ZEIGARNIK EFFECT
A form of memory bias, this psychological theory implies that people remember unfinished tasks more effectively than those that have been completed.

NEPENTHE
A potion prepared in ancient times to induce forgetfulness of pain or sorrow; something capable of causing oblivion to suffering.

DUNBAR'S NUMBER
The suggested upper-limit of people with whom one can maintain a stable relationship. This group defines one's primary social network, and thus are the primary influences on an individual's thinking and behavior.

POSTHUMAN
A hypothetical future being whose basic capabilities would radically exceed those of a human.

CONGLOMERATE
A group of corporations pursuing different businesses that are bound together under a single parent company.

EIDOS
The distinct expression of the intellectual character of a culture or group.

HYPERREALITY
A hypothetical inability to differentiate reality from a simulation of reality.

LODESTAR
A guiding principle or light.

COEVOLUTION
The influence of two species upon each other's evolution caused by their intertwined relationship.

PANOPTICON
A circular building with a central viewing station from which an observer may monitor every inhabitant without them knowing if they are being watched.

RENAISSANCE
From the French 're-birth,' and Italian 'to be reborn.' A cultural movement beginning in the 14th century where art and literature flourished across a large section of Europe.

GRAPHEME
The smallest meaningful unit within a system of writing.

CONNECTIONISM
A system of thinking that models mental and behavioral phenomena as emerging from networks of simple units.

MEMORY HOLE
A mechanism for altering or removing evidence from a public repository in such a manner as to suggest it never existed. A concept popularized by George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.

PROGRESS TRAP
A condition societies experience when unsolvable problems are introduced through the pursuit of progress, leading to social collapse.

EYEWALL
A ring of towering thunderclouds surrounding the eye; a region where the most severe weather in a storm occurs.

PRESCIENCE
The power to see the future.

HABITATION
The process of adapting to an environment.

LONG-TERM POTENTIATION
A long-lasting enhancement in transmission between neurons resulting from stimulating them simultaneously.

RINT
RINT, or Radiation Intelligence, is information gathered by exploiting the unintentional radiation created by computers, data connections and electrical equipment.

IN THE BLACK
From the intelligence world. To be surveillance-free for a period greater than a few seconds.

RHIB
Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boat. A light-weight, high performance and high-capacity inflatable boat frequently used for military and intelligence operations.

ESCHATOLOGY
A branch of theology concerned with the final destiny of humankind.

FERMI'S PARADOX
The contradiction between the high probability estimates for the existence of other intelligences, and humanity's lack of contact with, or evidence for, such.

CUNEIFORM
A language expressed as a series of pictographs. The earliest known form of writing.

MEDIOCRITY PRINCIPLE
The philosophical principle that there is nothing unusual about the evolution of the Solar System, Earth, humanity, or any nation of people.

PSYCHOLINGUISTICS
The study of the relationships between language and psychological processes.

BLACK SWAN THEORY
A metaphor describing an event that is unexpected and has a major impact on the course of history, and is incorrectly rationalized as something predictable in hindsight.

CENOTAPH
A tomb erected for individuals buried elsewhere.

VIRAL PHENOMENON
An object or pattern able to replicate itself or convert other objects into a copy of itself when they are exposed to it.

NEXUS
A connection or series of connections between multiple ideas or things.