Diabetes Beatdown

You’re going down, DIABEETUS! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Diet and lifestyle choices are the gold standard for treating diabetes. We know the benefits of low fat, low sugar foods. But how big of a difference can exercise make? Enter Sampath Amaravadi and team

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Bloody Brain Bouncers

What do you mean I’m not on the guest list?! I’m Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science! Geez! Like an exclusive club, our brains have a bouncer: the blood-brain barrier or B-B-B. It guards your brain from intruders in your bloodstream. But some diseases can compromise the

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Hungry for a Longer Life?

For a longer life, cut the cheese? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science saying… ask mice! Andrea Di Francesco and team at Calico and Jackson Labs did just that. They followed nearly a thousand mice on different diets. Some fasted, some cut calories, and some ate

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Invaluable Companions

Who knew true love would be short, hairy, and have bad breath? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We all know someone who loves their fur babies more than they love people. They have sweaters that say so. But do pets really make people happy,

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Cosmic Soup

SOS! Mars needs Miso! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Astronauts typically eat freeze-dried meals. They’re stable, nutritious, and…. BLAND! PLUS, space dulls taste buds. How can astronauts get their savory, umami flavors back? MIT’s Maggie Coblentz and team were on the case! They asked

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FLUniversal Vaccine

New year, new… flu?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Current influenza vaccines target a handful of specific strains each flu season. BUT individual flu strains change fast, and predictions can miss the mark. Is there a one size fits all solution? Enter Vamsee Mallajosyula

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After the Fire

  There’s something in the air… This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Wildfire season is over, but the air still feels thick. Tingting Ye and team from Monash University in Australia were concerned. Could small particles in the air be harmful even months after a

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Just Bee-cause

Are bumble bees… BIGTIME PLAYAS?!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Play behavior is common in mammals and birds. But insects??? Hiruni Samadi Galpayage Dona and team investigated whether bumble bees play. They gave forty-five bees tiny wooden balls with no food and no incentive. Still,

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