Now, for some breathtaking research on puffer fish! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Puffer fish famously inflate into spiky spheres that are difficult for predators to eat. To do so, they swallow huge amounts of water. Their super-stretchy stomachs expand like water balloons. It’s
*beep beep* COME ON! MOVE IT!! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying, I know, I know – patience is a virtue – but no one is a saint! At Penn State University, David Reitter studies our tolerance to time. A group of volunteers was
Digestive health for me and you. Is the answer: gorilla POO? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science on why waste-matter…matters! For centuries, scientists have looked for answers on the evolution of human gut health. Specifically, our microbiomes – all the bacteria that make up our
Can magic mushrooms… help you quit smoking? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Go ask Alice! Or ask Matthew Johnson, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His study enrolled 15 volunteers who had been smokers for an average of 30 years. All had
Ah, nature! Trees, rivers… hamster wheels? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Running wheels aren’t just for pet hamsters. They’re lab tools—used, say, to study exercise in mice. But running literally in circles seems nutty. Indeed, many consider the behavior a neurotic byproduct of captivity.
Can you UN-BOIL an egg? And why would you want to? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Biochemists at the University of California, Irvine, can. As to why—? One word: Proteins. Nowadays, proteins made in labs are used for everything from making cheese to
A scientific storm is brewing … about the speed of rain. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: According to physics, everything that falls has a terminal velocity. Apples, rain, people. Terminal velocity is a steady speed, where gravity and air resistance balance out. For
No one wants rotten tomatoes. But do you want cold ones? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Sure, tomatoes stay fresh longer in the fridge. But as frustrated chefs and picky eaters know, they also lose their flavor! Why? Harry Klee from the Plant Innovation
Improve your memory by… drinking hot chocolate? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Our memory declines with age. Neurologists at New York’s Columbia University may now know why—and what to do about it. They studied a specific brain area, the dentate gyrus, or DG. As
Spinach! Excellent source of vitamins, minerals — bomb detection? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and with the latest twist on your favorite superfood. Plants are constantly taking in information from their surroundings. Their roots act like telephone wires that communicate and receive signals from
