animal behavior – Page 2 – The Loh Down On Science

Hummingbird Hustle

June 13, 2019 Krista Fruehauf

Want to drive the chicks wild? Shake a tail feather! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Nature is filled with mating dances. Peacocks shake their tails, spiders shimmy, and flamingos Flamenco. They all boogie to their own beat, but is the timing of their two-step

Chummy Chimps

May 29, 2019 Morgan Ingemanson

Stressed out? SERENITY NOW! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Social interactions help keep our stress response well-balanced. But are all social encounters created equal? Enter researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. To understand how friendship impacts stress levels, they monitored wild chimpanzees

Deep Conversations

May 3, 2019 David Herman

Who amongst you speaks Spanish, French…Dolphin? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with The Loh Down on Science. Dolphins are thought to be the second smartest animal in the world. They form close relationships with family and friends and mourn their dead. But can they speak to one another? Dr. Ryabov

Under-see TV

April 2, 2019 Samantha Leigh

Who lives in the pineapple under the sea? DOLPHINS?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Dolphins love to be entertained. While in captivity, they often play with pool noodles and balls. But a new study suggests that dolphins may benefit from a more… HUMAN pastime.

Hungry Hummingbirds

March 25, 2019 Van Wifvat

Hummingbirds: Cute little nectar sippers, or battle-hardened killers? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Hummingbirds are darling! But it’s a bird-eat-bird world –sometimes they have to fight to survive! At University of California, Berkeley, Alejandro Rico-Guevara studies the evolution of hummingbirds. He wondered: What can

Quantum Buzz

March 12, 2019 Ted Yoo

Hate crowds? Need your “personal space?” Negatively charged electrons do too! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. To understand electrons, scientists have developed a special technique called density functional theory – D-F-T for short. D-F-T is used to predict how electron crowds move in an

Finicky Felines

March 8, 2019 Loh Down Staff

Dogs have masters, but CATS have…staff? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Cats are notoriously picky eaters. What makes our feline friends so finicky? Adrian Hewson-Hughes at England’s Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition decided to find out. Scientists presented cats with three food options. The

Seeing Eye to Eye

February 28, 2019 Jessica Monterrosa Mena

Do animals REALLY see eye to eye? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Most humans have the ability to detect color and perceive depth. But have you ever wondered how animals see the world? Eleanor Caves at Duke University studies how animals’ vision influences their

Smells Like Lemur Spirit

February 21, 2019 Rachel Rosenzweig

Scary! A creature that can smell your weakness! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When we think of creatures that smell weakness, we imagine…vampires! Sci-fi villains! That TERRIFYING clown in IT??!! Well, science has added a new creature to that list: LEMURS?! Rachel Harris from

Risky Red Tide

February 15, 2019 Paul Levine

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