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Biology vocabulary · Experiments and Research Methods

Replicate

Meaning in biology, with examples

/ˈreplɪkət/nounCommon term

In biology, replicate means: One of several repeats of the same measurement or experiment, done to check that the results are reliable. As a verb, it means to repeat an experiment or, for DNA and viruses, to copy itself.

In Turkish: tekrar, replika, tekrarlamak

How it is used

Researchers separate biological replicates (different samples, plants or animals) from technical replicates (the same sample measured again). Papers state 'three biological replicates'. The noun is said REP-li-kit, the verb REP-li-kate. The process is replication.

Example sentences

  1. Each treatment was tested in three biological replicates.

  2. Other labs were unable to replicate the results.

  3. DNA must replicate before the cell divides.

Common collocations

  • biological replicate
  • technical replicate
  • replicate an experiment
  • replicate the results
  • control groupThe group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment being tested, so that its results can be compared with those of the treated group.
  • variableAny factor that can change in an experiment, such as temperature, light or time. Scientists change one variable and measure its effect on another.
  • hypothesisA possible explanation or prediction that can be tested by an experiment or observation. Scientists design studies to support or reject it.
  • DNAShort for deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that stores genetic information in every cell and in many viruses. It is made of two strands twisted into a double helix.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Experiments and Research Methods

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