bacteria – Page 4 – The Loh Down On Science

Apple Picking

January 23, 2020 Preeta Pratakshya

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

Probiotic Pollution Solution

January 2, 2020 Lauren Fleming

Probiotics… it’s not just for breakfast anymore! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. There’s no easy way to clean up the pollutant trichloroethylene, or T-C-E. This common industrial solvent leaches into soils from improper disposal or spills. Even worse, it causes cancer! How can we

The Spy Who Cured Me

December 13, 2019 Sasha Vyatskikh

Newest weapon in the war on cancer? A Trojan horse! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with The Loh Down on Science. Cancer thrives and spreads throughout the body by disguising itself as healthy tissue. It sends a “do not eat me” signal to trick our body’s immune cells. Can we

Micro-Medicine

October 24, 2019 Kendra Walters

Hugs, not drugs. Wait, I mean, bugs on drugs! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. If you get sick, your doctor might write you a prescription. But not everyone responds to medicines in the same way. Prescriptions can be guess-and-check – expensive, and possibly even

More Fat, Less Stress

September 5, 2019 Kendra Walters

Euh! A lock of grey hair! I blame my teenagers. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Worse than going grey, stress-induced inflammation can cause problems like allergies or depression. But there’s hope in the strangest form! Mycobacterium vaccae, a species of bacteria found in soil,

Bacterial Brownbaggers

August 27, 2019 Sasha Vyatskikh

Lunchtime! Whatcha got – tuna salad or PB&J? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Remember the good old days when mom packed your lunchbox for school? Wish someone would lovingly pack your lunches, every day, for the rest of your life? For a tiny sea

Battling Bacteria

July 1, 2019 Maria Montchal

Is the cure for what ails you, more germs? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Bacteria that survive antibiotics not only multiply, they can become drug resistant! And drug-proof infections kill twenty-three thousand Americans every year. Enter Helen Spencer from Great Ormond Street Hospital and

Smelly Situation

June 26, 2019 Victoria Lim

Exercise gives us that healthy glow…but uh-oh, B.O.! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Sweat is our body’s cooling-down mechanism. But does it have to be so smelly? Armpits, I’m looking at you! Our sweat is odorless, so what’s all the stink about? Gurdeep Minhas

Sweet Bee

June 24, 2019 Krista Fruehauf

What’s the BUZZZZ on BEEZ? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Honey bee populations have majorly declined in recent years. It’s called colony collapse disorder, and its cause has eluded beekeepers and scientists. Until now! Nancy Moran and researchers at University of Texas, Austin found

Trust Your Gut

May 28, 2019 Samantha Leigh

Money can’t buy happiness…but can bacteria? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Bacteria that live in our guts help us digest food. However, these little microbes do more than that! Recent studies show that the bacteria living in our bellies can influence overall physical health.