A Dog’s Life

The dog! Man’s best friend …AND best diet buddy?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Think your dog resembles you? Maybe it’s the curly fur, the glaring distrust of the FedEx guy — or is it your… metabolism? Peer Bork’s team at the European Molecular

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Scaredy-Crows

Animal grouping phrases: A parliament of owls! A murmuration of starlings! A murder of crows?!? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. University of Washington researchers Kaili Swift and John Marzluff observed, and wondered: Why do crows gather around their dead? To find out, first, the

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Bat Talk

Overheard in the bat cave – conversation? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. That’s what Genevieve Wright at the University of Maryland wanted to know. In previous studies, Wright and colleagues found that brown bats seem to make six different types of social calls. Their

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Alone Again, Naturally

Is your best friend…a volleyball named Wilson? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Existential isolation is the feeling that there’s an uncomfortable gap between you and other people. Turns out, men experience existential isolation more than women. But why? Alyssa Croft at the University of

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Radical Treatment

Can being less of a “free radical” keep us young at heart? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, reminding us all that age is just a number! Arteries tend to shrink and harden with age, leading to heart disease. This is partly due to mitochondria,

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Lauren’s paper on Indian cookstoves

Lauren published a scientific paper in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics on emissions of pollutants from Indian cookstoves. An estimated 3 billion people worldwide burn solid fuels (charcoal, wood, agricultural residues) to cook. These inefficient cookstoves give off a lot of smoke. Over time, inhaling smoke leads to adverse health effects

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Samantha’s discovery and more!

Sam with a fish in the field

Samantha Leigh recently published her paper “Seagrass digestion by a notorious ‘carnivore‘” in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. This research provides groundbreaking evidence of the first known omnivorous shark species! It has been reported on by multiple media outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, and more! Check out her

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Musical Menu

Is the key to eating healthier. . . Kenny G? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science The mealtime choices we make are influenced by our environment. Bright lights, colorful restaurants, sticky icky menus, … even how loud the music is! Courtney Szocs and colleagues studied

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Nap Time

In after-lunch meetings, when people drone on and you doze off, don’t blame bad Powerpoints. Blame food coma! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and on food coma—the unbearable sleepiness that sets in about a half an hour after you’ve finished a big meal. According

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