Teens work to keep giant water bugs on the menu

abdomen: This is the central, “gut” region of a vertebrate animal’s body; it contains the digestive organs. In mammals, this body segment tends to sit between the diaphragm and pelvis.

annual: Adjective for something that happens every year. (in botany) A plant that lives only one year, so it usually has a showy flower and produces many seeds.

app: Short for application, or a computer program designed for a specific task.

artificial intelligence: A type of knowledge-based decision-making exhibited by machines or computers. The term also refers to the field of study in which scientists try to create machines or computer software capable of intelligent behavior.

brood: (verb) The act of guarding and/or incubating eggs.

climate change: Long-term, significant change in the climate of Earth. It can happen naturally or in response to human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests.

culinary: Having to do with cooking, kitchen techniques and food preparation.

developmental: (in biology) An adjective that refers to the changes an organism undergoes from conception through adulthood. Those changes often involve chemistry, size and sometimes even shape.

diet: (n.) The foods and liquids ingested by an animal to provide the nutrition it needs to grow and maintain health.

engineering: The field of research that uses math and science to solve practical problems. Someone who works in this field is known as an engineer.

family: A taxonomic group consisting of at least one genus of organisms.

gelatin: A substance made from animal collagen, usually bones and cow or pig hides. It starts out as a pale colored, tasteless powder. It contains proteins and amino acids. It can make jiggly desserts (like those known as Jell-O). But this substance also is used in yogurt, soups, candies and more. It can even be used as the basis of the clear capsules used to hold single-serving amounts of dry medicines.

gut: An informal term for the gastrointestinal tract, especially the intestines.

habitat: The area or natural environment in which an animal or plant normally lives, such as a desert, coral reef or freshwater lake. A habitat can be home to thousands of different species.

innovation: (v. to innovate; adj. innovative) An adaptation or improvement to an existing idea, process or product that is new, clever, more effective or more practical.

insect: A type of arthropod that as an adult will have six segmented legs and three body parts: a head, thorax and abdomen. There are hundreds of thousands of insects, which include bees, beetles, flies and moths.

mini livestock: A term for some scientists use for insects that would be used for human food. These small animals would be reared — farmed — to create protein-rich dietary ingredients.

pesticide: A chemical or mix of compounds used to kill insects, rodents or other organisms harmful to cultivated plants, pets or livestock; or unwanted organisms that infest homes, offices, farm buildings and other protected structures.

population: (in biology) A group of individuals (belonging to the same species) that lives in a given area.

prey: (n.) Animal species eaten by others. (v.) To attack and eat another species.

Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair: (Regeneron ISEF) Initially launched in 1950, this competition is one of three created (and still run) by the Society for Science. Each year now, approximately 2,000 high school students from up to 70 countries, regions, and territories are awarded the opportunity to showcase their independent research at Regeneron ISEF and to compete for an average of $9 million in prizes.

scavenger: A creature that feeds on dead or dying organic matter in its environment. Scavengers include vultures, raccoons, dung beetles and some types of flies.

sex: An animal’s biological status with respect to reproductive functions, typically male or female. There are a number of indicators of biological sex, including sex chromosomes, gonads, internal reproductive organs, and external genitals. It can also be a term for some system of mating between male and female animals such that each parent organism contributes genes to the potential offspring, usually through the fertilization of an egg cell by a sperm cell.

Society for Science: A nonprofit organization created in 1921 and based in Washington, D.C. Since its founding, the Society has been promoting not only public engagement in scientific research but also the public understanding of science. It created and continues to run three renowned science competitions: the Regeneron Science Talent Search (begun in 1942), the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (initially launched in 1950) and the middle-school MASTERS competition (from 2010 to 2022) that morphed into the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (and launched in 2023). The Society also publishes award-winning journalism: in Science News (launched in 1922) and Science News Explores (created in 2003).

stock: (in agriculture) Animals raised for meat and work.

sustainable: (n. sustainability) An adjective to describe the use of resources in a such a way that they will continue to be available long into the future.

technology: The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry — or the devices, processes and systems that result from those efforts.