Category: L

An invisible network of alignments connecting sites of sacred or ritualistic significance, keys (pronounced lays) were first named and defined by Alfred Watkins, a Briton, in the 1920s when he discerned notable patterns linking ancient burial sites, beacon hills, churches built on early pagan sites, stone circles, holy wells, and other landmarks. Watkins’s books, British…

Rodents closely related to mice and voles. Lemmings are small (about 8 to 12 centimeters [3 to 5 inches] long) and brown or red in color. They have short tails, live underground, and eat grass, roots, and plant products. They breed often and quickly; females are capable of producing a litter of 9 young only…

A collection of ideas promoted by Alfred A. Lawson, which he believed provided an overarching theory for virtually everything. Lawson dismissed current orthodox theories as the work of incompetents and replaced them with an entirely new set of principles and concepts. He thought that mechanics were governed by penetrability, suction and pressure, and “zigzag-and-swirl”; for…

Narrow beams of intense radiation, produced at a fixed frequency, that depend on the molecules in the cavity of the laser. The word “laser” is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Lasers may function continuously or in a pulsed fashion. The pulsed laser transmits small bursts at a very high energy…

The hypothesis that all nature is in principle explicable by the laws of theoretical physics celestial and terrestrial mechanics and subject to experimental tests. Pierre Simon Laplace (1749-1827) made major contributions to theoretical physics and celestial mechanics. In their time he and Adrien-Marie Legendre (1752-1833) were the outstanding figures in these fields, often developing each…

Theory of evolution that stresses the inheritance of acquired characteristics as the mechanism of organic change. Over time somewhat different species of Lamarckianism have emerged, but at a basic level all share the belief that the physical changes, structural enhancements, and sometimes even mental qualities achieved by an organism in its lifetime can directly effect…

Anomalous creatures of various types and nicknames said to inhabit lakes around the world. Among the best known lake monsters are Nessie, the loch ness monster of Scotland; the ogopogo, of Lake Okanagan in Canada; and CHAMP, of Lake Champlain. Other, less well-known monsters haunt smaller bodies of water. Tessie inhabits Lake Tahoe, while Sandy…

A hypothetical region of the lung defined by the relationship between the degree of alveolar ventilation and pulmonary blood flow (perfusion). Three lung zones have been identified: I, ventilation exceeds perfusion; II, ventilation and perfusion are equal; and III, perfusion exceeds ventilation. Zone I is found in the upper lung field, where gravity impedes perfusion,…

The greatest amount of toxin that, when mixed with one unit of antitoxin and injected into a guinea pig weighing 250 g, will cause no local edema.    

An electromagnetic wave that stimulates the retina or other optical sensors.