Hairy Memory

Girl with black curly hair

Getting in shape? So is… wool?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Curly or straight? Either way, your hair has a perfect memory. It REMEMBERS how it hung before you spent hours styling it. Can that super-power be put to use? Luca Cera from Harvard

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Make it Snow

Street picture while snowing

Let it snow or MAKE it snow?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Winter is right around the corner! Time to get your skis waxed and skates sharpened! But what if it doesn’t snow? The problem goes deeper than winter sports. Water scarcity is becoming

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Lather Up

Wash your mouth out with soap! Literally? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Uh oh… food poisoning! Your immune system protects you — but it can’t guard everywhere at once. What’s an upset stomach to do in the meantime?  Enter Ryan Gaudet and colleagues at

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Cantankerous Capybaras

Call pest control – we’ve got a Capybara problem!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Termites and rats are bad enough! What if you woke up to find giant brown guinea pigs roaming around your lawn?! Capybaras, native to South America, are the largest rodents

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Tummy Time

Who’s really in charge… you, or your tummy?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. You’re in the library and hunger STRIKES. Forget the salad! You’re craving pizza. Why do we prefer such rich, savory foods?  Mengtong Li and team from Howard Hughes Medical Institute wondered. 

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Bee Caffeinated

That first heady sip of coffee–yess! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. I can’t get my day started without my cup of joe! Do other creatures get a boost from a caffeine buzz? Enter Sarah Arnold from the University of Greenwich and team! They wanted

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Nowhere to Hide

Come out, come out, wherever you are!   This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. To treat cancer, first you have to find it –but cancer likes to play hide-and-seek. What if we could spot it easily — like exploring a cave with a flashlight?  Nozomi Nishizawa

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Dye Another Day

Oh no! Is that . . . a new gray hair?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Was it stress from traffic? Or hosting that interminable Thanksgiving dinner? More importantly, can I reverse it?  Enter Ayelet Rosenberg from Columbia University and team. They tracked down

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APP Yourself!

Personalized plates! Personalized toys! Personalized … personality?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Want to be more sociable, conscientious, considerate? You’re in luck – there’s an app for that!  That’s right – Mirjam Stieger from Brandeis University and team have developed a personalized personality APP.

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Golden Ticket

There’s gold in them there … bacteria? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When gold and copper are surrounded by certain other chemicals, they’re toxic to the environment. This can hurt the soil, and, in turn, the plants and animals living there. But Nature has

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