Episodes – Page 142 – The Loh Down On Science

Slip n’ Slide

November 16, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Slipping on a banana peel – Cartoon pratfall, or fascinating biology? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. What makes banana peels so slippery? That’s what Kiyoshi Mabuchi colleagues at Japan’s Kitasato University wondered. So they set up a scientific slip n’ slide! They placed a

Peter Piper’s Pesticide

November 15, 2018 Bryce Wilson

If you can’t stand the heat… Stay off of my grass? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The grasslands in the United States are looking a little THIN these days! Conservationists are sowing new seeds to fatten up our amber waves of grain. Unfortunately, the

Super-Predator

November 14, 2018 Hurik Muradyan

Oooh — where’s that wascally wabbit?? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Hey early risers – have you noticed more animals on your morning run versus your afternoon walk? Do all the bunnies leave for afternoon tea time? Unlikely! Kaitlyn Gaynor at U-C Berkeley wanted

Slim-Fast Mice

November 13, 2018 Van Wifvat

Oh look! A piece of yummy cheese! But…could this be a trap? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Everyone wants to lose weight, scientists just as much as anyone else! And some are looking for answers by studying… mice! At the University of Copenhagen, Karen

Handy Human Hands

November 12, 2018 Van Wifvat

Let’s give evolution a high five! Literally! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Primates are our closest relative. But our hands evolved very differently. They don’t have nearly the dexterity we do. How did we humans get to be so…handy? Many anthropologists think it’s because

Moon Walk

November 9, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Moon walking: Not as easy as it looks! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. For astronauts, the moon’s weaker gravity can be disorienting. How do we know? Astronauts stumble! NASA has the blooper reels to prove it. That’s because gravity doesn’t just anchor us. It

Choco-Vision

November 8, 2018 Rachel Rosenzweig

Is the way to better vision… a golden ticket? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and some really sweet news! For years, carrots have been the go to food when it comes to improving vision. They’re rich in beta-carotene, which nourishes the eyes. But scientists

Bear-ly Exercising

November 7, 2018 Samantha Leigh

Need a workout buddy? How about a….polar bear?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Studies show that ice in the Arctic is rapidly melting. Since polar bears call this ice home, how will its disappearance affect them? Anthony Pagano teamed up with zoos in San

Nose for Politics

November 6, 2018 Van Wifvat

Politics stink! But could your nose give away your voting history? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. It’s easy to determine someone’s politics these days. Just ask them their opinion on, well, anything! But if you had to guess, it pays to be a bit

Amped-Up Memory

November 5, 2018 Van Wifvat

Your brain – what’s it up to…at night? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. It’s not just cooking up bizarre dreams! Sleep is also thought to affect memory formation.. Our natural electrical brain activity helps seal in those memories, converting them from short-term to long-term.