biology – Page 6 – The Loh Down On Science

Staff Infection

March 15, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Mountain men, rejoice! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and some surprising news about beards. British scientists wanted to know if beards were spreading bacteria in hospitals. Why? Because hospital-acquired infections cause thousands of preventable deaths each year. So they swabbed the faces of around

Skin Fix

March 8, 2018 Sarah Block

Can you put a bandage on your lungs? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Most of the time during surgery, our wounds are closed with stitches. In a pinch, you can mend a cut with super glue. But glue can also bug your skin and

DNA Autocorrect

March 5, 2018 Margaret Lugin

Autocorrect is great for our phones. But what about our DNA? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. DNA is made of building blocks called bases. These bases spell out the blueprints for our cells! Sometimes, mistakes are made, and the wrong base gets swapped in.

Travelin’ Cows

February 16, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Where did the mysterious, pre-Roman Etruscan people come from? Ask the cows! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Thanks to a wealth of Etruscan artifacts, archaeologists know this: The civilization flourished in the first millennium BC in what is now Tuscany. But nobody ever figured

Communi-pee Pool

January 25, 2018 David Herman

Pee in the pool? NOT cool! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Community pools – hallmarks of summertime fun for kids and grown-ups. And ingrained in our memories of these neighborhood oases is the pungent odor of chlorine. Could you be soaking in more than

How Do You Spell Zika?

January 23, 2018 Rebecca Johnson

One, two, three! It’s easy as… A, G, C? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Who doesn’t love a spelling bee? Cute middle-schoolers lisping out words like Xanthosis and Logorrhea! But spelling is vital inside living organisms too! Why? See, cells need proteins to work

Diaper Check

January 18, 2018 Quang Pham

Can a new tool for cancer diagnoses be found in…baby diapers? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Detecting cancer early can help doctors to better treat it. One common way to find tumors is using X-ray computed tomography, or C-T scan. Scientists are always trying

Virtually Sexist

January 17, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Are sexist men less evolved? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Meet biologist Michael Kasumovic. He studies evolution in various contexts. Like online. For example, when male gamers, hiding behind Internet anonymity, harass female gamers. Kasumovic’s team participated anonymously in the multiplayer shoot-em-up game, Halo-Three.

Prehistoric Virus

December 14, 2017 Loh Down Staff

Scientists are bringing back a 30,000-year-old virus. What could possibly go wrong? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Sure, call it a comeback! French researchers call it Mollivirus sibericum, and it’s long been frozen in Siberian soil. Thanks to climate change, that once chilly

Synch Into Sleep

December 13, 2017 Bela Abolfathi

Is lack of sleep throwing your body off beat? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Think of your body as an orchestra. The maestro is a master clock that lives in your brain. It keeps time by syncing with light and dark. The instruments are