Visionlearning Glossary

A dark-colored intrusive igneous rock that consists mostly of the minerals plagioclase, pyroxene, and olivine. Gabbro has a similar composition to basalt, which is extrusive. Both gabbro and basalt are mafic rocks, composed of minerals high in iron and magnesium.

Used in the following modules: The Rock Cycle

The Italian physicist, mathematician, and astronomer born in Pisa in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany (1564-1642 CE). Among other things, Galileo studied the acceleration of objects and discovered the four largest moons of the planet Jupiter. His work significantly advanced the use of quantitative experimentation in science, and he made noteworthy contributions in the development of technology: he invented the refracting telescope, perfected the compound microscope, and improved compass design. Galileo was famously jailed during the Inquisition for his support of Copernicus’s heliocentric view of the cosmos. For further information see Galileo Galilei

Used in the following modules: Gravity, Research Methods: The Practice of Science, Scientific Institutions and Societies, Temperature, Waves and Wave Motion

A reproductive cell having half the number of chromosomes (a haploid) of a mature cell, e.g. a sperm or egg cell.

Used in the following modules: Genetics I

see General Circulatin Model

Used in the following modules: Research Methods: Modeling

Material (usually DNA) that is inherited from a parent and which encodes for a cellular component important for some cellular function.

Used in the following modules: Genetics I, The Case of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker

Also referred to as General Climate Models; a class of computer models used for weather forecasting, and understanding or projecting climate change. GCM's designed for applications on the scale of decades to centuries were originally created by Syukuro Manabe and Kirk Bryan at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey. For more information, see: Research Methods: Modeling

The genetic determinants of a specific phenotype.

Used in the following modules: Genetics I, Genetics II

A taxonomic category one rank or step above Species in the Linnaean system, and which may include one or many species in it.

Used in the following modules: Adaptation, Charles Darwin III, Taxonomy II: Nomenclature, The Nitrogen Cycle

Having or representing the Earth as the center, as in the heliocentric concept of the universe. Compare to heliocentric.

Used in the following modules: Research Methods: The Practice of Science

The part of the world in which there are rocks and minerals.

Used in the following modules: The Carbon Cycle, The Nitrogen Cycle

American geologist born in Rochester, New York (1843-1918). Gilbert participated in the Wheeler geologic survey of the American West. His field studies resulted in the publication on The Geology of the Henry Mountains, which established his preeminence as a geologist. In 1879, he was appointed the Senior Geologist at the newly created U.S. Geological Survey. In addition to his study of the Henry Mountains, Gilbert investigated the Pleistocene Lake Bonneville. He is considered a major founder of the field of geomorphology, having investigated and published on erosion, river incision and sedimentation. For further information see Grove Karl Gilbert.

Used in the following modules: Research Methods: Description, Research Methods: The Practice of Science

Any of those parts of geologic time from Precambrian onward when a much larger portion of the earth was covered by glaciers than at present.

Used in the following modules: The Carbon Cycle

Terms highlighted in red in the main lesson text are hyperlinked to a pop-up glossary to provide easy access to definitions.

Used in the following modules: Authoring Modules I, Visionlearning, Visionlearning Teaching Modules

English primatologist and anthropologist, born in London (1934-). Goodall is famous for her ground-breaking 45-year study of chimpanzee family and social interactions in the Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute and remains a leader in global effort to protect chimpanzees. Goodall revolutionized the field of primatology by discovering tool-making among wild chimpanzee populations, and remains the only human ever accepted into chimpanzee society. Interestingly, Goodall suffers from prosopagnosia, a neurological condition that makes it difficult for her to recognize human faces. For further information, see Jane Goodall.

American paleontologist born in New York City, New York (1941-2002). With Niles Eldridge, he co-created and championed the concept of evolution via punctuated equilibrium, and wrote many popular books about evolution, paleontology, and the history of science. For further information see Stephen Jay Gould.

A light-colored, coarse-grained igneous rock formed by cooling of silica-rich magma below the surface of the earth. Granite is considered to be the average composition of the continental crust of the earth.

Used in the following modules: Earth Structure, Minerals I, Minerals II, Minerals III, Scientific Communication: Utilizing the Scientific Literature

The greenhouse effect is created by gases like carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases allow radiation from the sun to pass through the atmosphere; the earth then absorbs this radiation and emits heat. That heat is absorbed by the
greenhouse gases, resulting in atmospheric warming.

Used in the following modules: Earth's Atmosphere

A greenhouse gas is a component of the atmosphere that absorbs heat radiated by the earth and subsequently warms the atmosphere, creating what is commonly known as the greenhouse effect. Common greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), water vapor, amd sulfate (SO₄).

Used in the following modules: Data: Analysis and Interpretation, Research Methods: Comparison, The Nitrogen Cycle

The lowest energy state for an atom or molecule. When an atom is in its ground state, its electrons fill the lowest energy levels before they begin to occupy higher orbitals.

Used in the following modules: Atomic Theory II

Water that fills pore space in rocks and sediments and forms a subsurface aquifer. Groundwater is distinct from soil moisture, which does not completely fill pore spaces and is immediately beneath the surface.

Used in the following modules: Research Methods: Modeling, The Hydrologic Cycle, The Nitrogen Cycle, The Rock Cycle

German geophysicist, born in Darmstadt (1889-1960). Gutenberg is best known for precisely determining the depth to the core of the Earth and describing its elastic properties. He also described the differences in structure of oceanic and continental crust, discovered a low-velocity zone within the mantle, created a magnitude scale for earthquakes, and studied the distribution of temperature in the Earth. For further information, see Beno Gutenberg.

Used in the following modules: Earth Structure