Cars 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

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Robo-Situps

Happy hour for robots? Hey, it’s five o’clock somewhere! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Robots with artificial muscles that are flexible, durable, and responsive would be a dream! Unfortunately, robotic joints are too stiff and slow for human-like movement – yet! Shengqian Ma from

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Micro-Medicine

Hugs, not drugs. Wait, I mean, bugs on drugs! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. If you get sick, your doctor might write you a prescription. But not everyone responds to medicines in the same way. Prescriptions can be guess-and-check – expensive, and possibly even

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Life in Space

Men are from Mars. Women, from Venus. Really? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying not exactly. But check out this intriguing new cosmic discovery from the University of Nice. Researchers there were simulating conditions commonly found in comets. Why? To see if life might

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Salt Fix

Salt free potato chip? No thanks! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Salt is in almost all foods, from soup to nuts! But too much causes high blood pressure. So how can we reduce salt intake without sacrificing taste? Healthier salts! Which have potassium or

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Whiskey Rings

To avoid those annoying coffee-rings on your table, try switching to whiskey! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Slow down. This study comes to us via engineers Hyoungsoo Kim and Howard Stone at Princeton University. They were inspired by photographer Ernie Button’s portraits of

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Smoking Gun

Second-hand smoke is bad enough. But what about THIRD-hand smoke? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When your neighbor lights up, his smoke gets in YOUR eyes! It then reacts with sunlight or indoor chemicals to form what is called THIRD-hand smoke. Who knew? Peter

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Smelly Situation

Exercise gives us that healthy glow…but uh-oh, B.O.! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Sweat is our body’s cooling-down mechanism. But does it have to be so smelly? Armpits, I’m looking at you! Our sweat is odorless, so what’s all the stink about? Gurdeep Minhas

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Achy Break Joints

Pop, lock, and… ouch! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Over twenty million people in the U-S suffer from joint pain, or osteoarthritis. Our joints are cushioned by cartilage. As we age, this cushion wears down but doesn’t grow back. Current treatments manage the pain

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High-Class Element

More money, more problems? Not if you are a social-climbing metal! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Electrons are like the currency of chemistry. And usually, elements like to have a full wallet! Many elements, like carbon and oxygen, are stuck at eight electrons —

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