Buzzing Cities

Can we afford this BUZZ TOWN?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.  Are bee habitats getting GENTRIFIED? Today’s urban gardens are full of harvest crops and ornamental flowers. Better place for bees than an empty lot with unkempt weeds, right? RIGHT? Enter Frances Sivakoff and

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Stop and Smell the Roses!

Just WALK it off…but WHERE? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Studies have shown higher rates of stress in the concrete jungle. Can a change of scenery help us out? Enter Sonja Sudimac and Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Human Development. They randomly assigned sixty-three

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Microdosing for Plants

I’m not drinking alone! I’ve got… my plant friends! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Yes, plants have Thirsty Thursday too, especially in droughts. So, scientists want to stabilize crop growth during water restriction. Could the answer be… alcohol? Raise your glass to Khurram Bashir

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Worm Scouts

Boy scouts can learn a thing or two about knots… from WORMS? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Have you ever tried to tie a knot so tight that you couldn’t undo it? Turns out there are OTHER organisms that have mastered the knotting technique!

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Sunny Psychedelics

Feeling down? Consider a TRIP to the doctor’s. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Depression affects more than THREE HUNDRED MILLION people worldwide. Unfortunately, not all medications work for everyone. Does nature have an answer?  Robin von Rotz and team at the University of Zurich

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Drought, Get Out!

Can we get some water over here? *HACK*  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. One-sixth of earth’s population lives in the desert. Beautiful, unspoiled. . . But dry! Our planet is covered in water, but most of it is saltwater. Turning saltwater into usable freshwater

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Disappearing Act

What?! He just… disappeared! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Nocturnal glassfrogs don’t need a magician to make them disappear. They have translucent skin and muscles that help them camouflage as they sleep. We can’t even see their blood! How do they do that, and

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Queen Vaccine

Vaccinate your … BEES?!!!!!?!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Bees are essential to our food supply and planet. However, our buzzing little friends can get sick just like us. Some diseases can wipe out an entire hive! How can we save them? Fear not,

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Lightning Thief

Look out Percy Jackson, there’s a new lightning thief in town! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. From Greek mythology to Benjamin Franklin, humans have been fascinated by lightning. For centuries, lightning rods have been used to “catch” lightning, preventing fires. Unfortunately, they’re not always

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River Tales

Otrar landscape nowadays (ghost town)

What has a mouth but doesn’t speak? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Busy markets, plentiful farms, streets filled with Silk Road caravans… The oasis city of Otrar! A thousand years ago, Otrar was a part of the flourishing river civilization in Central Asia. It’s

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