We have officially reached the half-way point of our summer assignment! Only 4 weeks to go.
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This week's links:
- The new hit game Stray has some real-world effects. I have not played Stray (we are an X-Box/Switch household), but anything that helps find homes for strays is great. I that would love to hear from any of you that have played the game; has it influenced your positions on cats as pets? Anyone gone out and adopted after playing?
- Electrical bacteria may help clean oil spills and curb methane emissions Bacteria's importance in ecosystems is often underestimated, and even completely ignored.
- Is this pillbug-like organism a pollinator of the sea? Not just the birds and the bees anymore, we need to add aquatic invertebrates to the list.
32 comments:
In the article “Real-world animal shelters are streaming Stray to save cats’ lives”, animal shelters are utilizing Stray to fundraise for and educate the community about cats. It is common to see movies and books like “A Dog’s Way Home” where a dog travels long and far to reunite with its owner. However, the same story is not associated with cats. Stray is changing the game by creating a feline protagonist that is attempting to escape a dystopian city and return to its family. It shows that dogs are not the only animals worthy of becoming pets. Cats are also incredible creatures that would travel long and far to reunite with their family. After playing the game, my stance on cats as pets has changed. I used to believe that dogs were superior pets, but this game turned dogs and cats into equals. They both are loving and loyal which are the most important traits in a pet. In addition, I love that this game is promoting awareness for strays. By streaming this game, more money is being donated to shelters. This helps them provide the resources the cats need. On top of that, more cats are being adopted because of the game’s positive display of cats. Overall, the game Stray is having a huge effect on animal shelters.
The article “Electrical bacteria may help clean oil spills and curb methane emissions” was quite eye opening because it talked about this wispy bacteria that has so many benefits. While there are so many inventions that scientists and researchers are creating, such as the super charged bionic tree to help fight climate change, there are pre existing types of bacteria that are silently helping fight climate change which can be taken advantage of. This bacteria has so many different uses including contracting the build up of sulphur and phosphates from fertilizer runoff, cleaning up oil, and reducing methane emissions. But the way that cable bacteria can clean up oil is the most interesting, because it works in tandem with oil eating microbes. Oil eating microbes are normally the first to the rescue in the case of an oil spill, but the cable bacteria is the one that allows the oil eating microbes to be more efficient. These two types of bacteria have such a long history that they already have a certain process to complete the task at hand but also help each other out in the process. Many times in history, different organisms have been brought in to the country with hopes to solve a particular problem, but they end up being invasive species. But this study/article shows that there are so many helpful organisms already living in our systems, we just have to figure out the useful ones and make use of the resources they provide.
The article I chose to write about is “Real-world animal shelters are streaming Stray to save cats’ lives”. What I found eye opening about this article is how as technology develops, more opportunities for shelters to promote adoption arise. By using methods such as the game “Stray”, shelters and cat fosters are able to educate viewers on why TNR (Trap, Neuter, release) is important. Also they also provide them with the opportunity to fundraise and use that money to better care and provide opportunities for the stray cats to find homes. I realized how important this is because there are many people who choose to foster cats as part of their job, and with a lot of strays in bigger cities, finding enough funds to take care of diseases and the cats daily needs is hard. So using social media as well as other media forms to educate and promote donations becomes very useful in giving these people the resources they need to take care of these animals.
In the article "Real-World Animal Shelters are Streaming Stray to Save Cats' Lives," the author writes about how a game called Stray has influenced others to donate to animal shelters and even adopt kittens. Kitten season is a surplus of kittens in need, and this season lasts from the spring to October. The popularity and donations made because of the game has helped the shelters to provide care to the kittens, which has been helpful due to the current kitten increase. I took a look at the game, and I was surprised to see that the atmosphere was similar to the city and forest environments. I found this detail of importance because it shows many the reality that kittens survive through, leading us to want to help these kittens. I believe this game is educational in terms of mimicking what stranded kittens face, which is often overlooked. I personally do not have a kitten and do not plan on adopting one, but the game has changed my perspective on the dangers kittens face being outside. Furthermore, I am now grateful to the shelters that do everything in their power to rescue as many kittens as they can and protect them from the hazards they have previously experienced.
The article “Real-world animal shelters are streaming Stray to save cats’ lives” opened my perspective to video games. In society today, many think that video games are unhealthy and take up too much time. In this article, we see that it is actually helping our local community animal shelters. The game “Stray” was brought to the attention of some of these shelters who then used the game to inform people about the struggles some of these cats go through. This helped raise money and helped many kittens. This made me realize how much social media has an impact on society. It has made fundraising easier and more accessible. This can be useful in the future as things like the extinction of animals and global warming get worse.
The wispy bacteria referenced in the article “Electrical bacteria may help clean oil spills and curb methane emissions" is fascinating as I had never previously acknowledged that such bacteria was so essential to a single ecosystem let alone pollution and climate change as a whole. rather than focusing on scientific inventions and discoveries such as the bionic tree, with the use of such bacterium, scientists can control the amount of pollution present in aquatic ecosystems. This bacterium can oil and phosphate buildup from fertilizer runoff and lower methane emissions. The most intriguing kind of oil cleanup, however, involves cable bacteria since it collaborates with organisms that consume oil. Because these two species of bacteria have existed for a long time, they already have a set procedure for doing the work at hand while aiding one another. Typically, oil-eating bacteria are the first to respond to an oil spill, but the cable bacteria actually makes the oil-eating bacteria more effective.
The article, “Real-world Animal Shelters are Streaming Stray to Save Cats’ Lives” is about a video game that inspired awareness for cats without homes. The game “Stray” has not been the only seemingly simple and fun trend on the internet that has created noticeable effects. In the last few months, the new Minions: The Rise of Gru movie has become a global phenomenon and has broken records for Universal Studios. Aside from the minions being lovable funny creatures that everyone loves to watch, the social media trend titled #GentleMinions has drastically contributed to the movie’s success. It is easy for people to take part in something fun they see on social media such as a video game or watching a movie. What they may not realize is how that will contribute to a massive economic effect. Through the game “Stray” thousands of dollars have been raised for cats in need. This makes me wonder whether other movies or charities will try to stimulate a social media trend in order to make money. I feel like now it is easier than ever for something simple to take off because of how much time people spend on social media. This article was a reminder to me that not all time spent on social media is useless and inconsequential.
I enjoyed reading the article, “Electrical bacteria may help clean oil spills and curb methane emissions”, because it presented me with new information about an aquatic species that has helped and will continue to solve many problems. It amazes me how these 5 centimeter long bacteria made up of several cells and conductive proteins are able to create an impact in bodies of water. Cable bacteria manage sulfides that some microbes produce in the ocean, ultimately protecting fish and other aquatic organisms from toxins. Additionally, cable bacteria helps in the area of oil spills as they help with the metabolic activities of other oil-eating microorganisms. In order to do this, they convert the toxic sulfides into sulfates which are used as a sort of fuel for these microorganisms. This article helped me discover the parallels between cable bacteria- the aquatic pollinator- and bees. Bees are very important to the land ecosystems as they act as pollinators. They provide us with our food sources as they pollinate billions of plants every year and without their pollination process many of the agricultural foods we eat everyday would die off. They also provide food sources for wild animals, build homes and hives for other insects and creatures, and help us produce fibers and raw materials.This shows that bees are an important factor to our survival just like the cable bacteria which helps with the sustainability of aquatic organisms and the aquatic ecosystem. With continued research into the effectiveness and efficiency of cable bacteria our aquatic ecosystem can thrive in ways like never before.
The article “Real-World Animal Shelters are Streaming Stray to Save Cat’s Lives” describes how animal shelters and foster organizations are using the video game Stray to aid in fundraising and educating the public about kitten season. I always thought that video games and streams were just for entertainment purposes and that they were not impactful, but hearing about Stray and how shelters use the game changed that. I think that it is amazing how a video game helped to raise a large amount of money to help support cats, change people’s views about cats, and help stray cats find a home. Overall, this article displayed how much of an effect social media and other related platforms can have on raising awareness and educating the public about important topics and helping those (whether it be people or animals) in need. By streaming the game, shelters have been able to successfully gain support and fundraise. Many people all over the world have access to social media, so by bringing important topics to these platforms, more people will become aware of certain issues and can be inspired to help make a positive impact.
The article “X-rays help researchers piece together treasured cellular gateway for first time” talks about how scientists are trying to piece together the structure of nuclear pores. Nuclear pores act like doors outside the nucleus of the cell which allows nutrients or proteins to enter and exit the nucleus. A research team from Caltech University used X-Ray crystallography to map out the structure of the nuclear pores. This is significant because it can put scientists a step closer to finding treatments for cancer and other diseases. The process to figure out the structure of the pores was not easy since the pores were not visible to the naked eye and acted like a 3D jigsaw puzzle. They used the same method used to figure out the structure of DNA which was X-Ray crystallography. Although they could not find the exact structure of the nuclear pores, it provided them with the framework to do future experiments on the correlation between the nuclear pores in diseased cells. This also provides them with information needed to find the molecular function of the nuclear pores. This is a really interesting way to find the structure of certain parts of the body that are tiny and complex and along with that it can help find cures for diseases. I think scientists should continue their research in nuclear pores since it can allow them to find treatments for diseases.
I always felt like cats were underappreciated compared to dogs but after reading this article, “Real-world animals shelters are streaming Stray to save cats’ lives” by Cass Marshall, I was relieved. Personally, I’ve always loved cats more than dogs and this article just strengthened my fondness for them. I definitely realized how important it is to take care of our stray cats as much as it is to take care of our stray dogs. I haven’t played this game since we are also an Xbox and Switch household, however, I would adopt a cat as soon as I could if I could. Yet, I would love to play the game as it looks so wholesome and relaxing to play. Using platforms like Twitch which are usually meant for video games and entertainment is so such an initiative way to fundraise and spread awareness. It can attract so many more people and can be very successful in a not only effective but entertaining way. This article proves how creative people can be when trying to advocate and help out a certain cause, also showing how this could work for other important causes. In all, social media and its platforms hold so many opportunities for more than just entertainment and can be used to make critical impacts that could change our future.
The article, “ Real-World animal shelters are streaming Stray to save cats’ lives” was heart-warming as it described how a video game has saved many stray cats’ lives and influenced people to adopt kittens/cats. Crits for Cats is an organization which has a Twitter account as well as a Twitch channel which often streams Stray. This organization works towards rescue and TNR (trap-neuter-return). It is incredible how so many people have streamed Stray, which has brought several benefits. Due to such a high number of streams, Stray has been able to raise money which will be used towards helping stray cats. Stray has also partnered with Nebraska Humane Society, raising over $7,000 for the shelter from 560 donations. This is incredible as social media has had such a positive impact on so many cats’ lives.
After reading the article, “ Electrical bacteria may help clean oil spills and curb methane emissions”, I found it interesting how a threadlike bacteria can channel electricity and chemically rewire its surroundings. In the Chesapeake Bay, most microbes produce sulfides. However, this cable bacteria has the ability to remove these chemicals and stop them from moving beyond the vicinity. Therefore, the bacteria are keeping crustaceans, fish, and other aquatic organisms safe from the chemicals. Typically, people think of bacteria as harmful organisms but never consider the benefits they may bring. In addition to removing sulfides, this bacteria has the potential to clean up oil spills and stop greenhouse gas, methane, from entering the atmosphere. As scientists are discovering new methods to slow down global warming, I would have never thought that bacteria could prevent greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere. Moreover, I found it intriguing that the conductive proteins which channel electrons are more conductive than semiconductors found in electronics. While batteries charge and release energy between an anode and cathode, the cable bacteria powers itself by channeling electrons. It is truly amazing how bacteria, a unicellular organism, has brought so many benefits to bodies of water, aquatic organisms, and the atmosphere, and also shares similarities with electronics.
In the article "Electrical bacteria may help clean oil spills and curb methane emissions", biogeochemists study bacteria found at the bottom of Chesapeake bay, which remove dangerous sulfides from moving up the water table. Their experiments show that these cable bacteria support other types of bacteria that consume crude oil. If scientists find a way to easily grow these bacteria, they could be incorporated into an easier way to clean up oil spills. They also could reduce emissions of methane. This could greatly help control greenhouse gasses, with methane emissions from fossil fuels being higher than previously estimated. If these bacteria can be properly utilized, they could be apart of the solution to the climate emergency.
I really enjoyed reading the article about the game “Stray” and its impact on the players. Especially in current times, technology plays a big role in altering people’s ideologies, and ways of life. The most interesting part about the effect “Stray” has on humans is the compassion it brings out. People don’t often believe in a cause unless they can put a face to it, so the cat is that face. Also mentioned in the article was the outreach shelters have done to educate all communities about taking care of cats, and how to prevent more cats ending up on streets. The game “Stray”, if they are not already doing so, can add infographics or other educational material regarding strays into the game so players have that knowledge. Even if a person is not able to adopt a pet, knowledge on what to do when you see a stray cat is just as important. This article created interest for me in the field of psychology and technology. “Stray” combined these two aspects to create a game for players to be hooked on to, and to spark some change in the way people think about stray cats and the work that shelters do. The setting, the way the cat looks and music all have to do with the affect the game has on humans. I am interested to see what other social changes occur with the use of games and other entertainment.
Reading the article “Real-world animal shelters are streaming Stray to save cats’ lives” by Cass Marshall cemented the idea of how huge social media’s impact is to me. I always knew how influential social media could be in a negative way, but this article reminded me how social media’s outcomes can be effective and positive as well. Raising over $7000 for cats in need, the Nebraska Humane Society and Annapurna Interactive have definitely taken advantage of the internet’s wide reach to help animals find safe homes where they can live happily and healthily, and also get the medical procedures they require.
The article, "Real-world animal shelters are streaming Stray to save cats’ lives," interested me because it showed the impact that social media has on people's lives. Although many people preach that social media is bad, good things can come from it as well. I like how the shelters took all of the options that they had to help kittens find their forever homes. They took advantage of a trend to benefit them. Fundraising through a video game shows how the internet has a wide reach. It also shows that the internet is a place that brings people together.
After reading the article, “Real-world animal shelters are streaming Stray to save cats’ lives”, I thought about how many cats there are in shelters. There are so many animals that need a home with no one to give them one. I think advertising for animal shelters is very important so that some of these animals can live in comfort for the rest of their lives. There is also some stigma around cats as they are often viewed as unlikable, grumpy and dirty strays. People often see a competition between cats and dogs, with dogs being the superior animal. “Stray” allows them to change their perspective on cats, showing that they are just as loveable and likable as dogs. While dogs and cats are very different in some ways, they deserve an equal chance in being loved.
In the article, “Real-world animal shelters are streaming Stray to save cats’ lives”, the author, Cass Marshall discusses how the game Stray, which involves a cat trying to navigate home, leads people to actually help cats by donating money to help cats or adopting a cat. In my opinion, I thought this was very interesting because video games are actually being used for good. I don’t usually play video games mainly because I always heard it “encourages violence” or it “ruins your brain”, but seeing this new side of video games has got me intrigued and made me realize the positive side of video games. Furthermore, I also found it fascinating how the people working for Stray were able to contact Twitch streamers allowing them to reach a bigger audience and get more people to get involved with their game. I know that throughout the pandemic, many people got bored, so they got more involved with video games and watched Twitch, so putting Stray on a platform like this was able to reach more people and get them to donate and help cats.
As referenced in the article, “Electrical Bacteria May Help Clean Oil Spills and Curb Methane Emissions,” the growth of certain cable bacterias may help clean up oil spills in the ocean. These bacterias may form links which grow up to 5 centimeters. These links not only help our environment by reducing oil spills, but they also regulate sulfides produced by some microbes, which protects aquatic life from toxins. These bacteria could assist in the fight against global warming, by helping to control greenhouse gasses. Bacterias are usually thought of negatively, but these organisms could positively impact our environment and make changes for the better.
I enjoyed reading the article “Electrical bacteria may help clean oil spills and curb methane emissions” because I like to learn about potential environmental solutions. There are always new solutions humans discover to benefit our world. It is fascinating to read how there are bacteria that perform similar functions as a battery and are even more conductive than semiconductors in electronics. Algal blooms are a growing problem as a result of excessive human use of fertilizers. It is great that there is a natural way to reverse environmental damage caused by algal blooms. It is interesting to see that there are natural solutions to environmental problems where humans don’t need to create something. Since it is difficult to clean oil at the bottom of the ocean, the cable bacteria appear to be an effective solution even if it has a toxin tolerance limit. I was unaware that rice paddies contribute to methane emissions. Introducing the cable bacteria seems like a promising decision as limiting beef consumption appears to be more difficult than introducing the bacteria to soil. Cable bacteria sounds like a viable solution that, if successful, will be a tremendous help to our world.
After reading the article, “Electrical Bacteria May Help Clean Oil Spills and Curb Methane Emissions,” I was amazed by the Cable bacteria’s fascinating anatomy. I never knew proteins could act as conductors within living organisms. As a result of this, Cable bacteria can behave like batteries. It is the unique abilities and processes that allow the cable bacteria to not only survive but also serve as a possible solution to various environmental issues. Among these issues is another interesting topic addressed in the article: euxinia. According to the article, euxinia can be caused by an algal bloom, nutrient pollution, and oxygen depletion, all of which are quite common occurrences. However, the Cable bacteria are able to convert sulfides into sulfates and indirectly cause rust to form as a top layer. To my surprise, this rust is beneficial in preventing noxious sulfides from contaminating the water, delaying or even preventing euxinia. It only further proves that Cable bacteria are a keystone species upon which many other organisms rely for survival in aquatic environments.
The article, "Electrical Bacteria May Help Clean Oil Spills and Curb Methane Emissions" by Nikk Ogasa, was very interesting to read. I find it fascinating how cable bacteria that are thinner than a human hair can channel electricity, help reduce methane, and possibly assist oil burning microbes along with accelerating oil cleanup. I really hope that researchers can figure out how to fully take advantage of the cable bacteria's abilities because I believe it can truly be revolutionary. Where some solutions involve genetic engineering, like the supercharged tree, others like the cable bacteria just need a nudge in the right direction. I find this incredible, and think it is a great example of how some of our solutions to our environmental problems may be right there in front of us, no matter how simple or tiny they might be.
In the article, "Real-world animal shelters are streaming Stray to save cats' lives," many recue organizations stream the game called Stray to promote and even fundraise about cats. Stray is a game in which cats have to do a certain task and viewers watch it either on Twitter or other services. I believe that this is a smart and unique way to advertise about cats. This worked out pretty well as more and more pets and animals are getting a home. According to the article, "That fundraised money is going to directly help the pets in the shelter." Due to this, homes are now available for over 4,000 pets and animals. Also one detail that helps with this initiative is the fact that most people like having cats come up on their services as they feel that they are cute little species. I love how streaming and this type of use of social media can really affect an animal's life in a positive way.
I chose "The new hit game Stray has some real-world effects" article because I like games and cats and it is a very fun topic to talk about because the real life features I see from the game is how street cats live and survive through stealth because of this when people play the game they get a more real life approach to stary cats and what they go through. Its fun to see streamers streaming to show awareness for cats and to try and encourage people to get cats so that the cats can grow to have loving homes and don't have to fend for themselves on streets.
The article "The new hit game Stray has some real-world effects" describes a real-world example of how much technology can make a difference in our society. We live in a generation now where video games are more popular than ever, and it was interesting to see in the article how much impact the game had on animals. "Stray" raised awareness of cats and convinced people to get cats and raise them in a forever-loving home. It's great to see how the evolution of technology and social media was able to make a positive difference in animals' lives and it shows how influential technology can be in today's generation.
I've been dying to get my hands on the new game, Stray. I mentioned it to my brother a couple weeks ago; we both adore cats. Although I haven't gotten around to playing it (because of the SATs), I mostly know what the game is about. "The New Hit Game Stray has some Real-World Effects," explains it perfectly. It makes me so happy that players have taken an interest in cats and are donating to shelters. The game creators have made an excellent way to raise awareness on start kittens by providing items in the game itself. I hope to adopt a cat of my own someday, but until then I'm looking forward to playing the "new hit game", Stray.
It was inspiring to see the efforts taken by video game designers to help cats find homes with their game Stray. The game changed many people’s perspective on cats as we know that dogs are usually favored over cats. Stray allows people to solve puzzles using strategy whilst developing an attachment to their cat companion. I admire how the video game designers are taking steps towards giving cats homes and even going the extra mile to hold fundraisers and donate their profits to cat shelters. A game like this offers endless possibilities. Video games can be used for more than just personal entertainment; they can be designed so that a real world impact can be incorporated into it. Popular video game companies, for instance, could hold fundraisers with similar themes to their games that benefit society. To conclude, I hope to see more video games created with the intent of educating people on important matters as there are over 2.9 billion people who play video games and even more who have access to social media. There is no limit to what can be achieved with the right game and message.
While reading the article, “Real-world Animal Shelters are Streaming Stray to Save Cats’ Lives”, it was heartwarming to see that people are adopting cats and donating money after playing the video game, Stray. Usually people view video games as unbeneficial and violent so I was surprised to see this video game getting a lot of love and attention. Using social media is a great way to educate people about stray cats and helping them find a home. This video game has also showed me the effort that shelters take to try to save so many cats from being out on the street, dying and getting diseases. Just by playing the game and getting informed by kitten season, players are making a positive impact and spreading awareness. It’s insane how much of an effort social media can make on people and raise such a huge impact on society. I’m happy to see that Stray changed many peoples opinion on cats and helped put the spotlight on such an urgent cause.
We should accept the advise that even one person can make a difference when it comes to the hot-button issue of climate change. It is explained how bacteria might help maintain our environment in the article "Electrical bacteria may help clean up oil spills and reduce methane emissions." Perhaps small steps like this can lead to a healthier, cleaner environment for us. It's just absurd to think that something so tiny could have such a significant impact. This might do some amazing things, but it tells me that even seemingly insignificant actions can have a big influence. I can occasionally pick up trash if a tiny piece of bacteria can clean up oil spills.
The article "Is this pillbug-like organism a pollinator of the sea?" grabbed my attention because when I think of pollination, I think of bees and flowers, all in a non-marine context. Surprisingly, it had never occurred to me that some underwater plants needed to be pollinated as well. Some of these plants produce asexually, but others produce sexually, like the red alga mentioned in the article and seagrass. Since isopods can act as pollinators, I wondered if the role can also be played by animals that live in seagrass, such as fish and crabs, which particularly bear a resemblance to isopods. Something I noticed was that the symbiotic relationship between the red alga and the isopod is highly beneficial to both parties. To me, this was a great example of how, in ecosystems, all of the organisms are dependent upon each other, and not just in a prey-predator way. Balance and diversity are important in every ecosystem, and it especially rings true in an environment as vast as the ocean, which can range from kelp forests to coral reefs. If even one element in the ecosystem changes, everything else will shift. Similarly, if the population of one of the isopod's main food sources takes a hit in numbers, the red algae would be affected as well, even though the algae and the isopod don't have a prey-predator relationship.
The article “Real-World Animal Shelters are Streaming Stray to Save Cat’s Lives” shows how the game “Stray” was able to help animal shelters. The protagonist of this game is a kitten and it shows its journey through a dystopian environment. This game really encouraged people to adopt kittens and donate to animal shelters. I think its really amazing how one game is helping so many stray kittens find homes and providing funding for animal shelters to take care of their animals. This game showed that even video games can create a great impact. And using large streaming services such as Twitch, is a great way to connect with more people and spread awareness of issues that matter.
The article, “Real-world animal shelters are streaming Stray to save cats’ lives” gave me another perspective of how a video game can be used. Stray is not only a game that is fun, but it creates support for cats and kittens. Video games are usually thought of as entertainment and even a waste of time. However, Stray has changed this understanding, since it has become an unconventional form of fundraising for the cats and kittens in help. Shelters and foster organizations are using this game to bring awareness to the people and thanks to this game, their plan has been successful. People were donating, even those who did not have a way to play the game. I believe this is an incredibly smart way to gather support from a wide range of people. This proves how social media is once again proving its worth and how it connects people towards contributing to a good cause. It is fascinating how a game has saved lots of cats’ lives and I am curious to learn if games are going to be used more in the future for other fundraisers.
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