This summer, Maureen Purcell will serve as a Graduate Fellow for UCI Global Service Scholars, a program run by the UCI Blum Center for Poverty Alleviation. As part of her work, she will take a group of undergraduate students to Cape Town, South Africa, where the students practice compassion in
Does anxiety send you into left field? Literally? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and on emotional orientation! Psychologists in the UK report that a person’s emotions can steer where they walk. They say anxiety or inhibition can lead people leftwards. But overall positive vibes
How many people does it take to fake a moon landing? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: One to take a giant leap for mankind, and 399,000 to hold the fake scenery! It’s not a very good joke. But that number, 400,000, is totally
Hate Mondays? You and me both! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying, there’s a little Garfield in all of us! Everyone feels tired and overwhelmed sometimes! But for those with chronic fatigue syndrome, every day is Monday! Up to two million Americans suffer from
News flash: Zombies. . . ARE REAL. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying… I don’t mean the human living dead, but troves of zombie ANTS??!! It happens when a parasitic fungus hijacks their brains.The fungus releases chemicals into the ants that compels them to
Forest meadows, fresh flowers… tail pipe exhaust? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Secondary organic aerosols–gah! These tiny particles are a class of chemicals that form the air around us. As natural and industrial gas emissions interact with sunlight, the resulting particles reflect or absorb
Feeling stressed? Hug a prairie vole! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When you’re upset, friends come to comfort you. Why? Because of oxytocin, a.k.a. the love hormone. It’s linked to the warm fuzzy feelings you get from a hug. But studying oxytocin and fuzzy
Don’t panic, but…it’s a lie detector test! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying “Whodunnit?” Lie detectors monitor your heart rate. If you can keep your cool, they’re easy to deceive. But, can we invent a truth machine that CAN’T be fooled by breathing exercises?
What do Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, and Jay Leno have in common? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: They’re all twins! Just kidding. They all have prominent chins, of course. But even they can’t tell you why. The chin’s true function remains a mystery,
Is there a 4:20 in the afternoon. . . for fish? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Headaches, depression, diabetes – our medicine cabinets are FULL of pills! And unfortunately, our bodies don’t fully absorb all the medications we take. The leftovers end up….um, in
