Just one more game of Mahjong Solitaire. . . What — it’s been six hours?!? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Does time REALLY fly when you’re having fun? Or does it just SEEM that way? Masamichi Hayashi Richard Ivry from UC Berkeley have some
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Muddy Boots
You kids better not track that mud into the house! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science…remembering something my mother used to say. Or more like, yell! But science asks: Could dirt actually be GOOD for you? Marja Roslund from the University of Helsinki, Finland and
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It’s election season – time to get out the…sneeze? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. For we humans, elections mean it’s time to go to the polls. But how do wild pack animals make their vote known? Ask Reena Walker from Brown University and colleagues.
Continue readingHiss and Make Up
Lookout – snake on the make! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. It’s summer Down Under! The water’s fine, but there’s something swimming towards you… Should you be worried? Enter Tim Lynch of Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization and colleagues. They wondered why
Continue readingSo A-Peel-ing
Bananas just drive me… BANANAS! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Banana bread, banana smoothies, bananas foster – YUM! But our delicious bananas are in DANGER. A new disease called BXW is wreaking havoc on banana plants, especially in Africa. Enter Jaindra Tripathi and colleagues
Continue readingAttack of the Mutants
Look out! Mutant armies on the attack! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Our bodies naturally recognize and fight cancers. One weapon? p53! That’s a protein that triggers cell death, stopping developing cancer cells in their tracks! But when this protein mutates and clusters, its
Continue readingSickly Sweet
Are sugar-free alternatives a SWEET idea for your gut? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Think of your stomach as a mine. Deep down, the miners — your gut bacteria — work to break down food into nutrients you can use. Things go smoothly when
Continue readingVanilla Warfare
Reduce, reuse, recycle…VANILLA? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Plastic wrapping, cups, utensils, oh my! Plastic production is contributing to a global waste crisis! One type of plastic in particular, P.E.T, can be recycled — but it doesn’t break down easily. Is there a sweet
Continue readingOrangutan Obstacles
Can I get extra fries with that Big Mac? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Rainforest animals like fruit-loving Bornean orangutans sometimes have trouble finding food due to deforestation and drought! They may eat 70% fewer calories than their bodies require. From a human perspective,
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Animals don’t HORSE AROUND when it comes to water! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Imagine you’re lost in the desert — you’re parched. But the desert’s teeming with animals! How are they surviving? Eric Lundgren from the University of Technology in Sydney dug up
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