| Scientific Term | Lay Equivalent | Explanation |
| ATP | Biological source of energy. ATP is a chemical. | Cells release chemical energy from ATP to power themselves. |
| Genes | The molecular instructions for making an individual. | Genes are made of DNA. DNA is a molecule that contains hereditary information. |
| Gene | The molecular instructions for making one protein | One gene produces one mRNA. This mRNA allows a particular protein to be made. |
| GenBank | A database where the information content of many genes can be found on the Internet. Pronounced "Gene Bank." | Information in DNA is encoded in the sequence of DNA bases. GenBank provides the sequence of bases in genes that have already been identified and studied. |
| Gene expression | The use of a gene to make a protein. | When a gene is "expressed," its information is copied into mRNA (messenger RNA). |
| mRNA, RNA | A molecule that resembles DNA. A temporary version of DNA. | mRNA forms on DNA like half of a zipper forming on the other half. |
| Hybridization | The sticking of a given mRNA to the gene that normally gives rise to it. | A given gene can stick to the mRNA it makes. But it can't stick to other mRNA molecules. |
| Induced | Caused to be expressed. | Genes can be repressed, and they can be induced. |
| Mitochondria | Cell parts that make ATP. | Mitochondria turn food calories into ATP. |
| PCR | "Polymerase chain reaction." | PCR is a sensitive method for detecting DNA or RNA. |
| Postmitotic | No longer able to divide. | Some cells that can divide during growth and maturation lose this ability in adulthood. |
| Transgene | A gene that has been "transplanted" into an animal. | Transgenes may be new to the animal receiving them, or they may be standard genes with different controls. |
| Transgenic | Having a transgene. | Transgenic mice tell us much about the transgene's effects. |
| Transcript | A particular mRNA molecule; a synonym for an mRNA. | DNA is "transcribed" to make RNA, so RNA is the "transcript." |
