Part 9

Metabolism is the sum of the life-sustaining activities in a living organism, including nutrition, production of energy, and synthesis (building) of new living material.

Morphologists are biologists specializing in the structure of organisms or in the study of whole organisms. Biochemists, by contrast, study chemical reactions of biological materials.

This is not to be confused with a cell nucleus. This word was borrowed from biology for atomic theory, however.

An exception is the hydrogen atom, which has no neutron in its nucleus.

Mev is the abbreviation for million electron volts.

A concept for which James D. Watson of the United States and Francis H. C. Crick of England shared a Nobel Prize in 1962.

The study of tissues.

There are additional, more subtle metabolic events that lead to the synthesis of DNA, but they are not important in this discussion.

PHOTO CREDITS

Figure 1 Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Negative No. 4156 Figure 3 Dr. T. Tahmisian, Argonne National Laboratory Figure 4 Oak Ridge National Laboratory (photo on right) Figure 5 Oscar W. Richards, American Optical Company Figure 7 Brookhaven National Laboratory Figure 9 Battelle-Northwest Laboratory Figure 10 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Figure 19 Argonne National Laboratory Figure 23 Argonne National Laboratory Figure 24 Argonne National Laboratory Figure 28 Argonne National Laboratory Figure 29 Brookhaven National Laboratory

This booklet is one of the “Understanding the Atom” Series. Comments are invited on this booklet and others in the series; please send them to the Division of Technical Information, U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, Washington, D. C. 20545.

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Accelerators Animals in Atomic Research Atomic Fuel Atomic Power Safety Atoms at the Science Fair Atoms in Agriculture Atoms, Nature, and Man Books on Atomic Energy for Adults and Children Careers in Atomic Energy Computers Controlled Nuclear Fusion Cryogenics, The Uncommon Cold Direct Conversion of Energy Fallout From Nuclear Tests Food Preservation by Irradiation Genetic Effects of Radiation Index to the UAS Series Lasers Microstructure of Matter Neutron Activation Analysis Nondestructive Testing Nuclear Clocks Nuclear Energy for Desalting Nuclear Power and Merchant Shipping Nuclear Power Plants Nuclear Propulsion for Space Nuclear Reactors Nuclear Terms, A Brief Glossary Our Atomic World Plowshare Plutonium Power from Radioisotopes Power Reactors in Small Packages Radioactive Wastes Radioisotopes and Life Processes Radioisotopes in Industry Radioisotopes in Medicine Rare Earths Research Reactors SNAP, Nuclear Space Reactors Sources of Nuclear Fuel Space Radiation Spectroscopy Synthetic Transuranium Elements The Atom and the Ocean The Chemistry of the Noble Gases The Elusive Neutrino The First Reactor The Natural Radiation Environment Whole Body Counters Your Body and Radiation

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