Raindrop Power

Snowed mountain

Ain’t no mountain high enough! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We’ve all heard that catchy song! But..can mountains be raised, valleys lowered, and rivers widened? Rain may have the power to do all! But how? Byron Adams from the University of Bristol and collaborators

Continue reading

Virtual Therapy

Virtual reality setting for online therapy

Game time! …..with your therapist? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. These days, everything happens online – even therapy! Though it can be tough to open up online. But hey. . . What if you could meet your therapist in a virtual setting, like in

Continue reading

Magic Tablecloth

Pears on a tablecloth

Move over, Gordon Ramsey! We’ve got mealtime covered! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Choosing what to make for dinner can be a Kitchen Nightmare! But what if someone – or some-THING –made the decision for you? Te-Yen Wu and colleagues at Dartmouth University have

Continue reading

Bright Lights Big Bumblebees

Bumblebee in a pink flower with a fence behind

What’s the buzz happening in our cities? Literally! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Tall buildings, hectic roads. Our cities are enough to make humans feel small! But what about the critters buzzing around our balconies and parkways? Take bumblebees–how have they adjusted to city

Continue reading

Mighty Spongebob

Sponge in the ocean

Does Spongebob Squarepants have the perfect frame? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We, humans, need our buildings to be nice and sturdy. There are definitely right and VERY wrong ways to put them together. But what’s the LEAST amount of support you need to

Continue reading

Skyscraper Sunscreen

Chicago's skyline

Do skyscrapers need. . . sunscreen? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. It’s a concrete jungle out there, and a HOT one! Cooling big city skyscrapers with AC burns LOADS of energy. Could we save money and the environment by slathering buildings with sunscreen? Xiangyu

Continue reading

Lethargic Lizards

Lizard sunbathing

BRRR! Weather report: chilly with a chance of falling LIZARDS?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Like Florida retirees, tropical lizards LOVE the heat! If temperatures get too low, they get cold-stunned and can’t move. They can even fall right out of trees! Recently, South

Continue reading

Grandma’s Hands

Sourdough bread

Do grandmas really have a “magic touch” for baking? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Aspen Reese from Harvard wanted to know: can grandma’s actual hands really make a difference? She and her team sent flour to eighteen bakers across North America and Europe. The

Continue reading

Eye See You

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But what does that MEAN? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. It SEEMS easy to prove we’re seeing the same thing. I see an old blue mug; you see an old blue mug. But do we all

Continue reading

Altruistic Apes

Two Bonobo monkeys looking at a leaf that one of them holds

When it comes to helping strangers, what kind of ape are you? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. You might think altruism is a uniquely human trait. For example, when lending a helping hand, chimpanzees tend to favor their friends. But do other primates show

Continue reading