A spoonful of sugar… makes your car lighter? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Carbon-fiber. It’s a defining feature of elite planes, racing cars, and even sports equipment. This ultra-light material means cars need less fuel and you can swing that racket faster. But carbon-fiber’s
Continue readingTag: carbon
Let Them Eat Air
Can we make food out of thin air? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Soil is full of microbes. These tiny organisms eat and break down other organisms. They also recycle nutrients. But in desolate places on earth, or even in space, what is there
Continue readingMarine Mucus Shelter
Hate cleaning house? Here’s a fun new solution! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Larvaceans are ocean creatures that resemble tadpoles. Every day they build a three-foot long mucus shelter that also traps food. To eat, the larvacean pumps and filters seawater through this gooey
Continue readingCars Lite
Does your car need to go on a diet? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Wish your gas-guzzler got more miles to the gallon? It would if it wasn’t so heavy! Steel accounts for more than FIFTY PERCENT of average car weight! Replacing steel with
Continue readingEnergize and Kick Butt
Here’s a new energy solution that kicks butts… literally! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. What’s one of the most toxic environmental pollutants? Cigarette butts! Tobacco waste is non-biodegradable. And it’s full of harmful chemicals! Luckily, scientists in South Korea have discovered a kick-BUTT method
Continue readingGraphene Chips
Microchips as tasty as…potato chips? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. You may have heard of graphene. It’s pure carbon arranged in a one atom thick honeycomb pattern. In this form, carbon becomes stronger than steel, and makes better wires than copper. While potentially useful
Continue readingSweet Solution
A spoonful of sugar… makes your car lighter? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Carbon-fiber. It’s a defining feature of elite planes, racing cars and even sports equipment. This ultra-light material means cars need less fuel and you can swing that racket faster. But carbon-fiber’s
Continue readingLet Them Eat Air
Can we make food out of thin air? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Soil is full of microbes. These tiny organisms eat and break down other organisms. They also recycle nutrients. But in desolate places on earth, or even in space, what is there
Continue readingLeaky Carbon Faucet
Better call that plumber, we’ve got some leaky carbon over here! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Carbon dioxide, or C-O-2, is rising in the atmosphere. And we rely on large, dense forests called carbon sinks to suck it up. But exactly how much C-O-2
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