amino acids: Simple molecules that occur naturally in plant and animal tissues and that are the basic building blocks of proteins.
bacteria: (singular: bacterium) Single-celled organisms. These dwell nearly everywhere on Earth, from the bottom of the sea to inside other living organisms (such as plants and animals). Bacteria are one of the three domains of life on Earth.
chemical: A substance formed from two or more atoms that unite (bond) in a fixed proportion and structure. For example, water is a chemical made when two hydrogen atoms bond to one oxygen atom. Its chemical formula is H2O. Chemical also can be an adjective to describe properties of materials that are the result of various reactions between different compounds.
corpse: The body of a dead human. Also sometimes used to describe the remains of some inanimate object (such as a star).
dimethyl disulfide: A pair of methanethiol molecules that have been linked together. The result is a very stinky chemical, which smells like rotting meat. It’s toxic to many organisms. That’s led to dimethyl disulfide being developed as a soil fumigant that farmers can use to kill weeds, parasitic nematodes (tiny roundworms) and plant pathogens that live in soil.
DNA: (short for deoxyribonucleic acid) A long, double-stranded and spiral-shaped molecule inside most living cells that carries genetic instructions. It is built on a backbone of phosphorus, oxygen, and carbon atoms. In all living things, from plants and animals to microbes, these instructions tell cells which molecules to make.
dung: The feces of animals, also known as manure.
duplication: The process of copying something.
evolution: (v. to evolve) A process by which species undergo changes over time, usually through genetic variation and natural selection. These changes usually result in a new type of organism better suited for its environment than the earlier type. The newer type is not necessarily more “advanced,” just…
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