Genome Clutter

Gaaah – this place is so cluttered! Do I NEED all this stuff? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying…maybe! Just like that overstuffed closet, your body is crammed with different proteins. Your genes contain blueprints for all of them. But some proteins have multiple,

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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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Synchronized Serenity

Fight, flight, freeze and… breathe?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on science. Meditation and yoga are known to help with fear, anxiety, and panic attacks. Why is breathing so tightly connected to our emotions? At the University of Pennsylvania, Minghong Ma is hoping to find out.

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The Tooth is Out There

Hey…do I have something in my teeth? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Dental records are often used for identification. What other tales can our teeth tell about us?? Christina Warinner at the Max Planck Institute and fellow researchers picked through some plaque history. While

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Champion Swimmers

If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the…ocean?!? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science We know ocean temperatures change. But exactly how does that affect fish? Enter researchers at McMaster and St. Andrew’s Universities. Specifically, they investigated how early exposure to heat would

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Stick to It

Insects: They creep, they crawl — but could they teach us to stick around? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Beetles and geckos have super sticky feet. Their secret? Tiny mushroom-shaped patches! These patches are a million times smaller than the width of a single

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Put a Gribble in Your Tank!

Gas prices have you feeling CRABBY? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Fossil fuels aren’t going to be around forever. Fortunately, scientists are finding new ways to develop similar fuels from wood! But turning wood into fuel might need the help of a little friend.

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Asleep or Awake?

Somebody pinch me! Am I REALLY awake? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Brain injury can make it difficult to tell if someone’s conscious or not! Patients in a coma may respond to things, but only as a reflex. How can doctors tell the difference?

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Hopping to the Rescue

The Easter bunny is here… with a basket full of fresh air? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Urban homes often contain high levels of pollutants, known as volatile organic carcinogens. These VOC’s include formaldehyde, benzene, and chloroform. Yuck! Certain house plants are a good,

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