Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Schwabe, Samuel Heinrich

(Encyclopedia)Schwabe, Samuel Heinrich zäˈmo͞oĕl hīnˈrĭkh shväbˈə [key], 1789–1875, German apothecary and amateur astronomer. In the hope of discovering a new planet between Mercury and the sun, he made...

sea fan

(Encyclopedia)sea fan, colonial marine animal forming erect, flattened, branching colonies in tropical and subtropical waters. Colonies may be several feet high and are often colorful, with purples, reds, and yello...

Barry, Philip

(Encyclopedia)Barry, Philip, 1896–1949, American dramatist, b. Rochester, N.Y., grad. Yale, 1919, and studied under George Pierce Baker at Harvard. He is primarily known for his satirical, somewhat unconventional...

acquired characteristics

(Encyclopedia)acquired characteristics, modifications produced in an individual plant or animal as a result of mutilation, disease, use and disuse, or any distinctly environmental influence. Some examples are docki...

clone

(Encyclopedia)clone, group of organisms, all of which are descended from a single individual through asexual reproduction, as in a pure cell culture of bacteria. Except for changes in the hereditary material that c...

Deutsch, Babette

(Encyclopedia)Deutsch, Babette doich [key], 1895–1982, American poet, b. New York City. Her poems are noted for their technical virtuosity and wide range of tone and subject matter. Her best-known collections inc...

distemper

(Encyclopedia)distemper, in veterinary medicine, highly contagious, catarrhal, often fatal disease of dogs. It also affects wolves, foxes, mink, raccoons, and ferrets. Distemper is caused by a filtrable virus that ...

harvestman

(Encyclopedia)harvestman, arachnid, often called daddy longlegs because of its eight long, slender legs. The harvestman has a rounded or oval body possessing glands that give off an acrid scent. Its food consists o...

Hatch, William Henry

(Encyclopedia)Hatch, William Henry, 1833–96, U.S. Congressman (1879–95), b. Scott co., Ky. He was admitted (1854) to the bar and moved to Hannibal, Mo. He became prominent in Democratic politics in Missouri and...

Hales, Stephen

(Encyclopedia)Hales, Stephen, 1677–1761, English physiologist and clergyman. From 1709 he was perpetual curate of Teddington. His experimental studies in animal and plant physiology contributed greatly to the pro...