CARTA Glossary

¹²C/¹³C Isotope Ratio: Due to their different photosynthetic pathways, C₃ and C₄ plants have different ratios of ¹²C and ¹³C isotopes in their tissues. This ratio difference allows researchers to derive diet information from the fossilized tissue of animals, including human ancestors. Isotope ratios indicative of C₃ plants suggest browsing from foliage while C₄ isotope ratios suggest grazing.

Please note: this information does not differentiate between a diet of eating C₃ and C₄ plants, eating the meat of an animal that consumed those plants, or a combination of the two.

The blood group system particular to primates that denotes the presence or absence of A,B, and O antigens on erythrocytes (red blood cells). The ABO gene encodes an enzyme responsible for producing A or B antigens, or an inactive enzyme resulting in the presences of O antigens. It is theorized that ABO and other blood groups provide protective diversity within populations to combat microbial invasion and has been maintained for millions of years. In humans, ABO is the major blood group for determining transfusion compatibility.

Adverse childhood experiences, usually referring to the measure developed by Felitti and others (1998) for the ACE study.

A protein that forms the internal skeleton of animal cells, including red blood cells (RBCs).

Evolution of a phenotype by selection because it improved reproduction and/or survival.

A nucleoside that modulates many physiological processes.

A pharmacological or immunological agent that modifies the effect of other agents. Adjuvants may be added to a vaccine to boost the immune response to produce more antibodies and longer-lasting immunity, thus minimizing the dose of antigen needed.

A genus of mosquito found on all continents except Antarctica. Species in this genus are vectors for numerous viral infections, including Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, West Nile Fever, Chikungunya, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and Zika virus.

Any kind of creature that can act within a story.

Seizure of prey from initial predators while the latter are still feeding.

Water and air pollution caused by excess nitrogen-based fertilizer use in crops and livestock production.

A subsistence strategy that relies on domestication of species instead of hunting and gathering wild animals and plants.

A family of genes that, in humans, encodes enzymes that facilitate the first step of alcohol metabolism.

A family of genes that, in humans, encodes enzymes that facilitate the second step of alcohol metabolism. Variants of this gene are implicated in adverse reactions to alcohol consumption.

Alternative DNA sequence at the same locus (location on the chromosome)

The investment in young by individuals other than the biological parents.

The accumulated “wear and tear on the body,” or the physiological consequences of chronic exposure to fluctuating or heightened neural or neuroendocrine response, due to chronic stress. The term was coined by McEwen and Stellar in 1993.

A genus of RNA viruses that affect humans, rodents, fish, birds, and larger animals such as horses, and invertebrates. Transmission occurs via mosquitos. Diseases caused by Alphaviruses are numerous and include Eastern Equine Encephalitis and Chikungunya.

A type of primate-specific transposable element, or “jumping gene,” that is roughly 300 base pairs long and exists in large copy number across all chromosomes of primate genomes (over 1 million copies in the human genome). Alu elements are also called Short Interspersed Elements (SINEs). They lack the ability to copy and paste themselves directly, but are able to “hitchhike” via the activity of Long Interspersed Elements (LINEs) that have retained the ability to copy and paste. Alu elements were considered to be a part of what has been called “junk DNA” because they do not code for the production of proteins, however they may serve some yet unknown function and definitely contribute to genomic plasticity, evolution, and disease.

A natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States and most of Anglophone Canada.

Psychostimulant drugs that alter the signaling by neurons and other cells. E.g., Adderall.

A roughly almond-shaped mass of gray matter inside each cerebral hemisphere, involved with the experiencing of emotions, including fear.

A genetic variant (e.g.: single-nucleotide polymorphism, SNP, or a larger change) representing the ancestral state and coexisting with more recent variants

1. To heat and then cool (as steel or glass) usually for softening and making less brittle; also: to cool slowly, usually in a furnace. 2. To strengthen, toughen.

A molecule that blocks or dampens a biological response by binding to and blocking a receptor rather than activating it like an agonist.

The proposed geologic epoch defined by human influence on the Earth. There is yet to be consensus for when the anthropocene began with suggestions ranging from the start of the agricultural revolution to the first atomic explosion.

A disease spread from humans to non-human animals.

A molecule or molecular structure that can trigger an immune response and can be specifically recognized by an antibody.

A branch of “old world” primates characterized by the lack of a tail due to a mutation of the TBXT gene. Apes consist of the families, Hylobatidae (“lesser apes”: gibbons and siamangs) and Hominidae (“great apes”: orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans).

The art and technical process of designing and building physical structures, particularly those that can be occupied for living or work.

A human-specific protein coding gene that promotes amplification of basal progenitors in the subventricular zone, producing more neurons during fetal cortical development. It has been implicated in the evolutionary expansion of the human brain neocortex.

The examination of the subjective qualities of beauty and taste.

Advantages or resources associated with positive (desirable) outcomes; predictors of positive outcome; also known as promotive factors.

An archaeological site in Spain with fossils and stone tools of the earliest known hominins in Western Europe.

The part of the nervous system that processes how we hear and understand sounds.

A genus of extinct hominins dating ~4 mya to 2 mya, and found primarily in eastern and southern Africa. Homo may have evolved from a late australopithecine. Australopithecine brain size is ~35% of the size of the modern human brain.  Most species were short in stature, although sexual dimorphism was pronounced. Some examples of australopithecines:

A. anamenis:  Kenya and Ethiopia. ~4 mya. 
A. afarensis: Eastern Africa. Most famous example is “Lucy.” ~3.9 mya to 2.9 mya. 
A. bahrelghazali: Central Africa.  ~3.6 mya
A. africanus: Southern Africa. ~3.3 mya to 2.1 mya.
A. garhi: Ethiopia. Possible transitional stage between Australopithecus and Homo. ~2.5 mya. 
A. boisei: East Africa. Robust australopithecine. There is debate as to which genus they belong, Australopithecus or Paranthropus. ~2.4 to 1.4 mya.
A. sediba: South Africa. Possible transitional stage between Australopithecus and Homo. ~2 mya. 

In invertebrates, a long, slender projection of a neuron that transmits information (as electrical impulses) to different neurons, muscles, and glands.

Immunoglobulin molecules that form a receptor protein on the outer surface of B-cells. BCRs allow the B-cell to bind to a specific antigen, against which it will initiate an antibody response. BCRs also control B-cell activation by biochemical signaling and by physical acquisition of antigens from immune synapses with antigen-presenting cells.

The presence of bacteria in the blood, a normally sterile environment.

A type of vaginal inflammation characterized by the presence of exfoliated epithelial cells with attached bacteria, abnormally thin mucus secretions, a sharp amine odor, vaginal pH, and overgrowth of the coccobacillus, Gardnerella vaginalis. BV seems to be part of the spectrum of normal for many women, and evidence from non-human primates seems to suggest that a diverse vaginal microbiome is the ancestral state. The condition is nevertheless associated with a wide range of reproductive health complications that endanger fertility and limit reproductive success.

The selection favoring rare variants for a gene preventing fixation of one particular variant.

Subcortical nuclei in the base of the forebrains of vertebrates, including humans, which are involved with a variety of functions including control of voluntary motor movements, procedural learning, and routine behaviors or “habits” such as teeth grinding, eye movements, cognition, and emotion.

A primary progenitor cell capable of generating neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Basal radial glia and outer radial glia are defined by their position, morphology, and genetic phenotype.

Methods in probability and statistics named after Thomas Bayes (1702-61) in which a quantity is assigned to represent a state of knowledge, or a state of belief.

A notation for the Gregorian calendar. BCE 1 precedes immediately before 1 CE with no intervening year zero.

Current Homo sapiens, a population of hominins who evolved in Africa 200-100 kya, developed a suite of behavioral and cognitive traits that distinguished them from other hominins in and outside Africa, which likely allowed them to replace all other related hominins across the planet, with some interbreeding but no surviving hybrid species.

Pertaining to both alleles (both alternative forms of a gene).

The ability to coexist with living organisms without harming them. Compatible with living cells, tissues, organs, or systems, and posing no risk of injury, toxicity, or rejection by the immune system.