That baby black hole is built like a linebacker! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. For years, astronomers have spotted mysterious “little red dots” in the sky. They were believed to be black holes that were impossibly massive for their age. Not so, according to
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All quiet on the … digestion front?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Your immune system usually “trains” soldier cells at lymph nodes — before shipping them out. But what if the battle is too far away? Enter John Gridley and Arash Grakoui from Emory
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Can we fix dead pixels… in our eyes?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. To see, our eyes need light to trigger brain signals. For people with a disease called macular degeneration, that connection is broken, creating a permanent blind spot! Enter Frank Holz and
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Blood is thicker than… OATMEAL?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Extra weight brings extra fat to your blood, and heart trouble. What if we could dodge it without losing a pound? Enter Stefanie Zorn’s team at the University of Cambridge . They studied a
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Is the fountain of youth… filled with naked mole-rats? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. For ages, we’ve been slathering creams and botox on our wrinkles. But naked mole-rats? They stay smooth while living ten times longer than lab mice! How?! Yu Chen’s team at
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Is the cure for cancer… the bench team?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Immunotherapy rallies our defenses against tumors. But sometimes, the defense gets… tired. Older cells release inflammatory signals that weaken immune response. Can we replace them with a “second string?” Get in
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Got an ‘owwie?’ Could be worse! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Healing a bruise is no fun. But what if we could dial down the pain? Meet Tregs — an immune cell and zen master. They normally tell overactive immune responses like aches and
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Hey diabetics! Imagine ditching the daily needle routine! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. In Type 1 diabetes, our body’s defenses accidentally wipe out our insulin-making cells. Doctors try swapping in donated cells, but those get smoked too! S-O-S! Save Our Cells! Enter Per-Ola Carlsson’s
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Can we recharge our brains’ batteries? Literally?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Alzheimer’s seems to drain our brains. Some say the disease’s sticky plaques are what causes memory loss. How? Enter Bruce Yankner and team at Harvard. They wondered if the plaques are actually
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Do we need to start vaccinating… bugs?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science… And we’re talking about taking malaria OUT of mosquitoes. Enter Alexandra Probst and her team at Harvard. After screening dozens of antimalarial drugs, they found two that could do the trick. They’re
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