In biology,
- often biological defense mechanism, a form of adaptation that promotes the survivability of an organism by protecting it from its natural enemies. Also see chemical defense.
In law,
- a claim that some biological factor present in the defendant provides a defense against the accused crimes, as in the so-called Twinkie defense.
Famous quotes containing the words biological and/or defense:
“It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past.... Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
—George Steiner (b. 1929)
“There’s no telling what might have happened to our defense budget if Saddam Hussein hadn’t invaded Kuwait that August and set everyone gearing up for World War II½. Can we count on Saddam Hussein to come along every year and resolve our defense-policy debates? Given the history of the Middle East, it’s possible.”
—P.J. (Patrick Jake)