nature – Page 3 – The Loh Down On Science

Muddy Boots

February 8, 2021 Alan Ly

Feet of two people wearing raining boots jumping in the mud

You kids better not track that mud into the house! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science…remembering something my mother used to say. Or more like, yell! But science asks: Could dirt actually be GOOD for you? Marja Roslund from the University of Helsinki, Finland, and

A Parasite’s Parasite

April 28, 2020 Evelyn Hoover

Tales from the Crypt… home to PARASITIC WASPS? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Parasites typically target only ONE species at a time. Researchers have assumed the CRYPT-KEEPER, a known parasitic wasp, was no different. Its typical host-du-jour is another wasp called Bassettia pallida… BP

What the Shell?

April 23, 2020 Maureen Purcell

Can she sell sea shells by the sea shore? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Sea shell hunting is SWELL. But when carbon dioxide levels rise, the ocean gobbles up shells instead of sharing! See, carbon dioxide is absorbed from air or stirred up

Slingshot Spiders

September 25, 2019 Kendra Walters

Here’s the most exciting new thing on the inter-web – Extreme Spider Sports! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science,. Meet the triangle-weaver spider. Most spiders just sit on their web and wait. But the triangle-weaver sends hers flying! First, the spider stretches out her web,

Nature Nurtures

September 23, 2019 Quang Pham

Take a chill pill… from Mother Nature? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Being outdoors in nature is known to reduce stress and anxiety. For those living and working in cities, a stroll in the park can improve their well-being. But how much fresh air

Under Pressure

August 6, 2019 Evelyn Hoover

Dum-dum dum da-da dum-dum…You think YOU’RE “under pressure?” This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The shrimp-like critter, Hirondellea gigas has us all beat! It lives under EXTREME pressure, ten thousand meters deep underwater. How extreme? Eight-hundred times that at sea level! Other crustaceans cannot survive

Put a Gribble in Your Tank!

April 23, 2019 Van Wifvat

Gas prices have you feeling CRABBY? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Fossil fuels aren’t going to be around forever. Fortunately, scientists are finding new ways to develop similar fuels from wood! But turning wood into fuel might need the help of a little friend.

Cutest Study Ever

December 31, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Ah, nature! Trees, rivers… hamster wheels? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Running wheels aren’t just for pet hamsters. They’re lab tools—used, say, to study exercise in mice. But running literally in circles seems nutty. Indeed, many consider the behavior a neurotic byproduct of captivity.