Deserts covered in GLASS – sounds like the latest sci-fi film universe! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. In Chile’s Atacama Desert, the sand is littered with football-sized, green-black glass chunks. But these aren’t human artifacts. What sculpted this glass garden? Geologist Peter Schultz at
Continue reading
Imagine buying dinner with a wave of your arm! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. You tap your credit card at Chipotle, and BEEP! Burrito time! You just used near-field communication, or NFC. But this technology only works close up and relies on battery power.
Continue reading
Who wants gum? It could be a Life Saver! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Dentists always warn us to stay away from candy! But Henry Daniell at U Penn has developed a chewing gum that disrupts plaque, the sticky stuff on teeth. Nice! But
Continue reading
Do seabirds sign prenups? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. All aboard for Love Island! For the albatross seabird, that’s The Falklands. Albatrosses are monogamous, generally mating with one partner for life. Or at least, for a while — like us, they can divorce and
Continue reading
My Spidey-sense is tingling! Is there a storm on the way? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Like Spider-Man, spiders release a line of silk and then LEAP into the air. This is called ballooning, and it’s how spiders travel far and wide. Some can
Continue reading
Do animals REALLY see eye to eye? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Most humans have the ability to detect color and perceive depth. But have you ever wondered how animals see the world? Eleanor Caves at Duke University studies how animals’ vision influences their
Continue reading
Lost at Minecraft AGAIN? Painful! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, asking…but what if video games could bring pain RELIEF? Henry Xiang and team from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital tried this out on pediatric burn patients. They designed a virtual reality game requiring patients to
Continue reading
This just in—science meets Smell-o-vision! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science saying: Humans expel all types of gases. Many are classified as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. These gases are expelled by breathing, or even through your skin. But can the VOCs you emit, speak
Continue reading
Tell click-bait medical headlines to take a seat! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We all know that sitting all day isn’t ideal. According to recent headlines, “sitting is the new smoking!” At Athabasca University, Jeff Vallance studies human health and behavior. He wondered: Could
Continue reading
Once upon a time, a tale as OLD as time was created. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, with a story about stories. What is the origin of our beloved fantastical folk tales? The nineteenth century Brothers Grimm got most of the credit and lived
Continue reading