Armed and Ready

Person showing the right arm biceps

Gym rats? Prepare to be dis-ARM-ed! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Accidents happen – even to those who regularly work out. A slip of the weight and – yowch! How can I keep my injured arm from losing all those muscle gains? Meet Omar

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Bat-ting the Distance

Vampire bat with device attached to its back

Down with a cold? Don’t worry, stay batty! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Feeling under the weather? Nothing beats curling up in bed! Hanging out with friends can wait — we don’t want them getting sick too! But what do OTHER social animals do

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Muddy Boots

Feet of two people wearing raining boots jumping in the mud

You kids better not track that mud into the house! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science…remembering something my mother used to say. Or more like, yell! But science asks: Could dirt actually be GOOD for you? Marja Roslund from the University of Helsinki, Finland, and

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Man’s BFF

Person hugging dog with one arm while seated in a mountain

Dogs really are the ulti-mutt pets! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Anything feels PAW-sible when you have a dog by your side. But why do these furry friends feel so attached to us? Anders Bergström from the Francis Crick Institute in London and an

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Diamonds in a Hurry!

Diamond hold by a tweezer

Diamonds are forever…and take forever to make! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Diamonds — SO divine! But they take billions of years to form and mining is dangerous. Who can wait that long for luxury? Dougal McCulloch and colleagues at RMIT University in Melbourne,

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Monkey Business

Plastic brain model

Watching monkeys at the zoo – so cute! Until they start throwing their poop …! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying… Humans and monkeys are similar – minus the poo-pitching. Mostly. We’ve got two arms, two legs, and developed brains. However, our human brains

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SapQuest

African trees in the dusk

Pop quiz: How many trees are there in West Africa? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Martin Brandt from University of Copenhagen wondered. So with the aid of NASA and an international team, he built a computer program to count trees — using machine learning!

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Outside/In

Aerial photography of gray concrete highways crossing

Working from home in sweatpants? Yes, please! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The world-wide COVID pandemic has kept many people inside, away from restaurants, shops, and work. Without the usual hustle and bustle, how is the environment faring? Zhu Liu from Tsinghua University in

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Circle of Friends

Three women posting for picture

Your best friend is MY best friend? Is that even allowed? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. A breakup, bad work presentation, or family drama. Sometimes we just need to vent with our friends! We all need people to lean on. But why do some

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Planting Secrets

Trees in a forest

Plants and climate change: a love-hate relationship! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is a major contributor to climate change. But it’s also a plant food source. When the sun shines, plants turn CO2 into food! So, back when there were

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