January 10th: Happy Houseplant Appreciation Day! This is Sandra with the Loh Down on Science. You’ve heard: “Don’t water your plants at noon, because they’ll burn!” Botanists from Hungary’s Eotvos University wondered if sun rays and water droplets could actually fry plants. They combined computer models with experimental tests on
Continue readingTag: physics
Fluid Fractals
Freaky Fractals! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Ever trip out on ink fractals? You make ‘em by putting ink onto wet paint. Then it spreads out symmetrically, like tree roots. How does it happen? San To Chan and the Okinawa Institute of Science and
Continue readingThe Fast and the Frictionless
Did you hear that SCREECH? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We’re not the only ones WORN OUT by travel. Planes, trains, and automobiles – all get HEATED when there’s too much friction. Sometimes their metal even melts to a semi-liquid state. Scary! BUT, at
Continue readingAsteroid Blaster
AHHH! An asteroid is hurtling towards Earth! What to do??? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: ready…aim…FIRE! But would that REALLY work? Let’s find out! George Flynn at State University of New York crushed up real meteorite fragments, acquired from the Vatican Observatory. Then,
Continue readingBatty Knowledge
Ugh, this physics test is driving me BATTY! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We humans aren’t born knowing physics! But what gives with a bat? Bats emit ultrasounds which tell them where objects are by how fast the sound waves return. So . .
Continue readingAsteroid Blaster
AHHH! An asteroid is hurtling towards Earth! What to do??? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: ready…aim…FIRE! But would that REALLY work? Let’s find out! George Flynn at State University of New York crushed up real meteorite fragments, acquired from the Vatican Observatory. Then,
Continue readingDiamonds in a Hurry!
Diamonds are forever…and take forever to make! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Diamonds — SO divine! But they take billions of years to form and mining is dangerous. Who can wait that long for luxury? Dougal McCulloch and colleagues at RMIT University in Melbourne,
Continue readingThe Perfect Pop
Movie magic meets… popcorn science? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. No movie night is complete without delicious, buttery popcorn! But have you ever wondered what makes those kernels pop and jump? A study led by Ecole Polytechnic tried to explain this phenomenon. Two French
Continue readingDrip Drop
The sound of insomnia: cue the LEAKY FAUCET! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, on the most annoying sound ever. What causes that DRIP DRIP of a leaky bathtub? It’s not what you think! Anurag Agarwal at the University of Cambridge discovered the cause —
Continue readingTiny Gravity
What goes up must come down – it’s the law! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying – the law of GRAVITY! Gravity keeps us grounded on Earth and keeps us orbiting the Sun. It’s even powerful enough to pull GIGANTIC galaxies toward each other.
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