1. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
   silence, tao, enigma, and magic mushrooms
2. starfish, tongues, ears, and more

STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It refers to curricula that helps students learn all about these fields.

1. viruses
   bacteria
2. vertebrates

Vertebrate are animals with backbones. Mammals, like humans, are just one of many types of vertebrates.

1. magnetism
   milliliters
2. magnesium

A millileter -- or mL -- is part of the metric system of volume. One milliliter has has a mass of about 1 gram.

1. covered wagon
   steamboat
2. rocket ship

In 1807, inventor Robert Fulton saw the culmination of his major work -- the commercialization of the steamboat. His boats helped to revolutionize transportation in America.

1. osmium
   oxygen
2. oganesson

Oxygen, at least for humans, is one of the most important elements in the universe. It is critical for respiration, as well as whole lot of chemical reactions.

1. shape
   highway design
2. the human form

Geometry is essentially the study of shape. Mastering geometry is a lifelong endeavor for many passionate mathematicians.

1. geomagician
   geometer
2. geomatician

Geometers are mathematicians who are especially enthralled with geometry. Plato, for example, was a famous geometer who investigated geometry thousands of years ago.

1. Earth
   Venus
2. Mercury

Mercury is the heat-blasted planet closest to the sun, and Venus is second. Earth is third in line.

1. tripwire
   pulley
2. Wheel-o

A pulley is simply rope and a wheel. Its simple design belies its ability to help people do far more work with a lot less effort.

1. yaw
   gravity
2. kryptonite

Gravity, of course, is one of the most familiar forces in the universe. It keeps us grounded, so to speak, and also helps maintain planets in their regular orbits.

1. cheetah
   carpenter ant
2. marlin

The famous cheetah is Earth's fastest animal. These big, lithe cats can quickly accelerate to around 60 mph in order to nab prey or to escape from threats.

1. flask
   scale
2. thermometer

Any science lab has multiple thermometers. They are vital for making observations of temperatures and possibly preventing you from blowing the place up with an experiment gone wrong.

1. kerosene
   lipid
2. protein

Biological catalysts -- enzymes -- are protein molecules that typically speed up chemical reactions in cells. Proteins are therefore incredibly important to all creatures.

1. Benjamin Franklin
   Thomas Edison
2. Bill Gates

In 1877, tech whiz and inventor Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, which was meant to record and play back sound. The first phonographs had cool flared horns that amplified the volume of quiet audio.

1. straight line winds
   ball lightning
2. lightning

Lightning consistently kills about 50 people per year in America. Violent weather like hurricanes and tornadoes often claim far more lives.

1. electricity
   fat
2. inertia

Objects that are in motion tend to remain in motion … and to keep going on the same path, thanks to inertia. Your unmotivated sibling seems to be suffering from unemployment inertia.

1. another parasite
   a host
2. a giraffe

In a bit of biological yin and yang, parasites latch onto hosts. The parasite thrives -- the host slowly but surely begins to suffer.

1. bifocal glasses
   gasoline engine
2. kites

Franklin was a lifelong tinkerer who also happened to have rather poor vision. He invented bifocal glasses, which significantly improved his ability to see his environment.

1. torque
   potential energy
2. friction

Friction causes resistance between sliding objects. When you rub your cold hands together to warm them, you're utilizing the concept of friction.

1. an over-performing equation
   a random number
2. a data point that's very different from other observations

Outliers are those strange data points that fall far from other observations. Outliers may just be mistakes, or perhaps they require further investigation.

1. spiders
   birds
2. reptiles

Birds make up the class Aves. They are vertebrates with endothermic traits, meaning they regulate their body temperature. They range from ultra-tiny hummingbirds to ostriches that weigh hundreds of pounds.

1. earthquakes
   hurricanes
2. cultures and religions

In California, seismologists are celebrities, because they study earthquakes. And everyone on the West Coast wants to know when the next "big one" might come along and drop San Francisco into the bay like a hot potato.

1. airplane
   diesel train
2. space shuttle

After years of experimentation, in 1903, the Wright brothers (Orville and Wilbur) launched the first successful airplane. Their fantastic feat sparked a major shift in transportation technologies.

1. radio
   digital computers
2. pasta

Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi is credited with inventing radio. For his feat, he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand Braun. Both men are icons of electrical engineering.

1. quotient
   denominator
2. integer

The numerator takes its position on the top of a fraction. The denominator lives downstairs. like the 40-year-old son who's still living in his parents' basement.

1. Sahara Desert
   mantle
2. inner core

The Earth is made up of multiple layers, the crust, mantle, outer core and inner core. The inner core is by far the hottest part of Earth, with temperatures topping 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. infrared
   X-rays
2. ultraviolet rays

Ultraviolet rays, or UV, make up about 10% of the electromagnetic radiation from the sun. It's also the reason that those of you with Irish ancestry must slather on 30 gallons of sunscreen before you dare wander out of the cellar.

1. rhombus
   parallel
2. the interstate

Parallel lines never intersect, instead traveling side by side into eternity. Because they never connect, no matter how hard they try, parallel lines symbolize the way all of us are ultimately going to die alone.

1. swordfish
   peregrine falcon
2. pronghorn antelope

The peregrine falcon is master of the world when it comes to speed. During a dive, these sleek birds can top 200 mph. If you look very closely, you'll see that peregrine falcons actually have anus afterburners.

1. outer membrane
   cytoplasm
2. nucleus

The nucleus is the central organelle, one that's critical to reproduction -- it stores the bulk of that cell's genetic material. A damaged nucleus often spells doom for the cell.