Fingerprint
Fingerprint: 1. The characteristic dermal ridges on the finger. This is the original meaning of fingerprint. 2. The characteristic pattern of the peptide fragments of a protein that have been subjected to electrophoresis and, at a right angle, chromatography. Peptide fingerprinting was invented by Vernon Ingram in 1957. 3. The characteristic pattern of DNA fragments identified by Southern hybridization or by PCR (polymerase chain reaction). DNA fingerprinting was invented by Alec Jeffreys in 1984.
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- Fingers, six
Fingers, six: The presence of an extra finger, a very common congenital malformation (birth defect). This condition is called hexadactyly. The word hexadactyly literally means six digits. In medical usage, hexadactyly does not specify whether the six digits are fingers or toes (although in Greek “dactylos” is without equivocation a finger). The 6th digit can […]
- Finished DNA sequence
Finished DNA sequence: A DNA sequence in which the bases are identified to an accuracy of no more than 1 error in 10,000 and are placed in the right order and orientation along a chromosome with almost no gaps. A finished sequence is as opposed to a draft DNA sequence.
- Fire ant sting
Fire ant sting: A scourge, these red or yellow ants of small-to-medium size, originally from South America, have a severe sting that burns like fire. Their sting-like that of bees, yellow jackets, hornets and wasps — can trigger allergic reactions varying greatly in severity. Avoidance and prompt treatment are essential. In selected cases, allergy injection […]
- Fire ants
Fire ants: Originally from S. America. Among the worst insect pests ever to invade the US. Red or yellowish ants of small-to-medium size with a severe sting that burns like fire. They normally feed on small insects but, with denser populations, they eat seeds and seedling plants, damage grain and vegetable crops, invade kitchens, attack […]
- Fire gilding
Fire gilding: A perilous process for gold-plating in which an amalgam of mercury and gold is applied to an object and then exposed to heat to vaporize the mercury and leave the gold behind in a thin layer. Fire gilding also is applicable to plating silver, copper, and copper alloys. The process of fie gilding […]