What’s the buzz happening in our cities? Literally! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Tall buildings, hectic roads. Our cities are enough to make humans feel small! But what about the critters buzzing around our balconies and parkways? Take bumblebees–how have they adjusted to city
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Bumblebeer
Bees can sting, but can they make you…tipsy? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Brewing beer is an age-old tradition, and it’s all thanks to YEAST. There are nearly two thousand kinds of yeast on Earth. But only two types are used to brew beer:
Continue readingBlind Date
Ah, love – is it REALLY blind? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Male bees — you’ve got it rough. You’re born, you mate with a queen, and then you die. But, hundreds of other would-bee suitors are trying to do the same thing! How
Continue readingRoboBee
Look! It’s a bird… it’s a plane… it’s RoboBee! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Drones help us explore areas we can’t get to on foot. But the bulkier the drone, the more difficult and dangerous to fly. So smaller IS better! But microdrones can’t
Continue readingBee Mathletes
What’s smarter than a talking horse? A spelling bee? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Besides making honey, honeybees can communicate with dance, and even count! What CAN’T they do? Scarlett Howard from the Université de Toulouse BEE-searched this question. She tried to train bees
Continue readingPollen Party
Here’s a pollen puzzle: how do bees get more buck for the bang? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Consider bees known as “Buzz pollinators.” They favor plants with very sticky pollen. With their mouths and legs, they grab onto the plant’s anthers – the
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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
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Counting really IS the bees knees! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We count on bees to serve as nature’s top pollinator. Speaking of counting… How DO bees keep track of all those flowers? At Queen Mary University of London, Vera Vasas studies how bees
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The hive’s in danger. Is the solution. . . magic mushrooms? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Bee populations worldwide are in danger. Deadly viruses spread by mites deform their wings, rendering them unable to fly. Can we save the bees? Meet Walter Sheppard of
Continue readingBumblebeer
Bees can sting, but can they make you…tipsy? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Brewing beer is an age-old tradition, and it’s all thanks to YEAST. There are nearly two thousand kinds of yeast on Earth. But only two types are used to brew beer:
Continue reading