Selfie Love

Say cheese!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying, taking pictures has never FELT this good! Breakfast selfie, outfit selfie… They are EVERYWHERE! Selfies are a popular way to capture and share moments. But could they also have a psychological component? Richard Eibach from the

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Correcting Concrete

Did ancient Romans CRACK the construction code? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The Colosseum, the Pantheon, the ancient Catacombs… Roman architecture has stood for millenia. But how has it survived for SO LONG?  Enter Linda Seymour and team from MIT. The team analyzed the

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Cocoa for Weight Loss

Bowls of cocoa beans and powder with broken chocolate pieces on color background from depositphotos.com

Trying to lose weight? Could the secret weapon be More DESSERT!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.  Our sweet tooths can cause problems for our waistlines and livers! People with obesity commonly develop excess liver fat, known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or N.A.F.L.D. Could

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Help Needed

Diffusion of responsibility, bystander effect illustration — Stock Image & Photo from depositphotos.com

HELLLP! Somebody nabbed MY grocery cart in the Trader Joe’s parking lot! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The “bystander effect” claims that individuals are less likely to help when other people are around. But what’s the chance that at least ONE person steps up?  

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Worm Scouts

Boy scouts can learn a thing or two about knots… from WORMS? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Have you ever tried to tie a knot so tight that you couldn’t undo it? Turns out there are OTHER organisms that have mastered the knotting technique!

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Jack and the Beans Talk

Can you be-LEAF what your plants are saying?  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. If only house plants could just TELL us when they need water! Or can they?  Itzhak Khait from Tel-Aviv University and team investigated. Researchers put plants near microphones that pick up

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Toxic Toolbox

Image of rattlesnake.

As Woody says – “There’s a snake in my boot!”  This is Sandra sing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Imagine you’re hiking and “sssss” – a rattlesnake! Eek! If you do get bit, the local doc MIGHT have an antidote, but will it work? Even closely-related species can

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Origami Spaceship

Spaceship launching into outer space.

What ancient craft is out of this world?!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh, with the Loh Down on Science. Space is COLD! About minus four hundred and fifty five degrees Fahrenheit. Brr! Such chilly temperatures can turn spaceship materials brittle. Is there a way to make them more sturdy at

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Ode to Genomics

BEETHOVEN’S WIG! IS VERY BIG!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and thanks to Richard Perlmutter. Ludwig van Beethoven is known for his classical music AND his hearing loss. Before he died, he requested his health issues be made public and investigated. What can modern

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Brain Drain

Think fast: what’d you have for breakfast?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Whether recalling mom’s birthday or where you set your keys down, memory can be fuzzy. But we should be able to remember something we just saw, right? Turns out, even very new

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