communication – Page 2 – The Loh Down On Science

Singing Seals

February 18, 2022 Jing Zhang

Arf! Arf! Is that seal trying to tell me something?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. That barking noise seals make is just the BEGINNING of their communication skills! Harbor seals can also imitate sounds, like parrots! And Laura Borda and her team from Max

Telepathic Computer

February 15, 2022 Jing Zhang

Hunt…peck…hunt…peck… This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. I’ve been typing for days – and I’m STILL only halfway through this article! My fingers are ready to fall off! But wait! What if we could type WITHOUT lifting a finger? Francis Willett and team at Stanford

Hey Siri

February 8, 2022 Emily Tom

Alexa, play “Baby Shark.” Alexa, PLAY “BABY SHARK”! ALEXA? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Kids can get pretty chatty with Alexa and Siri – even though they’re just “virtual assistants!” How does that affect the way they talk to REAL people? Enter Alexis Hiniker

Counting Your Hens

February 2, 2022 Canton Winer

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

Netflix and Chat

January 17, 2022 Natalie DiProspero

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

Talkin’ Batty

October 29, 2021 Stella Moon

HELP! Turn on the bat-signal! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Like birds, bats have wings. But they’re actually mammals like humans! Like us, they’re social creatures and have to learn to talk to one another. How? Ahana Fernandez, from Leibniz Institute for Evolution and

Communication is Key

August 24, 2021 Salma El-Azab

Image of young Asian woman on phone call.

It’s been too long! Let’s grab coffee and catch up! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. It’s great to see our old friends again! We’re all long overdue for some chit-chat. But two hours later — they’re still talking! Can’t they tell you’re out of

Hearsight

May 27, 2021 Kimia Montazeri

A Black woman giving presentation with left-hand lifted to emphasis a point.

You heard what you … SAW?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: PER-fect timing to per-FECT your presentation skills! You can’t SEE me talking right now – but would you hear my words differently if you could? Enter Hans Rutger Bosker and David Peeters

Kangaroo Talk

May 6, 2021 Kimia Montazeri

Brown kangaroo looking at the camera on a grass field during day time

Voyage into the wild… to chat?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Are Dr. Doolittle and Disney princesses the ONLY ones who can talk with animals? Of course not! All pet owners can understand their fluffy friends – and vice versa. But what about the

Friendly Felines

January 26, 2021 Sebastian Waz

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