CARTA Glossary

A genus of extinct bipedal hominins dating to ~ 2.6 mya to 1.1 mya that lived throughout eastern and south Africa. Their robust cranialdental anatomy suggests an adaptation to a diet of tough vegetation. Possible tool use is indicated by hands adapted for precision grasping. They probably descended from the gracile australopithecine hominids (Australopithecus) ~2.7 million years ago, hence their alternative name, robust australopithecine, and ongoing debate on genus.

A close relationship between two organisms where one benefits at the expense of the other.

Evolutionary conflict between the sexes arising from differences in optimal parental investment in offspring across a lifetime.

The investment of resources (time, energy, provisions) into offspring.

One of the major lobes in the human brain, roughly located at the upper back in the skull (“crown”). It processes sensory information such as touch, taste, and temperature, spatial senses and navigation (proprioception), and language processing.

The parental effort of fathers.

The ability of males to assess the likelihood of having sired a particular offspring.

Uncertainty about paternity due to female mating behavior.

The biological mechanism (or mechanisms) that leads to a disease state and can also refer to the origin and development of a disease, and whether it is acute, chronic, or recurrent.

Disordered physiological processes associated with disease or injury.

Foreign objects embedded beneath the skin of the penis.

A covalent chemical bond that forms between two amino acids, linking them together in a peptide or protein chain. It occurs when the carboxyl group (-COOH) of one amino acid reacts with the amino group (-NH2) of another amino acid, releasing a molecule of water (a process called dehydration or condensation).

Around the time of ovulation.

Intentional permanent or semipermanent alterations of the living human body for reasons such as ritual, folk medicine, aesthetics, or corporal punishment. In general, voluntary changes are considered to be modifications, and involuntary changes are considered mutilations.

Observable traits of an organism that result from interactions between genes and environment during development.

Molecules that are produced by one individual and have signal value for another individual of the same species.

A biochemical process in which a phosphate group (PO4 ³-) is added to a molecule, typically a protein, by an enzyme called a kinase. This addition of a phosphate group often occurs at specific amino acids in the protein, such as serine, threonine, or tyrosine, and it can significantly change the protein’s structure, function, or activity. Phosphorylation is a crucial mechanism of cellular regulation and plays a key role in controlling various cellular processes and also histone modification.

Historical relationships of species or loci.

A branched chain fatty acid produced during the digestion of chlorophyll, especially in foregut fermenting species (ruminants) that consume plant materials. Humans obtain phytanic acid by consuming dairy products, ruminant animals, and some fish.

1. The deliberate creation of a hole in the skin and/or flesh, often to hold an ornament such as an earring. 2. perforation itself. (e.g., “I changed the jewelry in my piercing”). 4. The ornament that is worn in a perforation of the tissue. More accurately described as piercing jewelry, body piercing jewelry, or body jewelry. (e.g., “My piercing fell out”).

A flattened circular organ, primarily of fetal origin, in the uterus of pregnant eutherian mammals, nourishing and maintaining the fetus through the umbilical cord.

A genus of single-celled organisms that are obligate parasites of vertebrates and insects. In humans, malaria is caused by multiple species of Plasmodium and transmitted by mosquitos (commonly female Anopheles mosquitos).

A village in Honduras occupied from before 700 BCE to ca. 200 BCE. It also refers to the style of figurines produced and used there.

A fine particulate matter (particles or droplets less than 3 microns in width) air pollutant that causes haze, reduces air quality, and can cause short- and long-term negative health effects.

The idea that some genes are more easily expressed because of their chromatin state.

Ovaries that contain a large number of small, fluid-filled sacs called follicles, or cysts, just under the surface. These cysts are usually immature follicles that failed to develop properly during the menstrual cycle and did not release an egg (ovulate).

Relating to a trait determined by two or more genes. Most traits of organisms are polygenic.

A mating system where males regularly mate with multiple females.

The “many forms,” or genetic variants, of a single gene that exist and are maintained in a population at a frequency of 1% or higher.

A homopolymer of sialic acids abundant in the brain and fish eggs and found on certain pathogenic bacteria.

A vast grassland region in Eastern Europe and Western Asia, stretching from the northern shores of the Black Sea (Pontic) to the Caspian Sea. It forms the western part of the Eurasian Steppe and has played a crucial role in human migration, culture, and prehistoric population dynamics.

The dramatic reduction in population size, which often results in a loss of genetic diversity.

Temporary cessation of menstrual cycles after giving birth.

The portion of parietal neocortex that plays an important role in planned movements, spatial reasoning, and attention.

Depression that occurs after pregnancy. 15% of women experience depression after childbirth, making this the most common complication of childbirth.

A genetic disorder usually caused by deletion of part of chromosome 15 inherited from the father, causing imbalance in sex-specific imprinting. Results in behavioral problems, intellectual disability, and short stature.

The cerebral cortex that covers the front part of the frontal lobe and is linked to complex cognitive behavior, personality, long and short-term memory, decision making, speech, language, and a person’s will to live.

A region of the brain involved in self- reflection, spatial awareness, and episodic memory. The precuneus is implicated in several psychiatric and neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and depression.

A version of a scholarly or scientific paper that has not yet been formally peer reviewed. It is freely available before it is published as a finished product in a peer-reviewed scholarly or scientific journal, which often include costly paywalls. It is generally not good practice for news outlets to report on preprinted results because they have not been peer-reviewed.

Ritual pricking of the prepuce or clitoris to draw a drop of blood. This is sometimes used as a substitute by those seeking to maintain a custom in a minimal way that does not leave lasting damage.

A region of the Neocortex that controls tactile representation from the parts of the body.

The scientific discipline involving the study of living and extinct primates (monkeys and apes), especially their evolution and behavior. Modern primatology consists of Western and Japanese traditions that developed simultaneously but independently in the 1950s.

A person, especially a young one, endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities.

A steroid and sex hormone involved in the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and embryogenesis of invertebrates and mammals.

Unicellular organisms that lack a membrane- bound nucleus, mitochondria, or any other membrane-bound organelle. (see Eukaryotes)

The part of the menstrual cycle phase in which the endometrium, the lining of the uterus, expands.

Region of DNA that initiates transcription of a particular gene.

The awareness of the position and movement of the body.