Are diamonds a geologists’ best friend? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Our planet’s volume is eighty percent mantle–the rock layer between Earth’s crust and inner core. But the mantle extends down thousands of kilometers, and we can only dig down TWELVE. Can we learn
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Shellfish Sherlock
Shellfish are tasty. But can they illuminate the past? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Professor Pupa Gilbert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studies pen shells. That’s a large, clam-like shellfish commonly found in Florida. Specifically, she studies their nacre, or mother-of-pearl. It’s that iridescent
Continue readingMop Up the Sky
Tide may be tough on stains, but could it also be tough on the environment? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Great news! Air pollution caused by cars has plummeted thanks to new laws. But for some reason, there’s still smog hanging over L-A. What
Continue readingRain Dance
Oh boy: is yet more freak weather coming our way? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When clouds are overloaded with water vapor, it rains. But warm cloud air can hold a lot more water than cooler air. So increased heat can create bigger water
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They paved paradise, put up a parking lot, and then what? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. One of the many ways modern societies lose valuable drinking water is through toilets. So says environmental engineer Stanley Grant of the University of California, Irvine. He and
Continue readingLeaky Carbon Faucet
Better call that plumber, we’ve got some leaky carbon over here! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Carbon dioxide, or C-O-2, is rising in the atmosphere. And we rely on large, dense forests called carbon sinks to suck it up. But exactly how much C-O-2
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