Glossary of Scientific Terms

U - V - W

Uncertainty Principle (Heisenberg's)
A necessary consequence of the quantum mechanical description of matter. Unlike in classical mechanics where the position of a large object in time and space (including its speed) can exactly be described and predicted based on measurements (Newton's laws of gravity, actio and reactio), the position and speed of individual subatomic particles like electrons, and thus the behavior of individual molecular interaction, can neither be measured nor predicted with certainty, yet perfectly described by statistical methods when studied in large numbers.

UV Radiation
Ultraviolet radiation, an invisible, high energy component of sunlight can cause skin damage including cancer.

Virus
Smallest of all organisms and often not considered alive because they strictly depend on a cellular host organism (bacteria, plant, animal) to reproduce. Viruses have no metabolism of their own and depend on passive carriers to transport them around. Viruses are infectious particles with a DNA or RNA based small genome that can control the cellular mechanism of infected cells prompting the host cell to synthesize new viruses. Infections often cause mild to severe symptoms, yet some viruses do not cause any harm or not in all host organisms (called carriers). Because they have no metabolic activity they are not susceptible to antibiotics and most drugs, unless a drug can interfere during the infection and viral replication stages. Outside cells, viruses are passive and are easily destroyed by chemical intervention. 

Wild Type (wt)
The wild type (wt) is a term referring to the natural genetic form of an organism. A wild type is distinguished from a mutant form (an organism with a genetic mutation). Usually, the distinction between wild type and mutant is based on a single mutation. It should be noted, that within a population of an organism, there is no such thing as a wild type. The term, however, is useful for geneticists because it allows a simple definition of a standard or control condition.