Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Brownian motion
: See
Thermal agitation
.
Cell culture
: Technique consisting of culturing cells artificially in
dishes by adding a nutrient medium in sterile controlled conditions.
Cell differentiation
: Multicellular organisms possess different types
of cells with different structures and functions (muscle, bone, blood,
skin cells etc.). These differentiated cells appear during develop-
ment of the embryo through progressive specialisation from division
of the initial egg. In the context of molecular biology, these differ-
entiations are considered to depend on the activity of different
genes in each cell type, corresponding to the expression of different
proteins. All the cells have the same genome but do not express the
same genes.
Cell interaction
: Cells influence the activity of their neighbours
through their own activity, the molecules they release and the func-
tions they perform.
Chromatin
: Entity formed by DNA molecules and the proteins with
which they interact (including the histones of nucleosomes. See
Nucleosome
).
Chromosome
: Form of chromatin compacted at the time of cell
division (see
Chromatin
).
Competition
: See
Molecular interaction
.
Computer simulation
: Simulation of a phenomenon by a computer
with a program which (in part) reproduces the phenomenon from a
model, using mathematical (for digital simulations) and/or data
processing (for computer simulations) methods. The model can
then be studied, varying the parameters at will. The model may be
a theoretical representation or represent a mechanism. Its function
may also be just to replicate the observable evolution of a system,
