Cuteness Overload

Puppies – why are they so darn CUTE?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Puppies can be a headache! They pee and poo on the carpet. Ugh! But there’s no doubt about how ADORABLE they are! Is there actually a scientific reason for the cuteness?!

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Bat Talk

Overheard in the bat cave – conversation? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. That’s what Genevieve Wright at the University of Maryland wanted to know. In previous studies, Wright and colleagues found that brown bats seem to make six different types of social calls. Their

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Bird Peace

Birds of a feather flock together. Or do they? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Bird fights happen, especially with nests nearby. At best, birds of different species ignore each other. But is that the only way to achieve avian world peace? Meet Allison Johnson

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Relephant Factors

What makes an elephant pack its trunk. . . and leave? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Elephant societies are matriarchal. Mothers and grandmothers lead the way. Sadly, older females are often targeted for their tusks. This leaves their family orphaned! So what happens when

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Whale of a Tale

Too big…? too small… ? This BODY size is just right! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Mammals that live in the ocean are some of the largest animals in the world. Think whales and walruses. These mammals’ ancestors used to live on land. When

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Shark Sense

When it comes to hunting prey, what’s a shark’s secret? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: They’ve got it under their skin. Sharks can detect electrical fields of moving prey. How? They have a network of pores around their snout called ampullae of Lorenzini.

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Rainbow Roll

Chameleons and kelp – what do they have in common? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Chameleons change colors to hide or to express their feelings — like living mood rings! But seaweed doesn’t change color… or does it? Meet Heather Whitney from the University

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Sex and the Single Sawfish

Don’t have a date? Or a mate? No problem! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Animals sometimes go solo. Why? Because they can reproduce without mating: virgin birth! Technically, it’s called “parthenogenesis.” Instead of DNA from mom and dad, offspring just have mom’s DNA. So

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Tool Time

Look, ma! No hands! I mean wings! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and on the tool-using habits of New Caledonian crows. Sure, various animals use tools, but we’re the only ones with toolboxes. So other species have to find creative ways of keeping their

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Stinky Strategy

Why did skunks evolve with such di-STINK-tion? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Meet biologists Tim Caro and Theodore Stankowich. Yes, really. They study how some carnivorous mammals protect themselves from getting eaten. For example: meerkats huddle in groups, while skunks squirt noxious sprays. Why

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