Incubation is the maintenance of uniform conditions of temperature and humidity to ensure the development of eggs or, under laboratory conditions, of certain experimental organisms, especially bacteria.
In agriculture, Incubators are used by female birds to hatch a large number of eggs, which are heated by electricity.
Scientific Definitions of Incubation:
- The act of warming eggs in order to hatch them, for example, a bird sitting upon a clutch of eggs in a nest.
- The act of keeping an organism, a cell, or cell culture in conditions favourable for growth and development.
- The maintenance of an infant, especially one that is ill or born before the usual gestation period, in an environment of controlled temperature, humidity, and oxygen concentration in order to provide optimal conditions for growth and development.
- The development of an infection from the time the pathogen enters the body until signs or symptoms first appear.