types:
chemical phenomenon
any natural phenomenon involving chemistry (as changes to atoms or molecules)
physical phenomenon
a natural phenomenon involving the physical properties of matter and energy
earthquake,
quake,
seism,
temblor
shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane of from volcanic activity
exchange
chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another
dominance
the organic phenomenon in which one of a pair of alleles present in a genotype is expressed in the phenotype and the other allele of the pair is not
endogeny
a geological phenomenon below the surface of the earth
acoustic phenomenon
a physical phenomenon associated with the production or transmission of sound
continental drift
the gradual movement and formation of continents (as described by plate tectonics)
chaos
the formless and disordered state of matter before the creation of the cosmos
valency
the phenomenon of forming chemical bonds
circulation
movement through a circuit; especially the movement of blood through the heart and blood vessels
cloud
any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
death
the permanent end of all life functions in an organism or part of an organism
decalescence
phenomenon that occurs when a metal is being heated and there is a sudden slowing in the rate of temperature increase; slowing is caused by a change in the internal crystal structure of the metal
dehiscence
(biology) release of material by splitting open of an organ or tissue; the natural bursting open at maturity of a fruit or other reproductive body to release seeds or spores or the bursting open of a surgically closed wound
exfoliation
the peeling off in flakes or scales of bark or dead skin
diapedesis
passage of blood cells (especially white blood cells) through intact capillary walls and into the surrounding tissue
electricity
a physical phenomenon associated with stationary or moving electrons and protons
energy
any source of usable power
energy,
free energy
(physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
power
(physics) the rate of doing work; measured in watts (= joules/second)
event
a phenomenon located at a single point in space-time; the fundamental observational entity in relativity theory
facilitation
(neurophysiology) phenomenon that occurs when two or more neural impulses that alone are not enough to trigger a response in a neuron combine to trigger an action potential
food chain
(ecology) a community of organisms where each member is eaten in turn by another member
food pyramid
(ecology) a hierarchy of food chains with the principal predator at the top; each level preys on the level below
food cycle,
food web
(ecology) a community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains
field,
field of force,
force field
the space around a radiating body within which its electromagnetic oscillations can exert force on another similar body not in contact with it
force
(physics) the influence that produces a change in a physical quantity
gene expression
conversion of the information encoded in a gene first into messenger RNA and then to a protein
histocompatibility
condition in which the cells of one tissue can survive in the presence of cells of another tissue
hysteresis
the lagging of an effect behind its cause; especially the phenomenon in which the magnetic induction of a ferromagnetic material lags behind the changing magnetic field
life
the organic phenomenon that distinguishes living organisms from nonliving ones
life cycle
a series of stages through which an organism passes between recurrences of a primary stage
resonance
an excited state of a stable particle causing a sharp maximum in the probability of absorption of electromagnetic radiation
opacity
the phenomenon of not permitting the passage of electromagnetic radiation
pleomorphism
(biology) the appearance of two or more distinctly different forms in the life cycle of some organisms
polymorphism
(biology) the existence of two or more forms of individuals within the same animal species (independent of sex differences)
polymorphism
(genetics) the genetic variation within a population that natural selection can operate on
recognition
(biology) the ability of one molecule to attach to another molecule that has a complementary shape
reflection,
reflexion
the phenomenon of a propagating wave (light or sound) being thrown back from a surface
refraction
the change in direction of a propagating wave (light or sound) when passing from one medium to another
rejection
(medicine) an immunological response that refuses to accept substances or organisms that are recognized as foreign
resolution,
resolving power
the ability of a microscope or telescope to measure the angular separation of images that are close together
resolution
(computer science) the number of pixels per square inch on a computer-generated display; the greater the resolution, the better the picture
sex linkage
an association between genes in sex chromosomes that makes some characteristics appear more frequently in one sex than in the other
fundamental interaction,
interaction
(physics) the transfer of energy between elementary particles or between an elementary particle and a field or between fields; mediated by gauge bosons
surface tension
a phenomenon at the surface of a liquid caused by intermolecular forces
syzygy
the straight line configuration of 3 celestial bodies (as the sun and earth and moon) in a gravitational system
transgression
the spreading of the sea over land as evidenced by the deposition of marine strata over terrestrial strata
volcanism
the phenomena associated with volcanic activity
chop
the irregular motion of waves (usually caused by wind blowing in a direction opposite to the tide)
floatation,
flotation
the phenomenon of floating (remaining on the surface of a liquid without sinking)
state,
state of matter
(chemistry) the three traditional states of matter are solids (fixed shape and volume) and liquids (fixed volume and shaped by the container) and gases (filling the container)