Model Anxiety

Swimsuit season is here! Are you stressing out? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying — you’re not alone! It’s a common problem, particularly for women. Seems like skinny models are everywhere. Commercials, billboards, magazines, online… EVERYWHERE. Scientists at the University of Oxford are looking

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Count Your Brain Cells

“You can’t teach an old dog…”—how does that go? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. As you age, certain motor functions begin to slow down. You don’t move as fast as you used to, and you become a tad forgetful. Based on past studies, most

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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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Let There Be Light

Feeling a bit DIM on the job? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. There’s a lot that goes into making a productive working environment. The decorations, layout, and AMBIENCE! But what about LIGHTING? Enter neuroscientist Joel Soler from Michigan State University. He split rats into

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Robofish

The catch of the day is….robots? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Luckily, robotic fish won’t be on menus any time soon. But they are making a splash in exploring the ocean— considered, by many, the last frontier on earth. Scientists have tried using robotic

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I Confess

Cheery question: What percent of convictions are thought to be wrongful? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science saying: According to studies? Fifteen to twenty five percent! Yikes! And one of the major reasons for the high number? False confessions. But why would people admit to

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The First Hello

Want to know how to make the best first impression? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When meeting strangers, how we look tells the world a lot about our personality. But what about how we SOUND? Enter Emmanuel Ponsot from the French National Center for

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TB or Not TB?

Is that special glow. . . T-B? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Tuberculosis causes around two million deaths a year. And it can be difficult to diagnose! The test for poorer, densely populated places is over one hundred years old—and it’s often WRONG! Carolyn

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Gassy Rocks

Could the solution to global warming be a stone’s throw away? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Since the Industrial Revolution, burning fossil fuels has increased carbon dioxide emissions substantially. C-O-two traps heat in Earth’s atmosphere, contributing to the “greenhouse effect”. For years, scientists have

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Calories Count

Can you eat yourself to death? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. A stick of butter can make ANYTHING taste good. But oops… Calories galore! They can add to our waistline. But could excess calories also speed up our metabolism, or even how fast we

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