Binford, Lewis R(oberts) (b. Nov. 21, 1930, Norfolk, Va„ U.S.) U.S. archaeologist. Binford taught principally at the University of New Mexico. In the mid 1960s he initiated what came to be known as the “New Archaeology,” which champions the use of quantitative methods and the practice of archaeology as a rigorous science. He applied the new meth¬ odology in an influential study of Mousterian artifacts and later extended it to a study of the hunting activities of a living people, the Nunamiut, trying to draw analogies to prehistoric contexts.
Bing, Sir Rudolf (b. Jan. 9, 1902, Vienna, Austria-Hungary—d. Sept. 2, 1997, New York, N.Y., U.S.) Austrian-born British opera impresario. After holding positions in German opera houses, he assumed the position of general manager at the Glyndebourne Opera in England (1935—49). In 1946 he helped found the Edinburgh Festival. From 1950 until 1972 he served as general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, where, wielding autocratic power, he raised the institution’s performance standards, extended its season, encouraged innovations in design and production, ended the exclusion of black singers, and oversaw the company’s move to Lincoln Center in 1966.
Bingham, George Caleb (b. March 20, 1811, Augusta county, Va., U.S.—d. July 7, 1879, Kansas City, Mo.) U.S. painter and frontier poli¬ tician. He studied briefly at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts,
Fur Traders Descending the Missouri, oil on canvas by George Caleb Bingham, 1845; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.
COURTESY OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, MORRIS K. JESUP FUND, 1933
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
220 I bingo ► biological rhythm
but he was largely self-taught. He entered politics in Missouri and worked as an itinerant portrait painter before turning to the lively routines of fron¬ tier life for inspiration. Bingham is known for his incisive characteriza¬ tions, clear, golden light, and talent for organizing large, dense compositions. His best-known works include Fur Traders Descending the Missouri (1845) and Jolly Flatboatmen (1846).
bingo Game of chance played with cards having a grid of numbered squares corresponding to numbered balls drawn at random. When a num¬ ber on the card is drawn, the players cover that number (should they have it); the game is won by covering a certain number of squares in a row (ver¬ tically, horizontally, or diagonally). Cards are purchased and proceeds are placed into a common “pot”; winning cards are awarded a portion of the pot. Wildly popular in the mid 20th century, bingo has in recent decades suffered a decline in America but has increased in popularity in other parts of the world. The earliest name for bingo—lotto—was recorded in Britain in 1776; the game is sometimes called keno in the U.S.
Binh Dinh Vuong See Le Loi
binoculars Optical instrument for providing a magnified view of dis¬ tant objects, consisting of two similar telescopes, one for each eye, mounted on a single frame. In most binoculars, each telescope has two prisms, which reinvert the inverted image provided by the eyepiece of each telescope. Light rays travel along a folded path inside the telescopes, so the instrument has a shorter overall length. The prisms also provide bet¬ ter depth perception at greater distances, by allowing the two objectives (object lenses) to be set farther apart than the eyepieces. Binocular eye¬ pieces are often fitted to microscopes or other optical instruments.
binomial nomenclature System of naming organisms in which each organism is indicated by two words, the genus (capitalized) and species (lowercase) names, both written in italics. For example, the tea rose is Rosa odorata ; the common horse is Equus caballus. The system was developed by Carolus Linnaeus in the mid 18th century. The number of binomial names proliferated as new species were established and more categories were formed, and by the late 19th century the nomenclature of many groups of organisms was confused. International committees in the fields of zoology, botany, bacteriology, and virology have since estab¬ lished rules to clarify the situation. See also taxonomy.
binomial theorem In algebra, a formula for expansion of the bino¬ mial (x + y ) raised to any positive integer power. A simple case is the expansion of ( x + y) 2 , which is x 2 + 2xy + y 2 . In general, the expression (x + y) n expands to the sum of {n + l)terms in which the power of x decreases from n to 0 while the power of y increases from 0 to n in suc¬ cessive terms. The terms can be represented in factorial notation by the expression [n\/((n - r)!r!)]x” - r y r in which r takes on integer values from 0 to n.
Bio-Bio \,be-6-'be-o\ River River, south-central Chile. Rising in the Andes Mountains, it flows northwestward 240 mi (380 km) to enter the Pacific Ocean near Concepcion. Though it is one of Chile’s longest riv¬ ers, it is shallow and navigable only by flat-bottomed boats.
biochemistry Field of science concerned with chemical substances and processes that occur in plants, animals, and microorganisms. It involves the quantitative determination and structural analysis of the organic com¬ pounds that make up cells (proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids) and of those that play key roles in chemical reactions vital to life (e.g., nucleic acids, vitamins, and hormones). Biochemists study cells’ many complex and inter¬ related chemical changes. Examples include the chemical reactions by which proteins and all their precursors are synthesized, food is converted to energy (see metabolism), hereditary characteristics are transmitted (see heredity), energy is stored and released, and all biological chemical reac¬ tions are catalyzed (see catalysis, enzyme). Biochemistry straddles the bio¬ logical and physical sciences and uses many techniques common in medicine and physiology as well as those of organic, analytical, and physi¬ cal chemistry.
biochip Small-scale device, analogous to an integrated circuit, con¬ structed of or used to analyze organic molecules associated with living organisms. One type of theoretical biochip is a small device constructed of large organic molecules, such as proteins, and capable of performing the functions (data storage, processing) of an electronic computer. The other type of biochip is a small device capable of performing rapid, small-scale biochemical reactions for the purpose of identifying gene sequences, envi¬ ronmental pollutants, airborne toxins, or other biochemical constituents.
biodegradability Capacity of a material to decompose by biological action. The term usually refers to the environmental breakdown of waste by microorganisms. Generally, plant and animal products are biodegrad¬ able, whereas mineral substances (e.g., metals, glass, plastics) are not. Local conditions, especially the presence or absence of oxygen, affect biodegradability. Disposal of nonbiodegradable waste is a primary source of pollution. Surgical materials made to be absorbed by the body are also called biodegradable.
biodiversity Quantity of plant and animal species found in a given environment. Sometimes habitat diversity (the variety of places where organisms live) and genetic diversity (the variety of traits expressed within a species) are also considered types of biodiversity. The estimated 3-30 million species on Earth are divided unequally among the world’s habi¬ tats, with 50-90% of the world’s species living in tropical regions. The more diverse a habitat, the better chance it has of surviving a change or threat to it, because it is more likely to be able to make a balancing adjustment. Habitats with little biodiversity (e.g., Arctic tundra) are more vulnerable to change. The 1992 Earth Summit resulted in a treaty for the preservation of biodiversity.