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This week, we have a selected a handful of intriguing STEM articles for you to browse if you're in search of even more STEM content!
Though it's easy to get a sense of an animal's general state of mind from behavioral clues--like a dog's wagging tail or a cat's content purr--is there any way to understand the deeper emotions at play in an animal's mind? This article tackles the science behind understanding animal emotions and raises some interesting questions about the way we currently view certain behaviors.
We're so used to our own planet that headlines like these may make you do a double-take. As it turns out, the environmental conditions on other planets actually cause elements of physics, like gravity and sound, to behave quite differently there than we are used to. This article delves into new research in this area and unpacks the science behind this interesting occurrence.
Leeches aren't typically the most likable creatures in the natural world, but conservation biologists are coming to realize that they can be immensely valuable tools when it comes to monitoring species diversity in ecosystems. The DNA contained in the blood ingested by leeches can be analyzed to determine the source species, allowing scientists to keep tabs on the prevalence of at-risk species living in a particular habitat, among other things. Better yet, leech research is actually more time- and cost-effective than current monitoring methods like trail cameras and observation by trained researchers. Check out this article to learn more about this strange discovery!
Though the feat of obtaining a complete human genome has been claimed many times in the past, it has only truly been accomplished recently. This article details this amazing discovery and the impacts it will have on fields such as medicine, which have already been utilizing incomplete versions to great affect. If science and technology are your thing, you will probably enjoy reading about this great accomplishment.
Further on this week's environmental topic, this article describes a single organism that has an immense role in its ecosystem. We often don't realize it, but all ecosystems around the world tend to depend on a handful of keystone species and ecosystem engineers to keep them in good form. Understanding which species are the pillars that hold up an ecosystem is vital to knowing how best to preserve and restore the ecosystems all around us. This article is a great way to dive into that concept if you'd like to learn more!
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