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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Tongue Tech

Can cats help us create the PURRR-fect hairbrush? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Our feline friends are some of nature’s most fastidious groomers. Tool of choice? Their tongues! What makes them such good cleaning tools? Alexis Noel and David Hu from Georgia Institute of

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Deep Eels

Swarm of eels found in the abyssal deep sea.

Voyage to the bottom of the sea….literally!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The deep ocean is cold, dark — and the least explored place on Earth. Scientists have had a hard time figuring out what lives down there!  So Astrid Leitner from the University

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Diabolical Tank

The diabolical ironclad beetle (Phloeodes diabolicus)

What has six legs and is INDESTRUCTIBLE?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Dropped your phone and cracked it AGAIN?? Can’t they make these cases stronger? Jesus Rivera from UC Riverside and team found the solution hiding in a tree. The Diabolical Ironclad beetle makes

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The Power of Language

Words can change your mind… literally! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Language is a huge part of human development. But can the language we speak physically affect our brains?  Xuehu Wei and team at the Planck Institute in Germany wondered. They compared brain scans

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Spun Out

Ring around the rosyyy… This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Remember spinning around the playground as a kid til you felt like hurling–or maybe did!?? It turns out many other primates like to spin too! What makes this silly, dizzying pastime so much fun? Adriano

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Doxing in Darkness

Hello darkness, my old friend.  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Sleep helps us learn, focus, and recover. Light is nature’s alarm clock. And a good one at that! Even a tiny bit can keep us from catching our Z’s. Would sleeping in total darkness

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