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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Tomato Superpowers

Is it a fruit? Is it a vegetable? Or…a superhero?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. What comes to mind when you think of tomatoes? Pizza… ketchup… maybe heartburn. How about a POWERHOUSE ANTIBACTERIAL? Really? Tomatoes can do that? Enter Ryan Kwon and team in

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Sleuthing for Dust-inations

Go dust yourself off; you might be carrying some SENSITIVE information! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. AACHOO! Phew… dust really triggers our allergies. But what if dust from your phone could tell people where you’ve been?? Ask Dr. Jennifer Young from Flinders University and

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Lather Up

Wash your mouth out with soap! Literally? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Uh oh… food poisoning! Your immune system protects you — but it can’t guard everywhere at once. What’s an upset stomach to do in the meantime?  Enter Ryan Gaudet and colleagues at

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Golden Ticket

There’s gold in them there … bacteria? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When gold and copper are surrounded by certain other chemicals, they’re toxic to the environment. This can hurt the soil, and, in turn, the plants and animals living there. But Nature has

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Golden Ticket

There’s gold in them there … bacteria? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When gold and copper are surrounded by certain other chemicals, they’re toxic to the environment. This can hurt the soil, and, in turn, the plants and animals living there. But Nature has

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Nibbling Cancer Away

Imagine a meal even Ms. Pacman can’t swallow whole!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Macrophages are large immune cells with an even LARGER appetite – they’re known for swallowing bacteria whole!  Ramraj Velmurugan from Texas A&M University and colleagues wondered – just how big

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Lather Up

Wash your mouth out with soap! Literally? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Uh oh… food poisoning! Your immune system protects you — but it can’t guard everywhere at once. What’s an upset stomach to do in the meantime?  Enter Ryan Gaudet and colleagues at

Continue reading

Golden Ticket

There’s gold in them there … bacteria? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When gold and copper are surrounded by certain other chemicals, they’re toxic to the environment. This can hurt the soil, and, in turn, the plants and animals living there. But Nature has

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Night and Day

Luminescent bacteria in the dark

What winds YOUR internal clock? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Roosters crow at dawn. Toddlers wake up at 4 am every day. Plants know when to turn light into energy. But… What about BACTERIA? Zheng Eelderink-Chen at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and

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