AI in ASL

Look out! It’s the A-Team: A-I and A-S-L! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Sign language combines hand and body movements with facial expressions to communicate. Translator apps and software have to work very differently for this visual language. PLUS, sign language is not universal;

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Emoji Emotions

Describe your personality … in ONE EMOJI! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Texting a friend? That winky face says more than you think! Dr. Simon Dubé at Indiana University explored how emotional awareness and intimacy influence emoji use. They surveyed around three hundred adults

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Hoofed Hollering

When talking to animals, don’t get HORSE! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. It seems some people can communicate with animals. But what are our furry friends really responding to? Enter Anne-Laure Maigrot and colleagues from E-T-H Zurich. They had domesticated and wild pigs and

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Babbling Birds

Wait, what did you SQUAWK? I didn’t quite catch that! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. For humans speaking different languages, Google translate is a lifesaver! But for the many voices of the animal kingdom, does a natural translator exist? Enter Claire Spottiswoode and Brian

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Fast Friends

First date – AMAZING! We talked non-stop for three hours!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. You’ve got a friend in me! Yes, Woody and Buzz are inseparable. But what’s the “secret sauce” makes two people click?  Emma Templeton and a team from Dartmouth College

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When Pigs Talk

Doctor Doolittle isn’t the only one who can speak Pig Latin! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Pigs are deeper than you think. They have complex emotions and ways of communicating. But can we humans ever TRULY understand them? Enter Elodie Briefer from the University

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Super-Script

How do YOU channel your inner Aaron Sorkin?  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When we’re gabbing with our besties, the words just tumble out like an episode of The West Wing. But from where? How DO our brains produce the quick back-and-forth of conversational

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Counting Your Hens

Don’t count your HENS before they’re hatched!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. In 2015, the gender-neutral pronoun “hen” was added to the official Swedish dictionary. In Swedish that could mean any person, regardless of gender! The word has been in widespread use there since

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Netflix and Chat

Why is Cookie Monster blue? Discuss! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Does your kid watch too much TV? Researchers believe that excessive screen time can negatively impact a child’s development. But can we reduce its harmful effects? Enter Prachi Shah at University of Michigan

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Friendly Felines

Two cats, one with blue eyes and other with green eyes, looking at the camera

If you love cats, blink once! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Unless your kitty is Garfield, you don’t really know what it’s thinking. Cats can’t speak! So, how CAN we communicate with our feline friends? Tasmin Humphrey at the University of Sussex says: it’s

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