You are cute enough to EAT…or…SQUISH?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When you see adorable, chubby babies, don’t you just want pinch to them? Maybe even BITE them? Well, you’re not alone. This feeling is called “cute aggression.” Huh? How can aggression be cute?
Continue readingHivers win chemistry department awards
One of our former managing editors, Lauren Fleming (left photo), was awarded the E.K.C. Lee fellowship award from the Chemistry department at the Edward K. C. Lee Lecture and Award Dinner on May 22, 2019. The award is given “to support an outstanding student in chemistry” for their research accomplishments. She
Continue readingTangled Tresses
You think you’re having a bad hair day? Ach du lieber! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The Germans call it Struwwelpeter or “Shockhead Peter.” It affects people with dry, frizzy blonde hair. Those who have it comb and brush, spray and spritz, but nothing
Continue readingVictoria speaks at high school awards dinner
Victoria Lim was selected to give the keynote presentation at the 56th annual Orange County American Chemical Society high school awards dinner on May 21, 2019. This awards dinner honored high school students in Orange County who excelled in their first year chemistry exams, Chemistry Olympiad competitions, and Science Olympiad
Continue readingSouped-Up Taters
Hmmmm… broccoli or tater tots? What does science say? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Don’t let BIOFORTIFICATION scare you! It’s when nutritionists add additional micronutrients to everyday food for healthier meals. Think potatoes coated with beta carotene, providing vitamin A. Biofortifying is extremely important
Continue readingAnimal Eavesdroppings
Are forest animals the next Bandcamp stars? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Humans have been working hard to preserve the world’s oceans, deserts and forests. But how is that working out? You COULD use satellites to track forest growth. But satellites can’t see the
Continue readingReal Pig-World
This little piggy had roast beef. This little piggy had none. Which one stopped to smell the roses? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The common domestic pig has moods like we do. Lisa Collins and colleagues from the University of Lincoln wondered: how much
Continue readingBite 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
Continue readingBaking Bedbugs
The newest gizmo for airport security. . . ovens? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Bed bugs have been making a worldwide comeback by evolving pesticide resistance. Gross! How can we stop them?! Enter Catherine Loudon, an entomologist at the University of California, Irvine. She’s
Continue readingGo Fish
The catch of the day is… extinct? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. In the last eighty years, wild seafood stocks have decreased by up to thirty-five percent. Rising sea temperatures aren’t helping! Fish are cold-blooded animals, which means they adapt to the temperature of
Continue reading