Are children’s toys making your head spin? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The centrifuge is an essential lab tool. It’s like a really powerful salad spinner. It can separate fluids into layers based on their density. Centrifuges are critical for diagnosing diseases like malaria.
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In the immortal words of Homer, “mmmm… donuts!” This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. What’s today’s most common eating disorder? Binge eating! And it’s a major health crisis—more prevalent than breast cancer and HIV. Scientists are hard at work trying to find a solution. Enter
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Are pests destroying your garden? Maybe you should just. . . move! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Biologists know there are more species of everything near the lush equator. Which means lots of plants — and animals to eat them, like hungry caterpillars! So
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Surf’s up dude! Grab your. . . calculator? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Surfers travel all over the world in search of the perfect wave. But even if you’re not riding monster waves in Hawaii, you deserve a good ride. It’ll happen, IF you
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Do we take scientists at face value? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. For better or worse, first impressions are everything. Studies show that people make snap judgments about personality and competence based on looks. Could scientists face the same bias from the public? Does
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Stuck in traffic? You’re not alone—or maybe you are! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Traffic congestion just seems to be getting WORSE, doesn’t it??!! To encourage carpooling, traffic engineers created high-occupancy vehicle or H-O-V lanes. Cars with a minimum of two or three passengers
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Hate cleaning house? Here’s a fun new solution! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Larvaceans are ocean creatures that resemble tadpoles. Every day they build a three-foot long mucus shelter that also traps food. To eat, the larvacean pumps and filters seawater through this gooey
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As if spiders weren’t scary enough…they’re listening to us, too?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Jumping spiders are vicious predators known for their keen eyesight. Not so much for their hearing, because they lack eardrums. But now researchers from Harvard and Cornell have spun
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The newest gizmo for airport security. . . ovens? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Bed bugs have been making a worldwide comeback by evolving pesticide resistance. Gross! How can we stop them?! Enter Catherine Loudon, an entomologist at the University of California, Irvine. She’s
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No one wants rotten tomatoes. But do you want cold ones? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Sure, tomatoes stay fresh longer in the fridge. But as frustrated chefs and picky eaters know, they also lose their flavor! Why? Harry Klee from the Plant Innovation
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