Blockheads

Disordered building blocks of different colors

Are the building blocks for math skills… literal building blocks? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Luis builds a tower. Kim builds a town. Rosie crashes in, and it all falls down! Building blocks are great for preschoolers playing pretend, but do they REALLY teach

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Ocean Influencers

Three dolphins swimming just under the surface of the water.

Just cuz all your friends are doing it…? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Teenage years: a time to try new things! For better or worse. Some stuff we learn from our parents, other stuff from friends. Dolphins are no different! Case in point? Shelling!

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Tangled Tongues

Polyglot your tongue? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Many people think they are too old to learn a new language.  Supposedly, young kids pick up languages faster because their brains are still developing. But is any of that really true? Joshua Hartshorne, Joshua Tenenbaum, and

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Pay Attention

Green tree under blue sky

What do you get when you cross a Chinese father and a German mother? Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science… and a curious study where East meets West.  Tarek Amer at the University of Toronto explored the different ways we gaze. Sixty West European and East Asian

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Smelling Bees

Forget spelling bees, how about SMELL-ing bees? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Ever notice how certain scents bring up old memories? Franziska Neumann of the University of Freiburg wondered whether smells can help us LEARN better, too.  She and her team partnered with two

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Rat Race

Could your next driving instructor be…Stuart Little? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Wild rats are smarter than scientists thought. One wild rat escaped and eluded seasoned field researchers for over four months! So are lab rats naturally dumber than their liberated friends? Or could

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Picturebook Overload

One pic, two pics, three pics, four. I don’t want to learn anymore! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Big letters, bright pictures, and lots of sparkles! What better way to get a toddler hyped for storytime! But could all that visual bling be overloading

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Early Education

Talk about a Head Start program! Can eggs learn BEFORE they hatch? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. American bullfrogs are like a virus. They can quickly spread and destroy a balanced ecosystem with their insatiable appetite. So why is it so hard to stop

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Something to Crow About

You’re a bird brain! Hey, that’s a compliment! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with The Loh Down on Science. Starting with a cupcake, could you figure out how to make another one? If you didn’t know anything about baking, probably not! Humans learn by watching others and imitating behaviors.. Is

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Technology Troubles

WARNING! This cat video is too cute for class! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Nowadays, many students bring their laptops to lectures. But for learning, or for BROWSING? Do students and faculty consider surfing in class a distraction? Enter Elena Neiterman and Christine Zaza

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