Talkin’ Batty

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

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Communication is Key

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

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Hearsight

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

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Kangaroo Talk

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

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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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Baby Babble

Woman holding a baby crying

Hey moms, it’s time to lean into your… baby talk? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. All parents know, it’s important to vocally interact with your babies. Your baby loves your voice. So talk! Sing! Babble! But how can we be sure our little cooing

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Tangled Tongues

Polyglot your tongue? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Many people think they are too old to learn a new language.  Supposedly, young kids pick up languages faster because their brains are still developing. But is any of that really true? Joshua Hartshorne, Joshua Tenenbaum, and

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Glowing Squids

photograph of a humboldt squid swimming in the deep ocean

A light in the darkness…what is it trying to tell us? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Welcome to the MIDNIGHT ZONE. Where strange creatures wander through a pitch black eternal night. But what’s that mysterious glow…?   Benjamin Burford’s team at Stanford University looked where

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Open Com-MOO-nication

Do cows com-MOO-nicate? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Dr. Dolittle can talk to the animals – why can’t we?  This would be great for dairy farmers tending their cows. Because happy cows make happy milk! Alexandra Green from University of Sydney and her team

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Glowing Sharks

Lions and tigers and glowing sharks, oh my? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: We’re gonna need a bigger boat! Lots of ocean-dwelling animals glow. Biofluorescence allows a marine animal–say, a shark–to take in light and convert it to a different color. What color?

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