Loh Down Staff – Page 13 – The Loh Down On Science

Pessimistic Pups

March 12, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Are dogs optimists or pessimists? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: It depends on the dog. Animal scientists think the way dogs respond to cues can indicate whether they expect good or bad outcomes. In other words, whether they are natural optimists or pessimists!

Curse You, Cloak Stealer!

March 9, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Archaeologists dig deep and find jawbones, soup spoons, a curse??? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Yes, that is exactly what archaeologist Richard Buckley of the University of Leicester in England found, after excavating an important Roman settlement from about three hundred AD. In addition

Lucky Genes

March 7, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Hey parents! Your kid is vomiting – why aren’t you sick? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, on germs and genes. You know the drill. Your pride and joy brings home a stomach bug. You’re both up all night, exposed to MANY icky bodily fluids.

Monkey Money

March 2, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Who’s more sensible? Humans? Or Monkeys? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Meet Yale psychologist Laurie Santos. She researches human buying habits by having monkeys barter for treats. She says Capuchin monkeys understand economics. She gives them tokens—monkey money! Her monkeys are trained to exchange

Smile Shot

March 1, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Think you look bad in selfies? Blame your camera! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Beauty is a big business. All day, pictures of beautiful people claim certain products will make you beautiful, too. But researchers at Iran’s Islamic Azad University wondered: Can cameras play

Scary Movie

February 27, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Uh oh: blood-curdling screams aren’t just figures of speech anymore! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and a terrifying new study from Leiden University Medical Center. Researchers there showed a group of healthy volunteers the twenty-ten horror film “Insidious.” After a week, the same group

High Rise Hazard

February 26, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Those pricey penthouses aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. In most apartments, you pay more to be on a higher floor. But that might not be the only cost. So say researchers at Saint Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

Critter Cleanup

February 22, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Shall we talk dirty . . . about animal hair? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Meet Guillermo Amador and David Hu, of Georgia Tech. They studied twenty-seven different mammals and insects to see how each maintains a suave appearance. First, the duo calculated the

It’s a Hit!

February 21, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Want to make a hit song? Here’s the secret. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Pick up the mic and step to the back. At least that’s what University of Southern California research suggests. Their team analyzed over one-thousand songs that made it to

Howling Mad

February 19, 2018 Loh Down Staff

Hey, guys: You can be large or you can be loud. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and a trade-off that makes monkeys howl. Howler monkeys, that is. They’re native to Central and South American forests. And they’re known for their loud calls, which carry