Elephant ID

An elephant never forgets… but here’s my card, just in case. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Elephants are one of the most social animal species on earth! They even have names for each other! Who? Michael Pardo and team from Colorado State University recorded

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Romantic Retching

There are many ways to woo a lady, but have you ever tried… barfing? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. For some flies, vomiting is quite the romantic gesture – but only in SOME species. Ryoya Tanaka and team investigated this odd behavior. They found

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Just Bee-cause

Are bumble bees… BIGTIME PLAYAS?!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Play behavior is common in mammals and birds. But insects??? Hiruni Samadi Galpayage Dona and team investigated whether bumble bees play. They gave forty-five bees tiny wooden balls with no food and no incentive. Still,

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Someone’s Watching

Sure, we’re honest!  But is that just about optics?!?  Literally? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Melissa Bateson of the University of Newcastle surveilled her university coffee room. Coffee, tea and milk were provided, and folks were expected to ante up for what they took.

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Right on Time

Could the crack of dawn… make you crack a smile, as you get older? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science saying… No way! I’m grouchy when I get up early. Then again… I’ve never studied it. But Stephen Smagula and team from University of Pittsburgh

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Contagious Itch

Is itchiness… CONTAGIOUS?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Zhou-Feng Chen and team from Washington University were ITCHING to find out. They showed mice a video of another mouse scratching. Then, the mice watching the video began to itch, too! The team monitored their neuron

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School Spirit

You gotta dress to impress! Even in grade school! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. School uniforms – love ‘em or hate ‘em? Some educators believe wearing uniforms improves student behavior and strengthens school spirit. Others think dressing alike prevents students from expressing their true

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Risky Red Tide

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

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Guilty Pleasures

Hark! Is that the ice cream truck I hear? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Trips are fun — but guilt trips are not! Guilt shapes much of our actions, for better or worse. But can we control those guilty feelings? Kristen Duke and On

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Looking for Trouble

Problems — do we get what we look for? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Maybe you’ve heard THIS story: a neighborhood watch lowers crime in an area. But once the burglaries stop, the watch doesn’t relax. Instead, people start calling in jaywalkers! It’s called

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