Stressed-Out Chicks

Are the most popular kids also the most stressed out? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: You’d be surprised what the little birds tell us! At Oxford and Saint Andrews universities, researchers investigated what factors make youngsters more social adults. The researchers turned to

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Water Wonder

Water treatment that’s effective…and CUTE! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Most treatment facilities purify water by using chemicals that glob onto bad stuff. But this process isn’t perfect… if only someone could lend a hand… or a tentacle?! Introducing the sea anemone Actinia! It

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Sick Days

Cold got you down? STAY HOME! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. More and more, people are told to stay home if they are feeling sick. Don’t infect the whole office! But does it really make a difference? Ask an ant! The highly social nature

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Pink Snow

We all know to avoid yellow snow. But what about PINK snow? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with The Loh Down On Science. Pink snow forms when the surfaces of glaciers and ice sheets melt. Red algae grow in the meltwater and color the snow beneath. Scientists from the University

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Hungry Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds: Cute little nectar sippers, or battle-hardened killers? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Hummingbirds are darling! But it’s a bird-eat-bird world –sometimes they have to fight to survive! At University of California, Berkeley, Alejandro Rico-Guevara studies the evolution of hummingbirds. He wondered: What can

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Profane Pain

You stubbed your toe! Oh, fudge- Words you can’t say on the radio! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science asking: Why do we swear when we’re hurt? In 2009, that’s what psychologists of Keele University in the UK wondered. They led a study on the

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Mind Over Molecules

Which is more powerful? Nature or nurture? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying – what about “mind control?” Some aspects of our physiology and personality are encoded by our genes. And we know that environmental factors are also important. Bradley Turnwald and colleagues at

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Every Beat of Your Heart

What’s YOUR biggest “fear factor?” Heights? Snakes? CLOWNS??!! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Whatever your phobia, it can be paralyzing! To overcome our fears, we can expose ourselves to them bit by bit. But it’s a slow process. Enter a research group led by

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Social Interference

Are you shy? Maybe your T-cells are to blame! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. T-cells are the body’s immune warriors. They fight off invaders and keep you healthy! But what if your army of cells is short a few good men? You might get

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Plastic for Dinner

Just say “no” to plastic straws. Think of the turtles! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science Plastic is everywhere – in packaging, fast-food containers … dirt?! Yes, dirt! Farmers sometimes mix plastic chips with mulch to improve plant growth. But the plastic stays in our

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