Are smarter people more so-fish-ticated? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Fish may be colorful, but they aren’t very bright! Can they smarten up? Giulia Rossi and Patricia Wright from the University of Guelph in Canada think so! They study the mangrove killifish, a fish
Continue readingTag: physiology
Unbelievable Ursids
Does a bear…CLOT in the woods? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Prolonged inactivity–like LONG flights–can increase the risk of harmful blood clots in humans. Interestingly, bears that hibernate for MONTHS, don’t share this same risk. Why? Enter Manuela Thienel from the University Hospital of
Continue readingSmart Swimmers
Are smarter people more so-fish-ticated? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Fish may be colorful, but they aren’t very bright! Can they smarten up? Giulia Rossi and Patricia Wright from the University of Guelph in Canada think so! They study the mangrove killifish, a fish
Continue readingLittle Champs
How do kids have so much BLEEPING energy? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Young children can scream and run around all day. It’s like they have enough energy to be Olympic athletes… But could they really? Anthony Birat and colleagues at Clermont-Auvergne University decided
Continue readingBlackest Black
Ladies love a guy dressed in black…especially lady SPIDERS! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying that’s right! Male peacock spiders use a slick dance and super black spots to woo the ladies. These areas aren’t just dark, they’re SUPER dark! Meaning, they absorb more
Continue readingTough As A Lobster
Could your knight in shining armor be…a lobster? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with The Loh Down on Science, saying…love this spiny shellfish? Well, chew on this! Ming Guo was doing just that one evening. Over dinner, he noticed that the film on the belly of his lobster was super
Continue readingSilky Secrets
My spidey senses are… silky? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. By weight, spider silk is stronger than steel! However, perfectly reproducing this versatile material has proven difficult. How do spiders successfully spin silk? Lucas Parent at Northwestern University and David Onofrei at San Diego
Continue readingFrogs and Frogettes
Why did the frog cross the street? She loved the open toad… I mean road! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. But if the frog crossed the street in winter? Salt on the road would keep driving conditions safe. Not so safe for frogs, perhaps..
Continue readingBile Away the Pounds
Is the next weight loss supplement BILE? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying, what is bile, anyway? Doctors think of bile – a greenish fluid in your stomach — as the body’s detergent. It helps digest fat. Yay, that’s a good thing! What ELSE
Continue readingPuffa Fish
Now, for some breathtaking research on puffer fish! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Puffer fish famously inflate into spiky spheres that are difficult for predators to eat. To do so, they swallow huge amounts of water. Their super-stretchy stomachs expand like water balloons. It’s
Continue reading