Night and Day

Luminescent bacteria in the dark

What winds YOUR internal clock? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Roosters crow at dawn. Toddlers wake up at 4 am every day. Plants know when to turn light into energy. But… What about BACTERIA? Zheng Eelderink-Chen at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and

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Muddy Boots

Feet of two people wearing raining boots jumping in the mud

You kids better not track that mud into the house! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science…remembering something my mother used to say. Or more like, yell! But science asks: Could dirt actually be GOOD for you? Marja Roslund from the University of Helsinki, Finland, and

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Cuddle Buddies

Two lemurs cuddling

Are hugs the new chicken soup? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Think of your gut as a soup of friendly bacteria. Everybody’s recipe is custom made to work with our bodies properly. These good bacteria help digest food and fight disease. Scientists know that

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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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Recycling Worms

A small tan and black Superworm

The Earth is DROWNING in plastic! Can we find relief — at the pet store? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Almost ten percent of all plastics are polystyrene. Think: foam cups and to-go boxes. Polystyrene can take HUNDREDS of years to break down. Is

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Bacteria Army

Red running track with white lanes labeled 1 through 8

Bacteria trained for the mission … impossible! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Ever seen bacteria in petri dishes? They’re like bad disco dancers – all over the place! But is there more to these troublemakers than just randomly dancing around?  Enter Taras Turiv and

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The Terrible Tribbles

What IS the trouble with tribbles? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Tribbles — they multiply so fast that Captain Kirk was buried in them! But what’s worse? E. coli, responsible for food poisoning. It doubles every twenty minutes! One E. coli quickly becomes a

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Plastic Wrap

Got germs? Of course you do – they’re EVERYWHERE! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying….how about a lunchbox lifehack?  Could the plastic cling wrap you use for leftovers help ward off bacteria? Meet Sarah Imani and colleagues from McMaster University in Canada. They created

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Antibiotic Venom

Smackdown! Scorpion venom versus resistant bacteria, who will win? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Scorpion stings pack a painful punch! But how do they fare in the fighting ring against smaller foes: antibiotic-resistant bacteria? Enter Richard Zare and colleagues from the National Autonomous University

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Apple Picking

      Don’t….Don’t bite the apple!   This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.   When we eat an apple, we’re also consuming about a HUNDRED MILLION bacteria! Should we be concerned? After all, not all bacteria are evil!   To learn more, Gabriele Berg

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