Flower Power Devour

Could flower power take a bite out of the energy crisis?  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Most plants get their energy from the sun, but carnivorous plants eat ANIMALS! They each have a special way to trap their prey. Could this inspire new energy-harnessing

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Flier Friendly

Wind farm on a green mountain terrain

Frequent fliers? More like frequent colliders! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Here you are, a bird in flight, minding your own business. Suddenly – SQUAWK! OH NO! A WIND FARM! Fly back!!! Wind energy might help save the planet, but it’s deadly to birds.

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Flash Dance

It all happens in a flash! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Solar power is so cool — the sun comes out and on go your lights! HOW does that happen? It starts with chemicals like methyl viologen. They react with light to generate power.

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Shadow Show

There’s a new energy source … hiding in the shadows!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. A shady glade … ideal for cooling off! But when it comes to solar power, LESS sun means less energy!  As skyscrapers climb and open sunshine becomes less available,

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Flash Dance

It all happens in a flash! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Solar power is so cool — the sun comes out and on go your lights! HOW does that happen? It starts with chemicals like methyl viologen. They react with light to generate power.

Continue reading

Window-O-Power

A conceptual picture of a house with the windows made of the material proposed in the study.

See windows in a whole new light! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Renewable energy – it’s the wave of the future! Solar is popular, but huge rooftop panels don’t grab everything. What about the light streaming through our windows? Could we capture and harness

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Sweat it Out!

Bulb light on

America runs on…sweat? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. A morning run – so invigorating! The feeling of sweat rolling down your back? Yuck! But can sweat be useful? Xueping Zhang and colleagues from the National University of Singapore had a “dry idea!” The team

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Big Brains

Plastic brain model

Big brain…tiny list of Facebook friends? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We, humans, are VERY smart mammals – if we do say so ourselves! Some say it’s because we have such big brains. But at what cost to society? Manuela González-Suárez at the University

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Flier Friendly

Wind farm on a green mountain terrain

Frequent fliers? More like frequent colliders! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Here you are, a bird in flight, minding your own business. Suddenly – SQUAWK! OH NO! A WIND FARM! Fly back!!! Wind energy might help save the planet, but it’s deadly to birds.

Continue reading

Skyscraper Sunscreen

Chicago's skyline

Do skyscrapers need. . . sunscreen? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. It’s a concrete jungle out there, and a HOT one! Cooling big city skyscrapers with AC burns LOADS of energy. Could we save money and the environment by slathering buildings with sunscreen? Xiangyu

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