Join the enzyme evolution revolution… today! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Enzymes are cellular machines that perform a wide variety of critical tasks for human health. What if we crank them up? Researchers have tried a technique called ‘continuous evolution’ that uses millions of
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Plants versus bacteria. Who will win? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Bacteria are sneaky. Sure plants can use enzymes – like BGAL1 – to uncover them. But some bacteria can block those enzymes and stay hidden using a mystery molecule. Scientists knew that this
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Ctrl+Z for Meds? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Imagine flipping a switch to turn blood thinners on or off, like a computer command. Enter Millicent Dockerill from the University of Geneva. Inspired by findings in leeches, they set out to design a better blood-thinner.
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Stop and smell the… NANO BOTS?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. How do you picture medicine delivery robots? Like tiny space crafts? What about flowers! Dong Wook Kim and team at Max Planck Institute designed particle-sized bloom-bots. But they’re not just pretty! Sound waves
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There’s a double agent in your BLOOD?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Meet PCSK9: a gatekeeper enzyme, controlling your cholesterol levels. Sounds alright… But new evidence from the Tavazoie lab at Rockefeller University reveals its sinister secret: helping cancer cells evade the immune system!
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Gotta have my drugs, man! But short on cheddar! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Cost is one of the biggest obstacles to getting the medicine we need. How can we make meds cheaper? Enter Tianwei Dai and team from the University of Liverpool. They
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Could a cure for cancer be SLIMY?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Cancer researchers have tried everything under the sun to find a cure. But what about… under the sea? The Australian white rock sea snail secretes a special slime containing chemicals called indoles.
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Let’s get these blood cells into shape! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science Sickle cell anemia is a genetic condition that makes round red blood cells crescent- shaped. These cells can’t carry oxygen, which causes them to die early, blocking blood vessels. Patients with sickle
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Look out, Itchy and Scratchy – we’ve got your number! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Scratching, rubbing, wiggling … being itchy is not fun! It can even be a symptom of serious medical conditions like eczema. You KNOW how itchy you are, but how
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Creepy crawlies… to the rescue?? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science saying… LEECHES! Dark, slimy, and definitely gross. BUT, they’ve had their uses in medicine for hundreds of years. Are there any other types of worm that could help us? Researchers from
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