Foggy Thinking

Feeling a little fuzzy today? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Asbestos in the walls! Aerosol particles in the air! Pollution is EVERYWHERE! Studies have shown that continual exposure to OUTDOOR air pollution can cause loss of brain function. Horrors! Should we play it safe

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Robot Patrol

“Life is plastic, it’s fantastic!” — NOT!!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. From the Alps to the deepest ocean, plastics are everywhere! Microplastics are pieces smaller than a pencil eraser. They take decades to break down naturally. Can robots help? Enter Seyyed Mohsen Beladi-Mousavi

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Fungus Versus the Volcano

Conidia of the fungus Alternaria

Do FUNGI put the FUN in … cleaning? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science… and a VOLCANIC scientific discovery! Volcanic eruptions create a chemical called Selenium. And industry has since increased Selenium in water to toxic levels. Can we get help to clean it? Mary

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Outside/In

Aerial photography of gray concrete highways crossing

Working from home in sweatpants? Yes, please! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The world-wide COVID pandemic has kept many people inside, away from restaurants, shops, and work. Without the usual hustle and bustle, how is the environment faring? Zhu Liu from Tsinghua University in

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Probiotic Pollution Solution

Probiotics… it’s not just for breakfast anymore! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. There’s no easy way to clean up the pollutant trichloroethylene, or T-C-E. This common industrial solvent leaches into soils from improper disposal or spills. Even worse, it causes cancer! How can we

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Organic Pollution

Forest meadows, fresh flowers… tail pipe exhaust? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Secondary organic aerosols–gah! These tiny particles are a class of chemicals that form the air around us. As natural and industrial gas emissions interact with sunlight, the resulting particles reflect or absorb

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Deep Dive

What menacing secrets lurk in the depths of the ocean? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science,saying…one word: “Plastics!” Plastics have been invading our oceans for years. Unfortunately, many animals, such as sea turtles, mistake them for food. But does plastic reach the creatures dwelling in

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Bite Me

To live or to die…? Depends on your. . . teeth? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. One hundred and eighty million years ago, gigantic marine reptiles ruled the seas. Then, water levels began rising… dramatically! Not all seafaring reptiles could adapt. So, who survived

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Mercury Madness

I’ll have the seafood platter – hold the mercury! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Coal power plants and paper mills spew pollution – including mercury — into the atmosphere and ocean. It can be nasty stuff, and dangerous, too! But double trouble happens when

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Plastic for Dinner

Just say “no” to plastic straws. Think of the turtles! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science Plastic is everywhere – in packaging, fast-food containers … dirt?! Yes, dirt! Farmers sometimes mix plastic chips with mulch to improve plant growth. But the plastic stays in our

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