Boozy Social Hour

Hey hey, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying… Skol! Prost! L’chaim! Raising a glass together can turn strangers into friends! But can it make us TOO friendly?  Enter Laura Gurrieri from University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and colleagues. They wondered

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Humming Bar

Flying under the influence?   This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.   We’re not the only creatures that drink alcohol. Birds do too. Over time, some of the sugar in bird feeders and the nectar in flowers ferments into booze. And hummingbirds… drink up to

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Worth a Shot

Is your sleep quality ON THE ROCKS? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. WINE-ing about not getting a good night’s sleep? Maybe that after-work cocktail is to blame!  Dandan Zheng and researchers at Penn State University wondered whether alcohol intake affects sleep. To find out, they

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Boozy Social Hour

Hey hey, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying… Skol! Prost! L’chaim! Raising a glass together can turn strangers into friends! But can it make us TOO friendly?  Enter Laura Gurrieri from University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and colleagues. They wondered

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Sweet Solution

Acura NSX GT3 Race Car testing at Gingerman Raceway

A spoonful of sugar… makes your car lighter? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Carbon-fiber. It’s a defining feature of elite planes, racing cars, and even sports equipment. This ultra-light material means cars need less fuel and you can swing that racket faster. But carbon-fiber’s

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Fueled by Tequila

Who’s up for Margarita Monday?? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Agave is a sharp succulent most famous for its starring role in tequila. Just the thing after a long day of Zoom meetings! But what else can this miracle plant do??  Agave can be

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Drunken Decisions

Should I say NO to that second glass of wine? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. For some, drinking moderately is difficult. But why? Lindsay Halladay from Santa Clara University and colleagues wondered. The researchers first trained mice to press a lever for an alcohol

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Whiskey Rings

To avoid those annoying coffee-rings on your table, try switching to whiskey! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Slow down. This study comes to us via engineers Hyoungsoo Kim and Howard Stone at Princeton University. They were inspired by photographer Ernie Button’s portraits of

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Loosened Lips

Does my margarita make me MORE articulate? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down Science. Alcohol affects how our brain works and remembers. Many bilingual speakers claim their foreign language skills IMPROVE after a drink. But is it just liquid courage? Fritz Renner at Maastricht University in the

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