the nucleus to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm of the cell, where proteins are synthesized.

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

Any substance produced during metabolism.

A biological process in which a methyl group (CH₃) is added to a molecule, typically to DNA, proteins, or other cellular structures. In the context of DNA, DNA methylation refers to the addition of a methyl group to the DNA molecule, usually at cytosine bases in a CpG dinucleotide. This modification can regulate gene expression by turning genes on or off without changing the underlying DNA sequence, and it plays a key role in processes like development, aging, and disease. Methylation patterns can be inherited or influenced by environmental factors and lifestyle.