In situ

In situ is a Latin term, which means at the site, or in position. It is used in different fields of science, with slightly different meanings. Examples include:

In medicine, it usually means at the position where it is in the body. When talking about cancer a carcinoma in situ is an early stage of cancer, that has not spread, and that is usually easy to treat.

In physics, an in situ measurement is a measurement in place.

In molecular biology in situ is short for in situ hybridization.

In chemistry it means that the (usually very reactive) mixture is directly used.

In archeology it means that the items are still at the position where they were found originally.

Category:Latin words and phrases
Category:Scientific terminology