Genetic Scissors

Snip snip – good as new! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Changes, or mutations in genes are the causes of many diseases. But what if we could use “genetic scissors” to correct a gene that was causing trouble? Hilary Longhurst and team from the

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Viral Backbone

Grow a backbone, will ya? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Our spinal cords do more than stand us up. They carry our bodies’ nerves’ signals back and forth to our brain. These signals travel inside myelin proteins, which are kind of like wire insulation.

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Swarming Storage

Remember… BACTERIA never forget! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Certain bacteria can move together in coordinated groups, or swarms. Sometimes, if they swarm once, they’re faster at swarming the next time. As if they REMEMBER! But, HOW do they remember…without a brain? Souvik Bhattacharyyaswa

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Genetically Stylish Heads

Genetically stylish heads rock the most fashionable hats! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Have you ever wondered why people’s heads are shaped differently? The portion of the skull that protects the brain is the cranial vault. Its shape is inheritable and can have implications

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Genome Clutter

Gaaah – this place is so cluttered! Do I NEED all this stuff? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying…maybe! Just like that overstuffed closet, your body is crammed with different proteins. Your genes contain blueprints for all of them. But some proteins have multiple,

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Calamari-velous Creatures

Who do you think would win a chess game? You or … an octopus?   This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.   Humans and octopuses both possess exceptional intelligence when compared to other animals. But how similar are we really?   Researchers from the Stazione

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Forever Young

Forever young, forever young… Thanks Rod Stewart This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. For millennia, we’ve searched for a fountain of youth. Has it finally been found?  Enter Zhen Zhou and team at UC San Diego They discovered that cells age in two ways. One:

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Ode to Genomics

BEETHOVEN’S WIG! IS VERY BIG!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and thanks to Richard Perlmutter. Ludwig van Beethoven is known for his classical music AND his hearing loss. Before he died, he requested his health issues be made public and investigated. What can modern

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Variety-Sized Pups

Clifford the SMALL Red Dog??? That can’t be right! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. “My dog’s bigger than your dog…” But wait – how can itty-bitty chihuahuas and HUMONGOUS Saint Bernards BOTH be dogs? Hint – it’s not the Ken-L-Ration!  Jocelyn Plassais from the

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Relephant Evolution

Elephants are sensitive creatures. But when bullied, these giants have THICK skin!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Tusks help elephants dig, gather food and defend themselves. But, since tusks are made of precious ivory, they’ve long been used as currency! Increased poaching in Mozambique

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