Mousey in conversations? You’re not alone! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Some conversations just flow naturally. Others…not so much! Imagine small talk with the in-laws! Ugh! You have to tiptoe around sensitive topics, AND coordinate a hundred different mouth muscles! How does your brain
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Somebody pinch me! Am I REALLY awake? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Brain injury can make it difficult to tell if someone’s conscious or not! Patients in a coma may respond to things, but only as a reflex. How can doctors tell the difference?
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As “Game of Thrones” fans know — winter is coming! Let’s hope the white walkers don’t have night vision! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We humans aren’t the best at night vision. We detect motion with direction-selective ganglion cells, or DSGCs. Some specifically detect
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Are you shy? Maybe your T-cells are to blame! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. T-cells are the body’s immune warriors. They fight off invaders and keep you healthy! But what if your army of cells is short a few good men? You might get
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Could that fish stick solve the secret to our sense of touch? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: the answer is right at our fingertips. Meet Adam Hardy. He and colleagues from University of Chicago want to know how fingers feel. To do this
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Coming soon… “The Leg from Outer Space!” This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and Alien Limb Syndrome! Patients with this condition describe feeling as if their arms and legs have a mind of their own. They’ll “scratch an itch” that doesn’t exist, or reach for
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Afraid of spiders? Just wave your wizard wand! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying, unfortunately, unlike Harry Potter and his friends, we can’t simply magic the fear away. Or can we? Uncontrollable fear can make life difficult, and there aren’t many options for treatment.
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Feeling a bit DIM on the job? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. There’s a lot that goes into making a productive working environment. The decorations, layout, and AMBIENCE! But what about LIGHTING? Enter neuroscientist Joel Soler from Michigan State University. He split rats into
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Feeling—literally—SLUGGISH? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Brains are like computer programs. Information in, decision out. For example, if hungry, eat whatever’s around. REALLY hungry? How deadly ARE those month old leftovers? But this analogy is a gross simplification, RIGHT? Meet Rhanor Gillette from the
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