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Lwoff, André

(Encyclopedia) Lwoff, AndréLwoff, AndréäNdrāˈ ləwôfˈ [key], 1902–94, French microbiologist, b. Ainay-le-Château, Allier dept., central France, of Russian-Polish origin. He was educated in France and…

Magi

(Encyclopedia) MagiMagimāˈjī [key], priestly caste of ancient Persia. Probably Median in origin, they were, according to Herodotus, a tribe rather than a priestly family. Zoroaster is thought to have…

life preserver

(Encyclopedia) life preserver, a personal flotation device (PFD) intended to keep the wearer afloat, particularly in case of shipwreck. A Type I PFD will keep even unconscious people afloat in a face…

chemical analysis

(Encyclopedia) chemical analysis, the study of the chemical composition and structure of substances. More broadly, it may be considered the corpus of all techniques whereby any exact chemical…

depilatory

(Encyclopedia) depilatorydepilatorydĭpĭlˈətôrˌē [key], substance used to remove hair. In preparing hides for tanning, lime is the chief depilatory. For the removal of superfluous hair from the human…

Doudna, Jennifer Anne

(Encyclopedia) Doudna, Jennifer Anne, 1964–, American biochemist, b. Washington, D.C., Ph.D. Harvard Medical School, 1989. Doudna was a professor at Yale from 1994 to 2002, when she joined the…

kite, in aviation and recreation

(Encyclopedia) kite, in aviation, aircraft restrained by a towline and deriving its lift from the aerodynamic action of the wind flowing across it. Commonly the kite consists of a light framework…

Joseph, Father

(Encyclopedia) Joseph, Father (François Leclerc du Tremblay), 1577–1638, French Capuchin monk, a confidant and agent of Cardinal Richelieu, generally known as the Éminence Grise [gray eminence].…

Monera

(Encyclopedia) Monera, taxonomic kingdom that comprises the prokaryotes (bacteria and cyanobacteria). Prokaryotes are single-celled organisms that lack a membrane-bound nucleus and usually lack…

bombax

(Encyclopedia) bombaxbombaxbŏmˈbăks [key], common name for the Bombacaceae, a family of deciduous trees, often tall and with unusually thick trunks, found chiefly in the American tropics. The family…