A benefit concert for the ocean? Try a reef instrument! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Like thriving happy homes—think laughing kids, barking dogs—healthy coral reefs bustle with noise. Damaged reefs are much quieter. Light can help larval polyps settle and coral reefs grow. “What
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Those wild birds eat WHAT? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Alice Dunbar and team from the University of South Australia studied the role of foraging on wild birds’ gut health. Okay, we mean coprophagy: eatin’ poop. Ew. But wait! Synthesizing previous studies on birds’
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You’ve heard of e-waste, what about Lululemon waste? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Fast fashion generates so much clothing waste: over ninety million tons annually! Sadly, less than one percent of our old clothes currently get recycled. How can we do better? Enter chemical
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Happy 2025! Oof da— Have you heard about Norway’s Doomsday Vault? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Never mind its grim nickname, Norway’s Crop Trust encompasses a storage vault—a kind of Noah’s Ark— for seeds. The purpose: to ensure crop survival and diversity if there’s
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Help! Capybara catastrophe! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Forget mice! Imagine if your home was infested with giant brown guinea pigs! South America’s capybaras are the world’s largest rodents. Some consider them pests, but they’re illegal to hunt. Is there a harmless way to
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Feeling bloated after Thanksgiving? Good news: a boat that runs on human fat! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. A favorite story from our 20-year archive is that of Earthrace—a high-tech 2007 wave-piercing trimaran powered by biodiesel. Biodiesel is an eco-friendly, zero carbon footprint fuel
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I’m not drinking alone! I’ve got… my plant friends! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Yes, plants have Thirsty Thursday too, especially in droughts. So, scientists want to stabilize crop growth during water restriction. Could the answer be… alcohol? Raise your glass to Khurram Bashir
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Feeling eco-virtuous in that Leaf or Tesla? Slow down! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. “Green energy—its drawn from sunlight, air and pixie dust!” Not. Powering e-car batteries? Still mostly fossil-fueled power plants. A typical EV battery? Mostly lithium, cobalt and nickel. Such metals come
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Could the next wave in air conditioning be trees? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. With climate change, the risk of heat waves in cities continues to rise. Urban green spaces can help cool cities. Think parks and tree-lined streets. But what green spaces are
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Hey! Where’s the beef in that coral reef? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Coral reefs are colorful ecosystems filled with life on the shallow surfaces of the ocean. But can they do more than provide a habitat for fish? Mohommad Ghiasian and team explored
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