Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) isomorphism īˌsəmôrˈfĭzəm [key], of minerals, similarity of crystal structure between two or more distinct substances. Sodium nitrate and calcium sulfate are isomorphous, as are the sulfates of...

(Encyclopedia) necrotizing fasciitis, a quickly progressing infection of the skin that spreads along the fascia, the tissue that covers the muscles. (Necrotizing infections that spread along the outer skin layers ar...

(Encyclopedia) Ness, Eliot, 1903–57, American law enforcement officer, b. Chicago, grad. Univ. of Chicago (1925), famous as the leader of the “Untouchables,” the Justice Dept. squad who fought the gangster Al ...

(Encyclopedia) Maritime Territory or Primorsky Kray prēmôrˈskē krī [key], administrative division (1992 pop. 2,309,000), c.64,900 sq mi (168,100 sq km), Russian Far East, between China (Manchuria or the Northea...

(Encyclopedia) Modrich, Paul Lawrence, 1946–, American biochemist and molecular geneticist, b. Raton, N.M., Ph.D. Stanford Univ., 1973. Modrich joined the faculty at the Duke Univ. School of Medicine in 1976, and ...

(Encyclopedia) Cartagena, Lat. Carthago Nova, city, Murcia prov., SE Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. A major seaport and naval base, it has a fine natural harbor,...

(Encyclopedia) Diamond, Peter Arthur, 1940–, American economist, b. New York City, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1963. Diamond was a professor at the Univ. of California, Berkeley, from 1963 to 1966...

(Encyclopedia) Commoner, Barry, 1917–2012, American biologist, educator, and activist, one of the founders of the modern environmental movement, b. Brooklyn, N.Y., grad. Columbia (B.A., 1937), Harvard (Ph.D., 1941...

(Encyclopedia) catatonia kătˌətōˈnēə [key], mental state generally characterized by statuesque posturing, muscular immobility, mutism, and apparent stupor. The muscles are held in a pliant state called waxy f...

(Encyclopedia) chigoe chĭgˈō [key] or jigger, small parasitic flea (Tunga penetrans) of the tropics and subtropics, including the S United States. Humans and their domestic animals are the main hosts. The fertili...