Vocabulary — Reading & Study
These are the words for this kind of lesson, all on one page: how to spell each word, what it means in simple words, and one sentence to remember it by. You can come back to this page any time.
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Chain of custody
Spells: C-h-a-i-n-o-f-c-u-s-t-o-d-y
What it means: the written record of everyone who held an item, from the scene to the court.
A sentence to remember it by: ☐ I can explain the chain of custody in one sentence.
Claim
Spells: C-l-a-i-m
What it means: something someone announces; a claim becomes trustworthy when independent checkers verify it with evidence.
A sentence to remember it by: Claim — something someone announces; a claim becomes trustworthy when independent checkers verify it with evidence.
Cloning
Spells: C-l-o-n-i-n-g
What it means: making a living thing that carries the same nuclear DNA as another living thing.
A sentence to remember it by: Serious, true, and punishable — and still not cloning.
Confrontation
Spells: C-o-n-f-r-o-n-t-a-t-i-o-n
What it means: the right of an accused person to face and question the witnesses against them.
A sentence to remember it by: Confrontation — the right of an accused person to face and question the witnesses against them.
DNA
Spells: D-N-A
What it means: material inside cells; patterns in it can link a person to an object.
A sentence to remember it by: DNA — material inside cells; patterns in it can link a person to an object.
Expert witness
Spells: E-x-p-e-r-t-w-i-t-n-e-s-s
What it means: a trained person allowed to explain a special subject in court.
A sentence to remember it by: The question: What test should federal judges use for expert science?
Forensic science
Spells: Forensic science
What it means: using science to answer questions a court must decide.
A sentence to remember it by: Fact: Forensic scientists stay neutral, whichever side the science helps.
Gatekeeper
Spells: G-a-t-e-k-e-e-p-e-r
What it means: the judge's job of checking that expert science is reliable before a jury hears it.
A sentence to remember it by: Supreme Court 1993) — Rule 702 gatekeeping.
Gene editing
Spells: G-e-n-e-e-d-i-t-i-n-g
What it means: changing a gene inside a living thing's DNA; different from cloning, which copies a whole set of DNA.
A sentence to remember it by: Myth: "Gene-edited babies" and "cloned babies" are the same story.
General acceptance
Spells: General acceptance
What it means: the Frye rule: science must be accepted by scientists in its field before a court uses it.
A sentence to remember it by: The Frye rule: new science must be generally accepted in its field before a court uses it.
Headline
Spells: H-e-a-d-l-i-n-e
What it means: the title of a story, written to earn your click; a headline is an advertisement for the story, not the story itself.
A sentence to remember it by: Headlines mix the words because "cloning" gets more clicks.
Microchip implant
Spells: Microchip implant
What it means: a small electronic device, about the size of a grain of rice, placed under the skin, typically carrying a single identification number.
A sentence to remember it by: § 146.25 (2006): no person may require an individual to undergo the implanting of a microchip.
Passive implant
Spells: P-a-s-s-i-v-e-i-m-p-l-a-n-t
What it means: an implant with no battery or power source of its own; it stays silent until a reader held very close wakes it for a moment with its radio field.
A sentence to remember it by: A passive chip has none of the three.
Toxicology
Spells: T-o-x-i-c-o-l-o-g-y
What it means: the science of measuring substances like medicines and poisons in samples.
A sentence to remember it by: Toxicology — the science of measuring substances like medicines and poisons in samples.
Verify
Spells: V-e-r-i-f-y
What it means: to check a claim against real evidence and careful, independent sources before believing or sharing it.
A sentence to remember it by: No cloned human has ever been verified.
Viral
Spells: V-i-r-a-l
What it means: spreading fast from person to person online; viral describes speed, not truth.
A sentence to remember it by: Most viral tech stories fail question two or three.