Clouded Checkmate

Is a good chess move all in the … lungs?!? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Air pollution is hard on our bodies, particularly our lungs and heart. But can indoor air quality also CLOUD our thinking? Steffen Künn and an international team of researchers

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Let Them Eat Air

Cell converting some molecules into others

Can we make food out of thin air? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Soil is full of microbes. These tiny organisms eat and break down other organisms. They also recycle nutrients. But in desolate places on earth, or even in space, what is there

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Indoor Smog

How’s the air quality today…at home? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When you hear the words “air quality,” most people think of smog. That nasty brown stuff in the air. On a bad day, you try to stay indoors and avoid it. But is

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Martian Air

Summertime, and breathin’s easy… on Mars! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Like Earth, Mars has seasons. As the seasons change, so does its air. But, there’s something strange happening in the atmosphere, and we don’t know why… Melissa Trainer and a group of NASA

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Organic Pollution

Forest meadows, fresh flowers… tail pipe exhaust? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Secondary organic aerosols–gah! These tiny particles are a class of chemicals that form the air around us. As natural and industrial gas emissions interact with sunlight, the resulting particles reflect or absorb

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Hopping to the Rescue

The Easter bunny is here… with a basket full of fresh air? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Urban homes often contain high levels of pollutants, known as volatile organic carcinogens. These VOC’s include formaldehyde, benzene, and chloroform. Yuck! Certain house plants are a good,

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Let Them Eat Air

Can we make food out of thin air? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Soil is full of microbes. These tiny organisms eat and break down other organisms. They also recycle nutrients. But in desolate places on earth, or even in space, what is there

Continue reading