Science and Research Vocabulary in English: Words, Examples and Quiz

the study of the natural world through observation and experiments

Science is my favorite subject at school.

a person whose job is to do science

Scientists are studying how the virus spreads.

a person who studies a subject in detail to find new facts

Researchers at the university followed 2,000 children.

a room or building with special equipment for experiments (short form: lab)

The samples were sent to a laboratory for testing.

the science of energy, forces, light, heat and movement

Physics explains why planes can fly.

the science of what substances are made of and how they react

We did a chemistry experiment with salt and water.

the science of living things like plants, animals and people

She studied biology before medicine.

an area of study or work

He's an expert in the field of robotics.

a person who knows a lot about a subject

Experts disagree about the cause.

finding something that existed but was not known before

The discovery of penicillin changed medicine.

a new thing or machine that someone has created

The telephone was a world-changing invention.

an important new discovery that solves a problem

Doctors call the new treatment a major breakthrough.

a tool that makes very small things look much bigger

Under the microscope, you can see the cells clearly.

careful study of a subject to find new facts (uncountable)

More research is needed before we can be sure.

a scientific test to find out what happens or to check an idea

They carried out an experiment on sleep and memory.

an idea that has not been proved yet and needs to be tested (plural: hypotheses)

Our hypothesis was that music improves concentration.

a set of ideas that explains something and is supported by evidence

Darwin's theory of evolution changed biology.

a planned way of doing something

The method is explained in detail in the paper.

a small group of people or a small amount of something used for testing

The sample included 500 adults from five cities.

facts and numbers collected for study (also pronounced ⁄ˈdætə⁄)

We collected data from 300 schools.

facts that show that something is true (uncountable)

There is strong evidence that smoking causes cancer.

a set of questions that you ask many people to learn what they think or do

A survey of 1,000 students found that most work part time.

a test of a new medicine or treatment on people

The vaccine is now in clinical trials.

a factor in an experiment that can change

Temperature was the only variable we changed.

what you find out at the end of an experiment or study

The results were surprising.

the information that a study discovers

The findings were published last month.

what you decide is true after looking at the evidence

The researchers came to the conclusion that the drug works.

to do a task, such as a test or a piece of research

The tests were carried out in three countries.

to organize and do something, such as a study (formal)

The study was conducted over ten years.

to study something carefully to find out the truth

Scientists are investigating why the bees are dying.

to watch something carefully to learn about it

We observed the birds for six months.

to find the exact size, amount or level of something

They measured the temperature every hour.

to look at something in detail to understand it (British English: analyse)

It took a year to analyze the data.

to check how something works or whether an idea is true

We tested the hypothesis with a simple experiment.

to say what will happen in the future

The model predicts that sea levels will rise.

to show with evidence that something is definitely true

You can't prove a theory with one experiment.

to make a piece of writing available for people to read

The team published its results in a medical journal.

a piece of research on a particular subject

A new study suggests that walking improves memory.

a piece of writing that reports research

She has written over forty papers on climate.

a serious magazine that publishes research in one subject

The study appeared in a respected science journal.

checking of research by other experts before it is published

All papers go through peer review.

money given for a particular purpose, such as research

The project lost its funding last year.

correct and exact, without mistakes

We need accurate measurements.

that you can trust because it is consistently good or correct

The results are not reliable because the sample was too small.

large or important enough to notice; in statistics, not likely to be by chance

There was a significant difference between the two groups.

the smallest living part of a plant or animal

The human body has trillions of cells.

a small part of the DNA in a cell that controls features passed from parents to children

Eye color is controlled by several genes.

the chemical in cells that carries genetic information

Police used DNA to identify the suspect.

the smallest part of a chemical element

A water molecule has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.

the smallest unit of a substance, made of atoms joined together

Sugar molecules are bigger than water molecules.

a group of animals or plants of the same type (the plural is also species)

Scientists discovered three new species of frog.

the slow change of living things over a very long time

Evolution explains why whales breathe air.

the force that pulls things toward the ground or toward each other

Gravity keeps the moon around the Earth.

a substance that protects people from a disease

The new vaccine is given in two doses.

a medicine or treatment that makes an illness go away

There is still no cure for the common cold.