Too big…? too small… ? This BODY size is just right! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Mammals that live in the ocean are some of the largest animals in the world. Think whales and walruses. These mammals’ ancestors used to live on land. When
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New hope for the Three Blind Mice? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The Farmer’s Wife may yet be foiled thanks to researchers from Fudan University. For sighted people, light gets picked up by cells in our eyes. These cells have sheets of pigment that
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When it comes to hunting prey, what’s a shark’s secret? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: They’ve got it under their skin. Sharks can detect electrical fields of moving prey. How? They have a network of pores around their snout called ampullae of Lorenzini.
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Like your chili extra hot? Here’s another thrill you might enjoy—a tarantula bite! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. A study by David Julius of the University of California, San Francisco, looked at venom from a West Indian tarantula. It’s shown to activate the same
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Don’t have a date? Or a mate? No problem! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Animals sometimes go solo. Why? Because they can reproduce without mating: virgin birth! Technically, it’s called “parthenogenesis.” Instead of DNA from mom and dad, offspring just have mom’s DNA. So
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What’s a whale’s favorite music jam? Apparently: the bluuuuueees! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Forget Coachella – there’s a BIGGER music festival happening… deep in the North Atlantic ocean! The headliners? Breeding bowhead whales! All winter long, these whales flirt by singing songs to
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Look, ma! No hands! I mean wings! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and on the tool-using habits of New Caledonian crows. Sure, various animals use tools, but we’re the only ones with toolboxes. So other species have to find creative ways of keeping their
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Is your margarita. . . endangered? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Insects like bees and butterflies are known for their pollinating prowess. When they feed on the sweet nectar from flowers, pollen rubs off on their legs. This pollen transfers to other flowers so
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Are horses just . . . overgrown dogs? Science suggests yes! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: The two species do seem to have something unusual in common: The ability to read people’s faces! So say animal researchers at the University of Sussex. These
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Don’t speak the language? Just keep smiling! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Many gestures are universal. A warm smile is innately understood all around the world. A thumbs up, however? That’s learned and doesn’t translate across cultures. But where did all of these gestures
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