Second-hand smoke is bad enough. But what about THIRD-hand smoke? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When your neighbor lights up, his smoke gets in YOUR eyes! It then reacts with sunlight or indoor chemicals to form what is called THIRD-hand smoke. Who knew? Peter
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Can you teach a robot to swim? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Aquatic robots? That’s crazy talk! This is because heavy machinery and electrical components reduce a robot’s agility in water. Enter Robert Wood from Harvard’s Microrobotics Laboratory. He created an AMPHIBIOUS robot —
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Can Happy Meals help us lose weight? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We Americans love super-sized fast food, even though that’s not particularly healthy. Can we curb this habit? University of Arizona psychologist Martin Reimann thinks maybe so. He researched serving incentives along with
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The ants go rafting one by one. Hoorah! Hoorah! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: No, ants don’t raft one-by-one. Many types of ants are social, and act as a team . . . or in this case a crew! A team of scientists
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Are Pokemon brainwashing our kids? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Kids, grownups, almost everyone can recognize Pikachu. This adorable yellow Pokemon is just so cute! Pika pika! He’s just one of hundreds of unique Pokemon. Like many, my own kids spent hours on those
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Maria Montchal communicates about communication! In a blog post for NeuroCrew, a neuroscience communications agency, she discusses tips for how to write about science in a digestible manner. Maria emphasizes the importance of considering one’s audience and one’s goal ahead of time. She shares some guiding questions that anyone can
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Practice makes perfect! Right? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. You’re learning to play the piano. You practice endlessly but you’re still stuck on “Chopsticks!” Is it your clumsy fingers, or is something ELSE slowing you down? Marlene Bönstrup from the National Institute of Health
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Is the cure for what ails you, more germs? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Bacteria that survive antibiotics not only multiply, they can become drug resistant! And drug-proof infections kill twenty-three thousand Americans every year. Enter Helen Spencer from Great Ormond Street Hospital and
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One of our hivers, Bryce Wilson, won a prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation! Here is what he has to say about his research: In my lab we study how cells interact with their physical environment. Cells are not only responsive to chemical signals around them, they
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As if spiders weren’t scary enough…they’re listening to us, too?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Jumping spiders are vicious predators known for their keen eyesight. Not so much for their hearing, because they lack eardrums. But now researchers from Harvard and Cornell have spun
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