Glossary of Scientific Terms

Q

Qualia
A property of self, of experiencing the environment such as colors, tastes, or pain. The qualia refers to a part of consciousness that is different from the physical nature of the stimulus that provokes it. For example, in describing a color - red, blue, or green - we talk about a qualia of an object. The physical existence of a color is a quantum mechanical state that emits energy in from of electromagnetic radiation that is decoded by our sensory organs - the eye and the visual cortex in the brain as red, blue, or green. We have no a priori knowledge if these colors exists independent of us. We can only assert that the radiation has a certain energy who's quanta (the single photon) can elicit quantum mechanical effect in the retinal cell layer of our eyes.

Quantum Mechanics
The physical theory of the composition and behavior of atoms and subatomic particles; explains the duality of light as wave and particle, the existence of chemical bonds, and radioactivity.

Quinone
An enzymatic cofactor that plays an important role in photosynthesis and respiration. More specifically, it is part of the electron transport chain in mitochondria and chloroplast membranes.