Super Rice

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… SUPER RICE? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Fertilizers are mostly made of NITROGEN. Plants needs it to grow. But, too much nitrogen SLOWS growth for some plants! Other plants grow BIG and TALL with lots of it.

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Mop 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

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Freezing Hot

Sick of waiting for your ice cubes to freeze? Maybe the water is too cold! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Did you know that hot water FREEZES much faster than cold water? This paradox was first observed by Artistole centuries ago. It later became

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Sweet Solution

A spoonful of sugar… makes your car lighter? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Carbon-fiber. It’s a defining feature of elite planes, racing cars and even sports equipment. This ultra-light material means cars need less fuel and you can swing that racket faster. But carbon-fiber’s

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Bacterial Addicts

Education helps keep kids off drugs. But what about BACTERIA? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When humans take drugs, our bodies don’t use the whole dose. The leftovers are just peed out. This might not seem like a big deal. But wastewater treatment facilities

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Let Them Eat Air

Can we make food out of thin air? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Soil is full of microbes. These tiny organisms eat and break down other organisms. They also recycle nutrients. But in desolate places on earth, or even in space, what is there

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High Rise Hazard

Those pricey penthouses aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. In most apartments, you pay more to be on a higher floor. But that might not be the only cost. So say researchers at Saint Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

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Rain 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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Communi-pee Pool

Pee in the pool? NOT cool! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Community pools – hallmarks of summertime fun for kids and grown-ups. And ingrained in our memories of these neighborhood oases is the pungent odor of chlorine. Could you be soaking in more than

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Bacteria on the Rocks

Waiter, I’ll have water….ice? Not so much! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When a waiter brings us water with ice, we can assume the water is safe to drink. But what about the ice? Enter Raimondo Gaglio and colleagues from Universitá di Palermo in

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