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
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Nose for Politics
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
Continue readingAmped-Up Memory
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.
Continue readingMartian Gardens
We’ve all heard of “farm to table”—But what if your table is on Mars? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. It’s hard to get fresh veggies in space. But future colonists will need them for long-term survival. Enter researchers from Wageningen University in The Netherlands.
Continue readingA Dog’s Life
The dog! Man’s best friend …AND best diet buddy?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Think your dog resembles you? Maybe it’s the curly fur, the glaring distrust of the FedEx guy — or is it your… metabolism? Peer Bork’s team at the European Molecular
Continue readingScaredy-Crows
Animal grouping phrases: A parliament of owls! A murmuration of starlings! A murder of crows?!? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. University of Washington researchers Kaili Swift and John Marzluff observed, and wondered: Why do crows gather around their dead? To find out, first, the
Continue readingBat Talk
Overheard in the bat cave – conversation? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. That’s what Genevieve Wright at the University of Maryland wanted to know. In previous studies, Wright and colleagues found that brown bats seem to make six different types of social calls. Their
Continue readingAlone Again, Naturally
Is your best friend…a volleyball named Wilson? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Existential isolation is the feeling that there’s an uncomfortable gap between you and other people. Turns out, men experience existential isolation more than women. But why? Alyssa Croft at the University of
Continue readingRadical Treatment
Can being less of a “free radical” keep us young at heart? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, reminding us all that age is just a number! Arteries tend to shrink and harden with age, leading to heart disease. This is partly due to mitochondria,
Continue readingMusical Menu
Is the key to eating healthier. . . Kenny G? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science The mealtime choices we make are influenced by our environment. Bright lights, colorful restaurants, sticky icky menus, … even how loud the music is! Courtney Szocs and colleagues studied
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