Imagine a meal even Ms. Pacman can’t swallow whole! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Macrophages are large immune cells with an even LARGER appetite – they’re known for swallowing bacteria whole! Ramraj Velmurugan from Texas A&M University and colleagues wondered – just how big
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Come out, come out, wherever you are! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. To treat cancer, first you have to find it –but cancer likes to play hide-and-seek. What if we could spot it easily — like exploring a cave with a flashlight? Nozomi Nishizawa
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Look out! Mutant armies on the attack! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Our bodies naturally recognize and fight cancers. One weapon? p53! That’s a protein that triggers cell death, stopping developing cancer cells in their tracks! But when this protein mutates and clusters, its
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Cancer cell destruction sequence initiated. Pew pew! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Needles sting; pills can be hard to swallow! Ever imagine a future in which tiny robots deliver medicine inside our bodies? Well that future starts NOW! Inspired by hinges and pistons, scientists
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Preventing cancer? Elephants may be up to the TUSK. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Every cell has a chance to develop cancer. So within a species, larger animals, who have more cells, have higher cancer risk. Larger humans have higher risk of cancer, and
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Cargo trucks for your bloodstream? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Your bloodstream is a highway that moves nutrients throughout your body! Doctors can use this highway to ship helpful drugs ANYwhere. But since it is so vast, those drugs can also end up EVERYwhere!
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This flu shot might deserve double pay! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with The Loh Down on Science. Our bodies use immune cells to fight cancer. But sometimes, there aren’t enough of them to do the job. For cancer to slow down, immune cells need to flock around the tumors.
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What’s slippery, slimy, and soon to be in your medicine cabinet? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The answer? Sea snails, of course! Specifically, the Australian white rock sea snail. These escargot secrete a slime that has chemicals also found in prescription drugs. They’re called
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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
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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
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