MaxHuman Dictionary

Below is our bold, no-nonsense take on these scientific terms. Think of it like a backstage pass to research and health, sprinkled with edgy humor and a dash of irreverence. We’re here to tell it straight—love it or hate it, at least you won’t be bored.

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🧬 Scientific Research & Publication

Plagiarism
Stealing words and ideas like a bandit. In academia, that’s the kiss of death.
Research Ethics
Playing fair in the world of science: informed consent, respecting privacy, no data tampering. Basic decency, folks.
Impact Factor vs. CiteScore
Impact Factor: The old-school measure of average citations per year. CiteScore: The younger cousin that tallies citations over four years. Both spark endless debates on which is better.
DOI (Digital Object Identifier)
A permanent link to a paper or dataset. Like a library card that never expires, no matter where the content travels.
Meta-Research
Research on how we do research. Because sometimes we gotta fix ourselves before we break everything else.
Literature Review
A big summary of what’s out there on a topic, so you don’t have to read a thousand articles solo.
Grey Literature
Reports, white papers, conference stuff—basically research that didn’t get the VIP journal treatment but might still hold golden nuggets.
Open Peer Review
No anonymity. Authors and reviewers know each other, which (in theory) promotes honesty. In practice? Drama.
Citation Index & Databases
Tools that track who’s citing who. Think of them as giant rumor mills for the academic world.
H-Index
Your “science street cred” number—how many of your papers have been cited multiple times. Boost it if you can.
Conflict of Interest (COI)
Any personal or financial ties that might sway your findings. Money talks, but we want to know when it’s doing all the talking.
Authorship Guidelines
Rules about who deserves to be listed as an author, and who’s just riding the coattails. We see you, slackers.
Retraction
Yanking a published paper off the record because it’s flawed, faked, or basically a dumpster fire of errors.
Data Availability Statement
Where you confess whether you’ll share your precious data or stash it away forever. Transparency vs. tight grip.
Supplementary Materials
Extra charts, tables, and data. Like DVD bonus scenes—interesting if you’re obsessed, otherwise easy to ignore.
Preprint Servers
Online hangouts (like arXiv or bioRxiv) where you can drop your paper before peer review. Real-time science, for better or worse.
Open Access (OA)
Making research free for everyone. No paywalls, no private clubs—just knowledge out in the wild.
Registered Reports
You lock in your methods and analysis plan before doing the study. That way, nobody can accuse you of monkeying with the data later.
Predatory Journals
Pay-to-play journals that skip real peer review. They’ll publish your grocery list if you cough up enough cash.
Publication Bias
Shiny positive results get published; boring or negative ones get shoved under the rug. Skews the entire research pool.
Null Hypothesis
Your default “there’s nothing to see here” stance. You usually want to prove this sad statement wrong.
Power Analysis
Figuring out how many test subjects you need to get legit results. Too few, and you’re basically flipping a coin.
Effect Size
Not just whether something happened, but how big the impact was. Tiny blip vs. giant leap—makes a difference.
Confidence Interval (CI)
A range that basically says, “We’re pretty sure the real value is in here… but don’t pin us to an exact digit.”
Statistical Significance (p-value)
That special number (often under 0.05) telling you if your findings are real or just random noise. Slip above 0.05? Try again.
Triple-Blind Study
Even the data analysts don’t know who got what. It’s secrecy on steroids.
Blind & Double-Blind Studies
Blind: Participants have no clue if they’re on the real or fake treatment. Double-Blind: Participants AND researchers are in the dark. Cuts down on bias (and guesswork).
Pre-Registration
You register your methods and analysis plan before collecting data. Stops you from moving the goalposts when nobody’s looking.
Protocol
Your study’s blueprint. No fancy decorations—just the step-by-step plan for what you’re about to do.
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
The ethical bouncer for human-subject research. If your study design smells fishy, they’ll slam the door in your face.
Preprint
A paper you slap online before it gets through peer review. Raw, unfiltered science—could be genius or total rubbish.
Impact Factor
A “coolness” meter for journals based on how often their articles get cited. Some swear by it; others say it’s just hype.
Case-Control Study
Grab folks who have a condition, compare them to folks who don’t, and figure out what went haywire.
Cross-Sectional Study
A snapshot in time. You check a group of people right now, see what’s going on, then promptly call it a day.
Meta-Analysis
A stats-fest that combines data from multiple studies to spot patterns. Think of it as a greatest-hits album of scientific results.
Systematic Review
Read every legit study on a topic, then piece it all together to figure out the big picture. It’s like a massive book report for science nerds.
Cohort Study
You follow a big group of people over time—kind of like a reality show, but with more spreadsheets and less drama (usually).
Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)
You randomly put people into different groups (like rolling dice for their fate) to see if your new wonder drug actually works, or if it’s all hype.
Peer Review
Independent experts rip your paper apart (in a good way) before it goes public. The ultimate trial by fire—if you make it through, congrats.
Hypothesis
Your bold guess about how something might work. If it survives testing, you’re onto something real. If not… better luck next time.

🌤️ Longevity & Aging

Hallmarks of Aging
Core reasons your body wears out over time, like unstable genomes, messed-up telomeres, and a few other usual suspects.
Geroscience
The big quest to figure out how aging ties into all those nasty age-related diseases.
Geroprotectors
Potential anti-aging potions or compounds. The Holy Grail for anyone trying to dodge wrinkles and disease.
Biological Age
How old your body really is under the hood, which might be older—or younger—than the birthday on your ID.
Epigenetics
How your environment and lifestyle flip genetic switches on or off, without messing up the actual DNA code.
Senescence
When cells hit retirement and stop dividing, often causing trouble like grumpy neighbors with too much time on their hands.
Telomeres
Caps on your chromosomes that shrink each time your cells divide—like a countdown clock for aging.
Lifespan
Total time on Earth, from your first squawk to your final breath.
Healthspan
How long you stay fit and disease-free, instead of just counting the years you’ve been alive.

🍎 Nutrition

Essential Amino Acids
Your body can’t make these on its own, so you gotta eat them. No shortcuts here, folks.
Dietary Reference Intake (DRI)
Guidelines on how much of each nutrient you should be getting. Basically your nutritional cheat sheet.
Gut Microbiome
All the bacteria partying in your gut. Treat them well or they’ll ruin your day (and your digestion).
Glycemic Index (GI)
A scale for how quickly a food spikes your blood sugar. High GI, brace for impact.
Ketosis
When your body runs low on carbs and starts burning fat like a furnace. Hello, ketones, goodbye bread.
Intermittent Fasting
Structured meal-skipping. Some say it can fire up your metabolism and slow aging. Others say “I like breakfast, thanks.”
Caloric Restriction
Cutting calories (without starving) to maybe extend your life. It’s like a diet, but with a grander claim.
Micronutrients
Vitamins and minerals. Small but mighty. You need ’em to keep everything in working order.
Macronutrients
Carbs, proteins, and fats—the main fuel sources your body needs to function.

🛌 Sleep

Polysomnography
A fancy sleep test that tracks brain waves, oxygen levels, heart rate, and more while you drool on your pillow.
Melatonin
The hormone that whispers, “Hey, maybe it’s bedtime,” when darkness rolls in.
Sleep Deprivation
When you don’t get enough shut-eye and transform into a cranky zombie. Nobody wants that.
Sleep Hygiene
Habits and environmental tweaks—like a cool, dark room—that keep your sleep game strong.
Slow-Wave Sleep (SWS)
Deep, restorative slumber where your body does serious repair work and your mind can chill.
REM Sleep (Rapid Eye Movement)
The dream factory where your eyes dart around under your eyelids. Brains love this phase for memory and learning.
Sleep Architecture
The floor plan of your snooze time: light sleep, REM, deep sleep, and all the little transitions in between.
Circadian Rhythm
Your 24-hour body clock that tells you when to sleep, wake, and maybe yearn for a midnight snack.

🏃 Exercise & Physical Activity

Metabolic Equivalent (MET)
A way to measure how much energy you’re using compared to sitting on the couch. One MET is basically couch-potato mode.
Lactate Threshold
The point where lactic acid builds up faster than you can flush it out. Hurts like hell, but that’s progress.
FITT Principle
Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type—your four cornerstones for planning workouts that don’t suck.
Muscle Hypertrophy
When your muscles puff up from all that lifting. Hello, biceps, goodbye skinny arms.
Resistance Training
Lift something heavy—weights, your body, or a giant rock—so your muscles can grow and your bones stay strong.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Go all out, then rest, then do it again. You get big fitness returns without living on a treadmill.
VO₂ Max
How much oxygen you can use during brutal exercise. The higher it is, the more beast mode you can go.
Anaerobic Exercise
Short, intense bursts (sprints, heavy lifting) that don’t rely as much on oxygen. Feel the burn, embrace the sweat.
Aerobic Exercise
Endurance work (running, cycling) that makes your heart and lungs hustle. It’s the slow burn that pays off big.

⚡️ Additional Categories

🔬 Biomarkers & Diagnostics
Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)
A peek at your average blood sugar levels over the past few months. No faking this one.
Inflammatory Markers
Stuff in your blood that screams “inflammation.” Could be good or bad news, depending on context.
Biomarker
A measurable “signal” from your body, like a flare that says, “Hey, something’s up in here.”
🧬 Genetics & Epigenetics
CRISPR-Cas9
A gene-editing tool that can snip and swap DNA. Think of it as high-tech genetic scissors.
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs)
One-letter changes in your DNA. Might be harmless, or might flip your life upside down.
Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS)
A giant search for gene variations tied to specific diseases. Like scanning the globe for tiny mutations.
🔬 Metabolism & Biochemistry
Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)
Unstable molecules that can wreck stuff if they go unchecked, like tiny molecular vandals.
Mitochondria
The powerhouses of the cell. They burn fuel to crank out energy. No mitochondria, no life.
ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)
Your cell’s energy currency. Spend it, make it, repeat—keeps you going.
🧠 Neuroscience & Cognitive Health
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)
A special protein that helps neurons grow and thrive. It’s basically fertilizer for your brain.
Cognitive Reserve
Your mental backup system—extra capacity to handle brain damage or age-related wear-and-tear.
Neurogenesis
Making brand-new neurons, even when you’re older. Who said the brain can’t learn new tricks?
Neuroplasticity
Your brain’s ability to rewire itself, building new pathways when old ones wear out.

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