Gut and Paste

Woman stressed out with hands in her head

Stressed? You have GUT to relax! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Money! Politics! Global warming! Stress is abundant in our everyday lives. Recent studies show that certain foods affect our microbiomes — that is, our gut bacteria. Foods like red meat, artificial sweeteners, and

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Nothing But Tooth

Tooth from three different views (from the referenced paper)

Do you swear to pull the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. A century ago, thirteen teeth were found on the European island of Jersey inside Saint Brelade cave. Scientists assumed the teeth belonged to Neanderthals.

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Fungus Versus the Volcano

Conidia of the fungus Alternaria

Do FUNGI put the FUN in … cleaning? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science… and a VOLCANIC scientific discovery! Volcanic eruptions create a chemical called Selenium. And industry has since increased Selenium in water to toxic levels. Can we get help to clean it? Mary

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Teen Bops

The Bee Gee’s? OMG! That really takes me back! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Which tunes are in YOUR personal Top Ten? Whether we heard it on an 8-track, CD player, or I-phone, music is EVERYTHING in our teens! But WHY does the music

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Egg-stra Large Eggs

Dinosaur seating on the top of its eggs

Baby dinosaur or…Jurassic omelette? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Most birds incubate their eggs by sitting on them.  But how did big, heavy dinosaurs warm their eggs without smashing them? This question captured the attention of Kohei Tanaka. He studies Oviraptorosaur fossils. Parent Oviraptorosaurs

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Fooled Filters

Blood cells in a vessel

I’m a blood cell… April Fools! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Your body has its own Secret Service — the IMMUNE SYSTEM. It’s built to keep good stuff in and bad stuff out. But sometimes security is TOO TIGHT. Even MEDICINE can get filtered

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Abbreviation Aggravation

Cubes spelling O-M-G.

Do acronyms make you say “T-M-I” or “I-D-K”? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Can your doctor tell an UPPER ARM from a UTERINE ARTERY? You’d better hope so — your flu shot only goes in ONE of those places! But in medicine, the acronym

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Pharma-ATM

Prescription medication containers and pills

Gotta stop at the ATM for some cash – and some penicillin..?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. You swing by the pharmacy, but the line is taking FOREVER. Do you wait? Or do you run to your next errand, completely forgetting your meds? Enter

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Sweat it Out!

Bulb light on

America runs on…sweat? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. A morning run – so invigorating! The feeling of sweat rolling down your back? Yuck! But can sweat be useful? Xueping Zhang and colleagues from the National University of Singapore had a “dry idea!” The team

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Into the Woods

Forest seen from above

Into the woods we go, Hansel, Gretel and… CO2? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. In the musical, the wicked witch was the baddie in the woods. As far as the planet goes, the baddie is greenhouse gases – or CO2. It’s a big contributor

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