Chapter 7 | Science and Technology: Public Attitudes and Understanding

Glossary

Biotechnology: The use of living things to make products.

Climate change: Any distinct change in measures of climate lasting for a long period of time. Climate change means major changes in temperature, rainfall, snow, or wind patterns lasting for decades or longer. Climate change may result from natural factors or human activities. Global warming is often the focus of climate change discussion.

Cloning: Reproductive cloning involves using technology to generate genetically identical individuals with the same nuclear DNA as another individual. Therapeutic cloning involves medical research to develop new treatments for diseases.

European Commission: The governance body for the European Union (EU) that is responsible for the Eurobarometer series of surveys. As of February 2017, the EU comprised 28 member nations: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Unless otherwise noted, data on the EU include all of these 28 members. In this regard, Eurobarometer data from earlier years often do not include recently added members.

Genetically engineered (GE) food: A food product containing some quantity of any GE organism as an ingredient. Also sometimes called genetically modified (GM) food, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or agricultural biotechnology.

Global warming: An average increase in temperatures near the Earth’s surface and in the lowest layer of the atmosphere. Increases in temperatures in the Earth’s atmosphere can contribute to changes in global climate patterns. Global warming can be considered part of climate change along with changes in precipitation, sea level, and so forth.

Nanotechnology: Manipulating matter at unprecedentedly small scales to create new or improved products that can be used in a wide variety of ways.

EU: European Union

GE: genetically engineered

GM: genetically modified

GMO: genetically modified organism

GMU: George Mason University

GSS: General Social Survey

NSF: National Science Foundation

R&D: research and development

S&E: science and engineering

S&T: science and technology

STEM: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

UK: United Kingdom