Eat pencil lead, silkworms! Literally! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Silks are used in many things, from bedding to bike tires to kimonos. How could we make these better? Stronger fibers! But how can you get a silkworm to spin extra strong fibers? Yingying
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Can you UN-BOIL an egg? And why would you want to? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Biochemists at the University of California, Irvine, can. As to why—? One word: Proteins. Nowadays, proteins made in labs are used for everything from making cheese to
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No one wants rotten tomatoes. But do you want cold ones? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Sure, tomatoes stay fresh longer in the fridge. But as frustrated chefs and picky eaters know, they also lose their flavor! Why? Harry Klee from the Plant Innovation
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Spinach! Excellent source of vitamins, minerals — bomb detection? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and with the latest twist on your favorite superfood. Plants are constantly taking in information from their surroundings. Their roots act like telephone wires that communicate and receive signals from
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Hmmm… What’s that delicious smell? Could it be… garlic breath? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Scientists know that some components of garlic, like ajoene, have bacteria-fighting potential. But turns out it’s a little tricky to obtain. Ajoene makes up about zero point five PERCENT
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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
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Picture the past… If you can! But can you? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The first photographs were daguerreotypes. They were developed using mercury and gold instead of silver, which came later. These pieces of history are tarnished and may be lost forever! Or…
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Is a new aid in treating heart disease. . . Netflix? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Streaming movies on demand has killed the D-V-D. What to do with the old disks? You only need so many suncatchers, right? Enter Hua-Zhong Yu’s team at the
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Before there was Tequila, there was … pulque? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and possibly the earliest alcohol of Mesoamerica: Pulque. Like Tequila, pulque is distilled from the sap of agave plants. The Aztecs drank it in the 1400s. And it’s still consumed in
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Baking soda – so many uses! Teeth brushing, fridge-freshening – your…spleen?? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Your spleen is a blood filter and infection fighter! Like a pumped-up boxer in the ring – if you’re threatened by infection, it fights back by releasing M-one
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