Bad Vibrations

You’ve heard of good good good vibrations. What about bad bad bad vibrations? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, talking about an icky allergic disorder. It’s called vibratory urticaria. And people who have it aren’t singing a happy tune. That’s because any vibration against their

Continue reading

Toys for Tots

Are you buying too many toys for your kids?? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Children leave toys everywhere in the house. What a mess! Sure, there’s no doubt that playing is critical for child development. But does the NUMBER OF TOYS affect how children

Continue reading

The Perfect Pop

Movie magic meets… popcorn science? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. No movie night is complete without delicious, buttery popcorn! But have you ever wondered what makes those kernels pop and jump? A study led by Ecole Polytechnic tried to explain this phenomenon. Two French

Continue reading

Scaling Wall Scaling

Sorry Spider-man, but you’re no gecko! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Zoologists at the University of Cambridge wondered: Why can some animals with sticky feet scale walls while others can’t? They studied 225 climbing animals of various sizes. From mites and spiders to tree

Continue reading

Cuddle Buddies

Are hugs the new chicken soup? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Think of your gut as a soup of friendly bacteria. Everybody’s recipe is custom made to work with our bodies properly. These good bacteria help digest food and fight disease. Scientists know that

Continue reading

Bumblebeer

Bees can sting, but can they make you…tipsy? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Brewing beer is an age-old tradition, and it’s all thanks to YEAST. There are nearly two thousand kinds of yeast on Earth. But only two types are used to brew beer:

Continue reading

Staff Infection

Mountain men, rejoice! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and some surprising news about beards. British scientists wanted to know if beards were spreading bacteria in hospitals. Why? Because hospital-acquired infections cause thousands of preventable deaths each year. So they swabbed the faces of around

Continue reading

Mind Over Robot

Mind over matter! And robots? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Advanced prosthetics hook up a robotic limb directly to your brain. Though still rudimentary, researchers hope to restore natural movement, and even touch, to amputees. But can brains really adapt and control this new

Continue reading

Bacterial Addicts

Education helps keep kids off drugs. But what about BACTERIA? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When humans take drugs, our bodies don’t use the whole dose. The leftovers are just peed out. This might not seem like a big deal. But wastewater treatment facilities

Continue reading

Pessimistic Pups

Are dogs optimists or pessimists? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: It depends on the dog. Animal scientists think the way dogs respond to cues can indicate whether they expect good or bad outcomes. In other words, whether they are natural optimists or pessimists!

Continue reading