75 Vocabulary Words for Talking About Sports in Italian

75 Vocabulary Words for Talking About Sports in Italian When you think about sports in Italy, the first one that comes to mind is probably the infamous calcio, or soccer. And if you have spent any length of time obsessing about Italian culture or in Ital (or both)  team names like Juventus and Gli Azzurri will come to mind. But beyond calcio, there are many popular sports played in Italy, and if you want to be able to talk about the sports that you practice (or practiced in those golden years of yours), here are 75 phrases to throw around in your Italian conversations. 75 Vocabulary Words for Talking About Sports in Italian L’atletica - Athletics Athletics is a more generic field that covers things like: La corsa - RunningLa corsa campestre - Cross-countryIl footing - JoggingLa marcia - Foot raceIl salto in alto - High jumpIl salto in lungo - Long jump Faccio corso campestre. - I run cross-country. Facco la marcia perchà © à ¨ meno dannoso per il corpo rispetto alla corsa. - I do foot races because it’s less harmful for the body compared to running. Il baseball - Baseball While baseball isn’t hugely popular in Italy, it is presentwith roots dating back to World War IIand there are leagues and a championship called Lo Scudetto. Here are five vocabulary words you might find interesting: Il fuoricampo - HomerunIl guanto - MittIl lanciatore - PitcherLa mazza - BatLa prima/seconda/terza base - First/second/third base L’hai visto!? Ho battuto un fuoricampo! - Did you see it? I hit a homerun! Quando avevo 9 anni, facevo il lanciatore. - When I was 9 years old, I was the pitcher. For more vocabulary words and phrases related to baseball, check out this article. Il ciclismo  - Cycling The Giro d’Italia (also simply called Il Giro) happens every summer and is ranked as one of the top three cycling events in Europe. Here are five vocabulary words you might find interesting: La bicicletta (la bici) - Bicycle (bike)Il ciclismo su pista - Track cyclingIl ciclismo su strada - Road cyclingIl mountain biking - Mountain bikingLa sella - Bike seatLa borraccia - Water bottle Voglio iniziare a fare ciclismo, ma non riesco a trovare la bici giusta! - I want to start cycling, but I can’t find the right bike! Preferisci le mountain bike, le BMX, oppure il ciclismo su strada? - Do you prefer mountain biking, BMX, or road cycling? Il calcio - Soccer Even if you’re not a big sports fan, attending a calcio game in Italy is a cultural must, so when you do that, here are a handful of words that may be useful to you. I calciatori - Soccer playersI tifosi - FansLa partita - MatchIl portiere - GoalieL’arbitro - refereeLa curva - Part of the stadium where the ultra (hooligans) fans prefer to buy ticketsSegnare un gol - To score a goal Il calcio à ¨ lo sport piu praticato e pià ¹ seguito in tutta Italia. - Calcio is the most practiced and followed sport in all of Italy. Il numero di calciatori variano di squadra in squadra, ma sicuramente sono pià ¹ di undici. - The number of players vary from team to team, but there are definitely more than eleven.   You may also hear about a game called calcio storico, or historical football, that dates back to the 16th century. For more information related to il calcio, check out this article. La ginnastica - Gymnastics While the term â€Å"la ginnastica† can be translated to the English understanding of â€Å"gymnastics†, in Italian, it can also be thought of basic exercise and can often be substituted with â€Å"fare sport - to do a sport† or â€Å"andare in palestra - going to the gym.† Here are five vocabulary words you might find interesting: La ginnastica aerobica - Aerobic gymnasticsL’elasticit - FlexibilityLa ginnastica ritmica - Rhythmic gymnasticsLa ginnastica artistica - Artistic gymnasticsLa ginnastica acrobatica - Acrobatic gymnastics Faccio ginnastica, ma non dimagrisco! - I’m exercising, but I’m not losing weight! Hai visto la ginnastica delle Olimpiadi ieri? Gabby Douglas era fantastica!  - Did you see the gymnastics section of the Olympics yesterday? Gabby Douglas was amazing! Il nuoto  - Swimming Here are 5 key vocabulary words: Il costume da bagno - Swimming suitGli occhialini - Swim GogglesLa piscina - PoolNuotare a farfalla - Butterfly stroke swimNuotare a stile libero - Freestyle swim Lo sci - Skiing There are beautiful areas in Italy from the Italian Dolomites in the north to Mount Etna in the south. Here are 5 key vocabulary words: Le bacchette - RodsLa discesa - DescentLa neve - SnowLa pista - TrackGli sci - Skis Vai sulle Dolomiti quest’anno? Io, sà ¬, infatti ho comprato un nuovo paio di sci. - Are you go to the Dolomites this year? I’m going, in fact, I bought a new pair of skis. Mi piace sciare, ma a dire il vero, preferisco fare snowboarding. - I like to ski, but to tell the truth, I prefer to snowboard. Other Sports La danza - DanceIl motociclismo - MotorcyclingLa pallacanestro - BasketballLa pallavolo - VolleyballLa pesca sportiva - Recreational fishingIl tennis - TennisL’equitazione - Horse riding

The Role of DNA in Evolution

The Role of DNA in Evolution Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the blueprint for all inherited characteristics in living things. It is a very long sequence, written in code, that needs to be transcribed and translated before a cell can make the proteins that are essential for life. Any sort of changes in the DNA sequence can lead to changes in those proteins, and, in turn, they can translate into changes in the traits those proteins control. Changes at a molecular level lead to microevolution of species. The Universal Genetic Code The DNA in living things is highly conserved. DNA has only four nitrogenous bases that code for all differences in living things on Earth. Adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine line up in a specific order and a group of three, or a codon, code for one of 20Â  amino acids found on Earth. The order of those amino acids determines what protein is made. Remarkably enough, only four nitrogenous bases that make only 20 amino acids account for all diversity of life on Earth. There has not been any other code or system found in any living (or once living) organism on Earth. Organisms from bacteria to humans to dinosaurs all have the same DNA system as a genetic code. This may point to evidence that all life evolved from a single common ancestor. Changes in DNA All cells are pretty well-equipped with a way to check a DNA sequence for mistakes before and after cell division, or mitosis. Most mutations, or changes in DNA, are caught before copies are made and those cells are destroyed. However, there are times when small changes do not make that much of a difference and will pass through the checkpoints. These mutations may add up over time and change some of the functions of that organism. If these mutations happen in somatic cells, in other words, normal adult body cells, then these changes do not affect future offspring. If the mutations happen in gametes, or sex cells, those mutations do get passed down to the next generation and may affect the function of the offspring. These gamete mutations lead to microevolution. Evidence for Evolution DNA has only come to be understood over the last century. The technology has been improving and has allowed scientists to not only map out entire genomes of many species, but they also use computers to compare those maps. By entering genetic information of different species, it is easy to see where they overlap and where there are differences. The more closely species are related on the phylogenetic tree of life, the more closely their DNA sequences will overlap. Even very distantly related species will have some degree of DNA sequence overlap. Certain proteins are needed for even the most basic processes of life, so those selected parts of the sequence that codes for those proteins will be conserved in all species on Earth. DNA Sequencing and Divergence Now that DNA fingerprinting has become easier, cost-effective, and efficient, the DNA sequences of a wide variety of species can be compared. In fact, it is possible to estimate when the two species diverged or branched off through speciation. The larger the percentage of differences in the DNA between two species, the greater the amount of time the two species have been separate. These molecular clocks can be used to help fill in the gaps of the fossil record. Even if there are missing links within the timeline of history on Earth, the DNA evidence can give clues as to what happened during those time periods. While random mutation events may throw off the molecular clock data at some points, it is still a pretty accurate measure of when species diverged and became new species.