What’s black, white, and LOVES siestas? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Humans enjoy cat naps, particularly at our desks, but if you’re a creature out in the wild? Dozing off can make you lunch for predators. Or does it? Enter the Chinstrap penguins of
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COVID detection is literally going down the toilet! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When health officials see new COVID-19 cases in a community, too late—it’s ALREADY been circulating. Is there an “organic” way to predict rising case numbers? Enter Haley Kappus-Kron and team from
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Rising sea levels—inland homes become beachfront homes become. . . Dude, where’s my neighborhood? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Mathematical models predict over ONE-HUNDRED FORTY MILLION climate migrants by 2050. BUT they don’t consider SOCIAL migration factors like age or growing families. Enter Mathew
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Does Jaws have taste buds? He did eat a helicopter… This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Many animals taste bitter—they secrete toxic chemicals to avoid getting eaten. But bitterness may not protect against sharks. These early predators evolved WAY BEFORE the first bony fish with
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Grow a backbone, will ya? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Our spinal cords do more than stand us up. They carry our bodies’ nerves’ signals back and forth to our brain. These signals travel inside myelin proteins, which are kind of like wire insulation.
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This’ll put some hair on your…. heart?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Cholesterol. We know it. We fear it. The L-D-L form clogs blood vessels, and causes HEART DISEASE. But it has a partner in crime. Imbalances in the sex hormone testosterone can be
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Bad work environment? Someone’s gotta speak up, but who? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. People are less likely to intervene in inappropriate situations when in large groups. This bystander effect is caused by social pressures felt when others evaluate us. But those with the
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With apologies to Mulan, Who is that MOUSE I see…staring straight back at me? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. How do you know what you’re SUPPOSED to look like? Sure you can look in a mirror. But how do we recognize the face staring
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Spare the rod, spoil the child? NO. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Kids grow up so fast these days. Literally. Stress can actually accelerate their aging process through genetic changes. And that comes with increased health risks. How can we slow down? For kids
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Can depression be MELTED away?? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Depression is a widespread, global disability. Yet many patients don’t have access or even respond to antidepressant medications. Holistic alternatives such as yoga and meditation have been explored, though not proven groundbreaking. But how
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