Team Caffeine

Guzzle that morning latte, in the name of … teamwork? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We all know the coffee maker is the new watering hole. A lot of business gets done over a cup of joe. But does coffee actually help us work

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Nordic Adventure

Vikings! Grab your helmets! And your, MAGIC CRYSTALS? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Centuries ago, Vikings ruled the North Atlantic without compasses. Instead of following north, legends say they chased the sun using CRYSTALS, known as sunstones! These chunks of pure calcite split light

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Shark Sense

When it comes to hunting prey, what’s a shark’s secret? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: They’ve got it under their skin. Sharks can detect electrical fields of moving prey. How? They have a network of pores around their snout called ampullae of Lorenzini.

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Rainbow Roll

Chameleons and kelp – what do they have in common? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Chameleons change colors to hide or to express their feelings — like living mood rings! But seaweed doesn’t change color… or does it? Meet Heather Whitney from the University

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Frenemy Ants

Hey, ants – can’t we all just …get along? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Not all ants are after your picnic basket. Some species are humble fungus farmers. Others are parasitic freeloaders. These social creepers come over and eat the farmer ants’ crops with

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Obey Your Thirst

Obey your thirst! Your brain commands it! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Meet Yuki Oka of the California Institute of Technology. He and collaborators have a thirst for knowledge. Literally! They’ve pinpointed two groups of cells in mouse brains that control thirst. Kind of

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Bar-B-Q-rius

Ah, summertime…the smell of barbecue and… CANCER? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Summer barbecues are delicious and fun! Unfortunately, eating grilled meat and inhaling smoke increases your risk of cancer. But is that the only risk? Professor Eddy Zeng and his students from Jinan

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Bubble Trouble

Am I tipsy, or are my beer bubbles….sinking?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Fans of the Irish stout, Guinness, are perplexed. The bubbles in their pints seem to…. sink! William Lee, a mathematician at the University of Portsmouth has BURST this case wide open!

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Hot Spiced Tarantula

Like your chili extra hot? Here’s another thrill you might enjoy—a tarantula bite! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. A study by David Julius of the University of California, San Francisco, looked at venom from a West Indian tarantula. It’s shown to activate the same

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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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