lysine
An amino acid. The dinosaurs in Jurassic Park have been genetically engineered to require large amounts of it in order to survive.
raptor
A bird of prey such as a hawk or eagle, or a dinosaur predecessor. The large animals in Stephen Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" were actually of the species Utahraptor, although the smaller, predatory Velociraptor is shown in the book as displaying sophisticated group hunting techniques. Both Velociraptor and Utahraptor are land-bound animals.
paleontology
The study of animals and plants based on fossil remains. The chosen profession of Dr. Alan Grant and his graduate student Evie Sattler. Distinct from archaeology, which is the study of ancient humans or proto-humans based on fossilized or mummified remains.
meiosis
A type of cellular division in which the divided "offspring" cells receive only half of the parental DNA. Meiosis is a characteristic of sexual reproduction.
mitosis
Part of the cellular reproduction cycle in which the cell's chromosomes, or genetic matter, are separated into two nuclei or cellular cores, each of which hopefully contain a copy of the entire DNA package for the organism
probability
A field of study, generally considered to be part of mathematics, in which people measure, quantify, and try to predict the occurrence of phenomena based on statistics. The probability of something happening is generally expressed as a percentage.
statistics
The study of quantifiable numeric phenomena in the aggregate. Statistical analysis depends on a large sample size and some rational way of determining the factors by which the group is being measured. Errors in assumption often lead to wrong conclusions; one example is a situation in which Dr. Malcolm graphs the height of a bunch of small dinosaurs, which ends up being distributed in a standard-normal or Gaussian "bell" curve characteristic of a breeding population. Dr. Malcolm rightly concludes that the dinosaurs are breeding based on the bell curve height distribution, which is characteristic of a breeding population. In reality, the dinosaurs were released into the holding area in three discrete batches, which should have produced three separate graphs of standard-normal distribution.
troubleshoot
to determine and correct the root cause of a failure, especially in an electronic or computer based system
reboot
to cause a computer or computer system to start over, as though it was beginning its first execution of the program
underbid
To present a "bid" or offer to do business, generally for a specific job or task, while requesting less money than the work is worth
clone
An animal that is an exact replicate or copy of another, right down to its DNA signature
cloning
The process of producing a clone
Cray
A reference to the Cray supercomputer, many of which were purchased by the InGen corporation to do the intensive mathematical processing necessary for gene sequencing. The Cray company, based out of Seattle, Washington, manufactures supercomputers with massively parallel processing capabilities.
backdoor
A software programming technique whereby a cyber intruder might obtain unauthorized access to a computer system
engineer
A person who specializes in "applied" science, specifically the creation of physical, computer, or electronic solutions to abstract scientific problems. An engineer takes an idea and finds a way to make it real.
dichogamy
A biological phenomenon in which animals change gender from female to male or vice versa, in response to environmental conditions such as a scarcity of animals of the opposite sex. Examples include clownfish and various types of frog, in which individuals have been known to change gender during the course of their lifespan so as to shift from a fully functional and reproducing female to a fully functional and reproducing male, or vice versa.
