Diamonds are forever…and take forever to make! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Diamonds — SO divine! But they take billions of years to form and mining is dangerous. Who can wait that long for luxury? Dougal McCulloch and colleagues at RMIT University in Melbourne,
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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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What builds the best house on the MOON? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying — concrete! Concrete is just rock and cement, and on the moon, there’s plenty of rock! But… cement needs water. Plasticizer can cut down on water. Then again, one pound of
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Ever seen a spider get stuck in its OWN web?? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying – nope – it doesn’t happen! But WHY? Just ask the sticky web master, Cribellate spiders! Their web silk is covered with tiny nanofibers that make it EXTRA
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Superman versus…The Human Torch?!! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. What if our planes could fly “faster than a speeding bullet” – like Superman? But high speeds cause aircraft surfaces to get REALLY hot! How can we cool our jets? Enter Zhe Liu from Florida
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Reduce, Reuse… Refashion? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Plastics are everywhere – our homes, offices, and sadly our environment. They don’t break down easily so they accumulate in oceans and landfills. So don’t forget to recycle! But how else can we limit our litter?
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