The Hindu Editorial (Origin unclear) – Jun 14, 2021

Over 17 months after WHO first reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan, China, scientists are yet to determine with certainty how the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Origin unclear) – Jun 14, 2021.

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The Hindu Editorial (Origin unclear) – Jun 14, 2021:

source (noun) – source, place of origin.
coronavirus (CoV) (noun) – a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death. (Courtesy: WHO)
vital (adjective) – key, essential, important.
cluster (noun) – a group (of people/things considered as a unit). (an aggregation of cases of a disease. A coronavirus cluster occurs when there is a concentration of infections in the same area at the same time).
pneumonia (noun) – pneumonia is an infection of the lungs caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. It is treatable and preventable.
certainty (noun) – confidence, sureness, conviction, certitude.
novel coronavirus (nCoV) (SARS-CoV-2) (noun) – a new strain (type/variety) coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. (Courtesy: WHO)
epicentre (noun) – This word doesn’t come from the field of public health; it is the most prominent area with an outbreak (of a disease). Similarly, “hot spot” is not a public health term but has been used to describe areas with a particularly large cluster of cases.
outbreak (noun) – outburst, flaring up, breakout, sudden appearance/occurrence of something.
hypothesis (noun) – reason, basis, thinking, logic.
lead (noun) – indication, sign, clue, hint.
zoonotic (adjective) – used to refer to a disease transmitted from (vertebrate) animals to humans”. Zoonosis (noun) is a disease transmitted from (vertebrate) animals to humans. It is based on the Greek words for “(zoo) animal” and “(nosos) sickness.
spillover (noun) – consequence, outcome, repercussion (an unexpected one).
intermediate host (noun) – an organism that harbours (carries) the sexually immature parasite and is required by the parasite to undergo development and complete its life cycle.
definite host (noun) – (in biology) a host is a larger organism that harbours (carries) a smaller organism; an organism in which the parasite reaches the adult stage and reproduces sexually, if possible (harbour means carry the germs of a disease).
species (noun) – living things (organisms); A group/breed/family of living organisms (animals & plants) with the individual having the same quality & can breed (in nature).
host (noun) – (of a larger organism) harbour, give home/shelter to (a smaller organism).
secrecy (noun) – furtiveness, secretiveness, stealthiness, covertness, mystery.
fuel (verb) – intensify, fortify, support, vitalize.
daunting (adjective) – challenging, taxing, exacting.
civet cat (noun) – In general, a civet has a somewhat cat-like appearance with a small head, long body, and long tail, although a civet is not in fact a cat.
dromedary camel (noun) – Arabian camel.
severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) (noun) – SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is thought to be an animal virus from an as-yet-uncertain animal reservoir, perhaps bats, that spread to other animals (civet cats). It is a viral (human-to-human transmission) that can cause severe respiratory illness or death.
Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) (noun) – Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus (MERS-CoV) that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
horseshoe bat (noun) – a type of small insectivorous bat with a distinctive horseshoe-shaped noseleaf.
strain (noun) – variety, kind, type; variant, mutant.
Ebola (noun) – Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a rare but severe, often fatal illness in humans. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. (Courtesy: WHO)
bioengineer (verb) – create (with bioengineering methods).
genome (noun) – the genetic material (a complete set of DNA, including all of its genes) of an organism. The sum total of the genetic material of a cell or an organism.
sequence (noun) – the complete order of compounds/building blocks (nucleotides) of nucleic acids, such as RNA or DNA.
genome sequence (noun) – a process that determines the order, or sequence, of the DNA (nucleotides i.e., A, C, G and U) in each of the genes present in the virus’s genome.
tell-tale (adjective) – revealing, suggestive, indicative, significant.
signature (noun) – a distinctive pattern.
genetic manipulation (noun) – genetic modification; the process of altering the genetic composition (DNA or other nucleic acid molecules) of an organism.
site (noun) – in biology, the (active) site is region of an enzyme where substrate molecules bind and undergo a chemical reaction. (In biology, a substrate is a surface on which an organism (such as a plant, fungus, or animal) lives).
furin (noun) – host cell enzyme.
cleavage (noun) – cell division.
spike (S) protein (noun) – spike (S) protein is the sole viral membrane protein responsible for coronavirus entry into host cells.
cite (verb) – refer to, mention, make reference to.
bioengineering (noun) – genetic engineering.
nucleotide (noun) – the constituents of nucleic acids (DNA, RNA), which store and transmit genetic information. nucleotides are the basic building block of nucleic acids.
encode (verb) – to specify the genetic code (for a particular amino acid/a protein).
amino acid (noun) – the structural units (monomers) that make up proteins.
for instance (phrase) – as an example.
possibility (noun) – chance, probability.
evolve (verb) – alter, change, transform gradually; develop, progress, advance gradually.
cell culture (noun) – the growth of cells from an animal or plant in an artificial, controlled environment.
bleak (adjective) – unpromising, unfavourable, disadvantageous, discouraging, depressing.
virulence (noun) – a measure of the severity or dangerousness of a disease caused by the relative ability of a infectious microorganism.
culture (verb) – grow (cells in an artificial, controlled environment).
in the absence of (phrase) – due to unavailability of something.
so far (phrase) – until now, up to the present, up to this point.
thorough (adjective) – detailed, in-depth, complete.
intelligence (noun) – (of a person) employed in the collection of (military/political) information.
politicise (verb) – to make something into a political issue.