Talk about deep, deep trouble. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Contaminated soil doesn’t recover overnight. Pollution is stubborn. But belowground, nature has already begun the cleanup. How? Enter Danielle Stevenson and team at the Center for Applied Ecological Remediation. They collected soil samples from
Continue reading
Is this mold on a mission? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Could fungi help clean up our plastic pollution mess? Victor Gambarini at the University of Auckland studied a soil fungus called Clonostachys rosea. After looking at all of its genes, his team identified twelve
Continue reading
Humans are great at making chemicals that never leave. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. PFAS are “forever pollutants” and they’re EVERYWHERE. Removing them is slow, expensive, and often ineffective. But, what if nature has a solution? At Texas A&M University, Susie Dai and team looked
Continue reading
Tired of leftovers? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Current food waste disposal methods can lead to greenhouse gases and air pollution. Beenish Saba and team at Ohio State University found a disgusting solution. Bacteria CAN turn food into USEFUL lab chemicals like acetate, butanol,
Continue reading
From the lab bench to fashion week! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The chemicals in fabric dyes are harmful to the environment, polluting our water sources. Researchers are looking for eco-friendly ways to modify fabrics. Like Rafael Grande and team from the University of
Continue reading
Would you eat more corn if it used less fertilizer? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Half of the world is fed by crops grown with NITROGEN fertilizers! But the nitrogen that plants can’t use pollutes the environment! How do we cut back? Enter Rafael
Continue reading
What’s black and white and… full of toxic sludge? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Imagine the ocean was your home until… it became a murky wasteland. Well, prepare to cry: killer whales off British Columbia are in DEEP trouble. Kiah Lee and team from
Continue reading
There’s something in the air… This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Wildfire season is over, but the air still feels thick. Tingting Ye and team from Monash University in Australia were concerned. Could small particles in the air be harmful even months after a
Continue reading
Beep, beep! That guy ahead’s not just a bad driver, he’s destroying the planet! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Stop-and-go traffic is maddening, AND it increases fuel use and emissions! Vindula Jayawardana and Cathy Wu from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology wondered: can self-driving
Continue readingOn Christmas Day we ask: church air is pure—literally? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Chemists at Australia’s Queensland University of Technology made a miraculous discovery. Stained glass church windows literally clear the air when lit by sunlight. Lead researcher Huai Yon Zhu believes medieval glaziers
Continue reading