Spotting Stripes

How do some tigers earn… EXTRA stripes? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Got the eye of the tiger… PRINT? Almost FORTY percent of the tigers in Similipal national preserve in India have “double” stripes. Some are more black than orange! BUT this unique pattern

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Rare Recyclables

One man’s trash is another man’s… smart phone? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Electronics keep society wired, but how does Mother Nature like them? Electronics rely on rare earth elements–think cerium, neodymium, and dysprosium. Mining them is expensive AND damages the environment. Extracting them

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Popsi-cow

What boasts a bark-like coat…AND can float?  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying no, it’s not a kayak! It’s the Steller’s Sea Cow – named for explorer Georg Steller — which lived in the Bering Sea. That is, until the last ones were hunted

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Rowing Robots

Do ROBOTS of a feather… flock together? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Wildebeest over the serengeti, sardines in the sea – many animals move seamlessly together in herds. But, we humans have a hard time not bumping into others at the grocery store! How

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Drooling for Drama

Are our kids doing a spit take? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Would you share a soda straw with a stranger? How about your sister? Family bonding sometimes means swapping a little spit! Ashley Thomas and colleagues from Harvard University wondered – can BABIES

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Ancient Energy Boost

Hunter! Gatherer! Farmer! Who works the hardest – or smartest? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Humanity’s evolution from earlier species took a LOT of energy. Bigger brains, needier children, and longer lifespans meant we had a lot on our PLATES – literally! How did

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Cray-Sea Creatures

What’s big, scaly, and eats more than your Dad at a discount buffet? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying… Ichthyosaurs! These ancient REPTILES swam in oceans but breathed air… Imagine something like a scaly dolphin, but the size of a whale!  In fact, P.

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Rainbows and Unicorns

Is it a horse … or a fashion statement??    This is Sandra Tsing Loh with The Loh Down on Science.   Black, white, brown or pinto…our noble steeds proudly sport many different colors. But, their wild ancestors all tended to be some shade of brown! How did the color explosion come

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For Your Eyes Only

Whispers, intrigue, secret love letters – oh my!   This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.  I’m not describing the latest period rom-com! I’m talking HISTORY, and the famed queen of France, Marie Antoinette. She wrote letters to a rumored lover during the French revolution. But the

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