Maureen Purcell – Page 2 – The Loh Down On Science

What the Shell?

April 23, 2020 Maureen Purcell

Can she sell sea shells by the sea shore? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Sea shell hunting is SWELL. But when carbon dioxide levels rise, the ocean gobbles up shells instead of sharing! See, carbon dioxide is absorbed from air or stirred up

Yelp Department

April 22, 2020 Maureen Purcell

Does trying out a new restaurant give you butterflies? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Hopefully the butterflies mean excitement — not food poisoning! Health departments can’t monitor all eateries all the time. Who can we trust to keep restauranteurs in line? Maybe Yelp can

Happy Feet the Scientist

March 3, 2020 Maureen Purcell

Could climate scientists get some help from…Happy Feet? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Monitoring our oceans helps us understand how they’re changing. Right now, sensors monitor the sea’s currents, temperature, and salt levels. But they can’t cover the ENTIRE ocean. Picture the data as

Sleigh Bells and Seaweed

February 7, 2020 Maureen Purcell

Christmas came and went – and so did the cookies you left for Santa! But what do reindeer eat off season? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Climate change in the far north freezes Rudolph’s favorite plants. It also melts sea-ice bridges, preventing reindeer from

No Ice Ice Baby

February 4, 2020 Maureen Purcell

Yo, Rocky! Cool it on the ice baths! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Some post-workout routines are CAH-RAZY. You want to maximize your hard work and get “swole”. Ice baths are thought to improve recovery and conditioning. But, how do ice baths REALLY affect

Happy Meal?

January 29, 2020 Maureen Purcell

Is fast food for the BIRDS? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Urban birds get plenty of chow. Crumbs, sandwiches, dumpsters of snacks… One human’s trash is another bird’s feast. Or is it more like a last supper? Meet Andrea

Gotta Learn ‘Em All!

January 24, 2020 Maureen Purcell

I choose YOU, caribou! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Did you know that many kids can recognize more Pokemon species than real ones? Megan Callahan of the University of British Columbia does! That got her wondering – could card games

Always Sunny in California

December 11, 2019 Maureen Purcell

It’s always sunny in Southern California! But is it too good to be BLUE? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Do CLEAR skies have a CLEAR connection to California’s intensifying wildfire seasons? Columbia University’s Park Williams tried to solve this MIST-ery. Williams analyzed cloud height

Danger Down Under

November 20, 2019 Maureen Purcell

Ten foot venomous tentacles lurking in the ocean? It’s the box jellyfish! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Box jellyfish stings could easily be something from a horror movie. Especially terrifying? The monstrous C. fleckeri! Its venom causes pain, tissue damage, and even death! Swimmers,

Pretty Lemur

November 12, 2019 Maureen Purcell

Was the leafy green diet invented by. . . lemurs? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Tasty fruit grows on Madagascar, where lemurs roam. Yet, their diets are far less fruity than other primate diets – they prefer their leafy greens. This LEAVES scientists baffled.