Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Gray, Asa, 1810–88, one of America's leading botanists and taxonomists, b. Oneida co., N.Y. As professor of natural history at Harvard from 1842, he was the teacher of many eminent botanists. Throug...

(Encyclopedia) nonsporting dog, classification used by breeders and kennel clubs to designate dogs that may formerly have been bred to hunt or work but that are now raised chiefly as house pets and companions. The f...

(Encyclopedia) Mendeleev, Dmitri Ivanovich mĕndəlāˈəf, Rus. dəmēˈtrē ēväˈnəvĭch myĭndyĭlyāˈəf [key], 1834–1907, Russian chemist. He is famous for his formulation (1869) of the periodic law and t...

(Encyclopedia) Cutler, Manasseh mənăsˈə [key], 1742–1823, American clergyman, scientist, and one of the organizers of the Ohio Company of Associates, b. Killingly, Conn. A student of both law and theology, he ...

(Encyclopedia) Australian languages, aboriginal languages spoken on the continent of Australia. The Australian languages do not appear to be related to any other linguistic family. The exact number of these language...

(Encyclopedia) laetrile lāˈətrĭlˌ [key], name given to the chemical amygdalin, a substance derived from an extract of the kernels of many fruits, notably apricots, bitter almonds, and peaches. The idea that lae...

(Encyclopedia) Abhidharma ŭbˈĭdŭrˌmə [key] [Skt.,=higher dharma, or doctrine], schools of Buddhist philosophy. Early Buddhism analyzed experience into 5 skandhas or aggregates, and alternatively into 18 dhatus...

(Encyclopedia) adolescence, time of life from onset of puberty to full adulthood. The exact period of adolescence, which varies from person to person, falls approximately between the ages 12 and 20 and encompasses b...

(Encyclopedia) dwarf planet, a nonluminous body of rock or gas that orbits the sun and has a rounded shape due to its gravity. Unlike a planet, a dwarf planet is not capable of clearing its orbit of smaller objects ...

(Encyclopedia) eukaryote yo͞okârˈē-ōtˌ [key], a cell or organism composed of cells that have a membrane-bound nucleus and organelles (mitochondria, chloroplasts; see cell, in biology) and genetic material orga...