Piercing Viruses

POP goes the virus! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Just think about all the germs we touch everyday. Eek! Who knows how many contaminated surfaces we bump into. It’s impossible to keep them clean. Or is it? What if we could kill viruses and

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Viral Backbone

Grow a backbone, will ya? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Our spinal cords do more than stand us up. They carry our bodies’ nerves’ signals back and forth to our brain. These signals travel inside myelin proteins, which are kind of like wire insulation.

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Kiss Off, Disease!

Wear your lipstick like warpaint… against DISEASE?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.  We’re all told to “wrap it up” in sex ed. No glove, no love… or something like that. But that does NOTHING for kissing. How can we smooch safely? Alberto Tuñón-Molina and

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Viral Music

A woman using a mask and listening music using headphones

  “Gangnam Style”, “Despacito”, “Happy”…we LOVE music that goes viral! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying…but what about a VIRUS that goes MUSICAL? Quick treatment of viruses requires understanding them. But different viruses have different proteins and genetic information, which take time to decode.

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Gut Feeling

Lady smiling and eating healthy raspberry.

Psst! Is your stomach playing telephone – with your brain? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Let me think… Is it dinner time yet? Your brain keeps tabs on your stomach. Whether it’s time to digest or eat up. But does your gut TALK BACK?!

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Banana Therapy

A BANANA a day keeps the doctor away?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with The Loh Down on Science.  This flu season resulted in millions of illnesses and thousands of  deaths. Unfortunately, only THREE classes of drugs are approved for its treatment in the US.  Meet Evelyn Covés-Datson from University

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Vampire Bacteria

I VANT to suck your… biofuel? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Algae can be made into a biofuel that’s greener than gasoline – literally! But a mysterious killer has been sucking its life out. What causes these healthy aquatic creatures to become a rotting

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Viral Addiction

Has addiction gone VIRAL? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Retroviruses like HIV make us sick by inserting their genes into our cells. Usually, these genes cause cells to make new copies of the retrovirus. But occasionally, the genes mutate and can’t make new viruses.

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Zika Detector

Did playing doctor just get real? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. What if you could diagnose viruses – like Zika – from home? This may be possible very soon! Right now, a Zika diagnosis requires a blood test. This can be challenging and expensive

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