Could the new AA be algae-holics anonymous? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with The Loh Down On Science. Harmful algal blooms, or red tides, are bad news for everyone. Toxic red algae grow out of control. They poison shellfish and the people who eat them. Tiny shrimp-like creatures called copepods
Continue readingTag: algae
All-Powerful Algae
Don’t forget to water your … computer?!? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Most of the electricity we use comes from fossil fuels. . . and that’s not good for our warming planet. Is there another way? Indeed! For truly GREEN energy, how about plants?
Continue readingGreen Power
Airplanes powered by… ALGAE? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Algae are microbes that can turn sunlight into energy that’ is then stored as oil. Algae’s other superpower? Fighting rising gas prices – as BIOFUELl! But this process is inefficient and costly. How can we
Continue readingAmazing Sight
Amazing Grace, how sweet the…sight?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When light enters the eyes, the light-sensitive cells send signals to the brain. Let there be sight! But the disease Retinitis Pigmentosa, or RP, can cause loss of vision. José-Alain Sahel at Sorbonne University,
Continue readingVampire Bacteria
I VANT to suck your… biofuel? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Algae can be made into a biofuel that’s greener than gasoline – literally! But a mysterious killer has been sucking its life out. What causes these healthy aquatic creatures to become a rotting
Continue readingPink Snow
We all know to avoid yellow snow. But what about PINK snow? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with The Loh Down On Science. Pink snow forms when the surfaces of glaciers and ice sheets melt. Red algae grow in the meltwater and color the snow beneath. Scientists from the University
Continue readingRisky Red Tide
Could the new AA be algae-holics anonymous? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with The Loh Down On Science. Harmful algal blooms, or red tides, are bad news for everyone. Toxic red algae grow out of control. They poison shellfish and the people who eat them. Tiny shrimp-like creatures called copepods
Continue readingCoral Conundrum
Could fun in the sun – mean grief in the reef? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The sun’s ultraviolet rays cause suntans, sunburns… and an increased risk of skin cancer. Sunscreen protects our skin by using chemicals like oxybenzone to absorb harmful U-V rays.
Continue readingRainbow Roll
Chameleons and kelp – what do they have in common? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Chameleons change colors to hide or to express their feelings — like living mood rings! But seaweed doesn’t change color… or does it? Meet Heather Whitney from the University
Continue readingGoing Green
It isn’t easy eating green! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Eastern coastal waters are home to pretty green sea slugs, called eastern emerald elysia. They look like leaves! What’s more, these marine animals eat algae, a plant. Then somehow they use the algae to
Continue reading