Rethinking Bird Brains

Can you think faster than a pigeon? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Most of us claim to be amazing multi-taskers. But what about birds? Researchers from Ruhr [ROOR] University Bochum [BOH-kum] in Germany decided to put this challenge to the test. They had about

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Prehistoric Virus

Scientists are bringing back a 30,000-year-old virus. What could possibly go wrong? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Sure, call it a comeback! French researchers call it Mollivirus sibericum, and it’s long been frozen in Siberian soil. Thanks to climate change, that once chilly

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Grunt, Set, Match

Listen! Can you hear the next Wimbledon champion? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Watching tennis is fun! Powerful strokes, fancy footwork, stylish outfits! But can we predict the winners just by LISTENING to them play? Psychologists from the University of Sussex believe so. The

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Going Green

It isn’t easy eating green! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Eastern coastal waters are home to pretty green sea slugs, called eastern emerald elysia. They look like leaves! What’s more, these marine animals eat algae, a plant. Then somehow they use the algae to

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Egg Shape Mystery

How do you like your eggs – over easy? Sunny-side up? Pointy??! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Some birds lay eggs shaped like teardrops. Others look like a ball. And there’s everything in between! Why so MANY different shapes? Enter Mary Caswell Stoddard, a

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The Tooth About Beavers

Finally! Incisive research on beaver teeth! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Beavers are amazing. They’re not only master carpenters, but they fell timber with their teeth! Don’t try that at home! And like many rodents, beavers’ incisors continually grow. What’s more, they don’t get

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Tonal Talk

Climate influences language. True or false? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: True, suggests a new study. Think about trying to talk when your throat is dry. It’s harder, right? Well, researchers in Germany and the Netherlands say: That’s exactly why certain languages arose

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Foreign Imports

Do you have imported genes? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, talking about DNA, not denim. Researchers from the University of Cambridge say humans certainly have genetic imports. The reason? “Horizontal gene transfer.” That’s when genes jump from one species to another. Like from viruses

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