← Back to Lovelock (1965) reading companion · Block 2: OPVL Across Source Types
Lovelock, J.E. (1965) 'A physical basis for life detection experiments', Nature 207(4997), 568-570.
Read in Unit 0 · Block 2. Every word below is one you meet in that paper. 18 of the 30 sit in the paragraphs that carry the argument, the ones the reading companion walks through step by step; the rest appear elsewhere in the paper.
The translations below were generated by an AI and have NOT been checked by a human. If you speak one of these languages, you know more than the machine does. Found one that is wrong, awkward, or means something different in science than in ordinary use? Tell your teacher: corrections get your name on them, and a wrong translation you catch counts as a documented AI error.
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unequivocal adjective
Having only one possible meaning. An unequivocal result cannot be argued about.
Lovelock wants a test whose answer nobody can dispute.
Translations of unequivocal 한국어 명확한 unverified 日本語 明確な unverified 中文 明确的 unverified Français sans équivoque unverified Español inequívoco unverified Deutsch eindeutig unverified -
extra-terrestrial adjective
From beyond Earth.
Translations of extra-terrestrial 한국어 지구 밖의 unverified 日本語 地球外の unverified 中文 地外的 unverified Français extraterrestre unverified Español extraterrestre unverified Deutsch außerirdisch unverified -
geocentric adjective
Taking Earth as the centre or the standard. A geocentric question assumes other places work like Earth.
Lovelock uses this as a criticism. Watch how he turns it into a limitation of other people's experiments.
Translations of geocentric 한국어 지구 중심적 unverified 日本語 地球中心的 unverified 中文 以地球为中心的 unverified Français géocentrique unverified Español geocéntrico unverified Deutsch geozentrisch unverified -
phenomenological adjective
Describing what you can observe, without claiming to explain the deeper reason why.
Lovelock calls his own method this. He is being honest about a limit, not apologising.
Translator warning: this is the PHYSICS sense (describing observations), not the philosophy sense. Machine translators usually pick the philosophy word. Check carefully.
Translations of phenomenological 한국어 현상론적 unverified 日本語 現象論的 unverified 中文 唯象的 unverified Français phénoménologique unverified Español fenomenológico unverified Deutsch phänomenologisch unverified -
biochemistry noun
The chemistry of living things.
Translations of biochemistry 한국어 생화학 unverified 日本語 生化学 unverified 中文 生物化学 unverified Français biochimie unverified Español bioquímica unverified Deutsch Biochemie unverified -
inorganic adjective
Not made by living things. Rocks and gases are inorganic.
Translations of inorganic 한국어 무기의 unverified 日本語 無機の unverified 中文 无机的 unverified Français inorganique unverified Español inorgánico unverified Deutsch anorganisch unverified -
entropy noun
How spread-out and mixed-up things are. Left alone, everything becomes more mixed up. Life pushes the other way.
The most important word in the paper. Lovelock's definition of life turns on it.
Translations of entropy 한국어 엔트로피 unverified 日本語 エントロピー unverified 中文 熵 unverified Français entropie unverified Español entropía unverified Deutsch Entropie unverified -
vortex noun (plural: vortices)
A spinning whirlpool of water or air.
Lovelock's counter-example: a vortex is orderly too, but it disappears quickly. Life does not.
Translations of vortex 한국어 소용돌이 unverified 日本語 渦 unverified 中文 涡旋 unverified Français tourbillon unverified Español vórtice unverified Deutsch Wirbel unverified -
thermodynamic equilibrium noun phrase
A settled state. Every reaction that could happen has already happened, and nothing is left to react.
A dead planet's atmosphere settles. Earth's has not.
Translations of thermodynamic equilibrium 한국어 열역학적 평형 unverified 日本語 熱力学的平衡 unverified 中文 热力学平衡 unverified Français équilibre thermodynamique unverified Español equilibrio termodinámico unverified Deutsch thermodynamisches Gleichgewicht unverified -
chemical potential noun phrase
How much a substance still 'wants' to react with what is around it.
Translations of chemical potential 한국어 화학 퍼텐셜 unverified 日本語 化学ポテンシャル unverified 中文 化学势 unverified Français potentiel chimique unverified Español potencial químico unverified Deutsch chemisches Potential unverified -
steady state noun phrase
A situation that stays the same overall, even though things keep moving through it.
Not the same as equilibrium. A river can be in steady state while water keeps flowing.
Translations of steady state 한국어 정상 상태 unverified 日本語 定常状態 unverified 中文 稳态 unverified Français état stationnaire unverified Español estado estacionario unverified Deutsch stationärer Zustand unverified -
disequilibrium noun
The opposite of equilibrium. Things that should have reacted together are still sitting side by side.
Oxygen and methane in Earth's air. This is Lovelock's biosignature.
Translations of disequilibrium 한국어 비평형 unverified 日本語 非平衡 unverified 中文 非平衡 unverified Français déséquilibre unverified Español desequilibrio unverified Deutsch Ungleichgewicht unverified -
omnipresence noun
Being everywhere at once.
Translations of omnipresence 한국어 편재 unverified 日本語 遍在 unverified 中文 无处不在 unverified Français omniprésence unverified Español omnipresencia unverified Deutsch Allgegenwart unverified -
sterile adjective
Having no life at all.
Translator warning: here it means 'lifeless planet', NOT 'medically clean' and NOT 'unable to have children'. Machine translators often pick the wrong one.
Translations of sterile 한국어 생명이 없는 unverified 日本語 生命のない unverified 中文 无生命的 unverified Français stérile unverified Español estéril unverified Deutsch lebensfrei unverified -
primeval adjective
From the earliest times, before anything else.
Translations of primeval 한국어 원시의 unverified 日本語 原始の unverified 中文 原始的 unverified Français primordial unverified Español primigenio unverified Deutsch urzeitlich unverified -
flux noun
How much of something flows onto a surface each second. Solar flux is how much sunlight arrives.
Translations of flux 한국어 플럭스 unverified 日本語 フラックス unverified 中文 通量 unverified Français flux unverified Español flujo unverified Deutsch Strahlungsfluss unverified -
appreciable adjective
Big enough to notice or measure.
Translations of appreciable 한국어 상당한 unverified 日本語 かなりの unverified 中文 相当大的 unverified Français appréciable unverified Español apreciable unverified Deutsch beträchtlich unverified -
spontaneous generation noun phrase
Life starting by itself from non-living matter.
Translations of spontaneous generation 한국어 자연발생 unverified 日本語 自然発生 unverified 中文 自然发生 unverified Français génération spontanée unverified Español generación espontánea unverified Deutsch Urzeugung unverified -
gas chromatograph noun
A machine that separates a mixture of gases so each one can be identified.
Translations of gas chromatograph 한국어 기체 크로마토그래프 unverified 日本語 ガスクロマトグラフ unverified 中文 气相色谱仪 unverified Français chromatographe en phase gazeuse unverified Español cromatógrafo de gases unverified Deutsch Gaschromatograph unverified -
mass spectrometer noun
A machine that weighs molecules to work out what they are.
Translations of mass spectrometer 한국어 질량 분석기 unverified 日本語 質量分析計 unverified 中文 质谱仪 unverified Français spectromètre de masse unverified Español espectrómetro de masas unverified Deutsch Massenspektrometer unverified -
polymer noun
A long molecule built from many identical small units joined in a chain.
Translations of polymer 한국어 고분자 unverified 日本語 高分子 unverified 中文 聚合物 unverified Français polymère unverified Español polímero unverified Deutsch Polymer unverified -
molecular weight noun phrase
How heavy one molecule is.
Translations of molecular weight 한국어 분자량 unverified 日本語 分子量 unverified 中文 分子量 unverified Français masse moléculaire unverified Español peso molecular unverified Deutsch Molekulargewicht unverified -
exotherm noun
A burst of heat given out by a reaction.
Translations of exotherm 한국어 발열 반응 신호 unverified 日本語 発熱ピーク unverified 中文 放热峰 unverified Français pic exothermique unverified Español pico exotérmico unverified Deutsch exothermer Peak unverified -
differential thermal analysis (DTA) noun phrase
Heating two samples side by side and comparing them, to see if one reacts.
Translations of differential thermal analysis (DTA) 한국어 시차 열분석 unverified 日本語 示差熱分析 unverified 中文 差热分析 unverified Français analyse thermique différentielle unverified Español análisis térmico diferencial unverified Deutsch Differenzthermoanalyse unverified -
pyrolysis noun
Breaking a substance apart using heat, without burning it in oxygen.
Translations of pyrolysis 한국어 열분해 unverified 日本語 熱分解 unverified 中文 热解 unverified Français pyrolyse unverified Español pirólisis unverified Deutsch Pyrolyse unverified -
hydrocarbon noun
A molecule made only of hydrogen and carbon. Petrol and methane are hydrocarbons.
Translations of hydrocarbon 한국어 탄화수소 unverified 日本語 炭化水素 unverified 中文 碳氢化合物 unverified Français hydrocarbure unverified Español hidrocarburo unverified Deutsch Kohlenwasserstoff unverified -
alkane noun
A simple type of hydrocarbon with only single bonds.
Translations of alkane 한국어 알케인 unverified 日本語 アルカン unverified 中文 烷烃 unverified Français alcane unverified Español alcano unverified Deutsch Alkan unverified -
abiotic adjective
Made without any living thing involved.
Translations of abiotic 한국어 비생물적 unverified 日本語 非生物的 unverified 中文 非生物的 unverified Français abiotique unverified Español abiótico unverified Deutsch abiotisch unverified -
metastable adjective
Balanced for now, but one push away from changing.
Translations of metastable 한국어 준안정 unverified 日本語 準安定 unverified 中文 亚稳的 unverified Français métastable unverified Español metaestable unverified Deutsch metastabil unverified -
Poisson distribution noun phrase
A standard pattern showing how often random events happen. Real data that does NOT fit this pattern is a sign something non-random is at work.
Translations of Poisson distribution 한국어 푸아송 분포 unverified 日本語 ポアソン分布 unverified 中文 泊松分布 unverified Français loi de Poisson unverified Español distribución de Poisson unverified Deutsch Poisson-Verteilung unverified