Michael's glossary

A bacterium is a single-celled living thing. Some bacteria cause disease, some live with us and help out, like in the gut, and some are lab superstars.

A cell is the basic unit of life: a tiny room with a border, an energy kitchen, and a protein factory. The human body is made of billions of cells.

DNA is the cell’s recipe book: four chemical letters lined up in long rows. Most stories about “genes” start here.

mRNA, or messenger RNA, is a temporary note from the cell’s nucleus: “Build this protein now.” After the cell reads it, the note breaks down; it does not rewrite the DNA book.

Neuroinflammation is what happens when the brain or nerves’ immune alarm starts working too hard. Sometimes it protects; sometimes it can hurt the very cells it is trying to defend.

Oncology is cancer medicine: it studies how cells start dividing without brakes, and how to stop them without wrecking too many healthy cells.