Loh Down Staff – Page 5 – The Loh Down On Science

Bird Brains

March 15, 2019 Loh Down Staff

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a…rocket scientist? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Conceptual thought has led to great achievements. Think Einstein’s theory of relativity or Shakespeare’s plays. Animals like dogs and monkeys can also think conceptually.

Finicky Felines

March 8, 2019 Loh Down Staff

Dogs have masters, but CATS have…staff? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Cats are notoriously picky eaters. What makes our feline friends so finicky? Adrian Hewson-Hughes at England’s Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition decided to find out. Scientists presented cats with three food options. The

Hey, That’s My Spot!

January 30, 2019 Loh Down Staff

Parking structures! Hivelike, crowded, suffocating. . . literally? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. If you feel suffocated in over-crowded parking structures, there could be a reason. We know that cars contribute to air pollution. And parking garages have lots of cars. So, it’s no

Rock Fans

January 25, 2019 Loh Down Staff

First there were crop circles, now there are… rock circles? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. In California’s Death Valley, a remote dry lakebed holds a secret! Rocks scattered across its parched surface have mysterious trails etched behind them. It seems the rocks move! But

Spider Bright

January 23, 2019 Loh Down Staff

The latest designer colors could be coming to you soon courtesy of… tarantula hair? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Researchers at the University of Akron are interested in spider hair. Specifically, the hairs of the Metallic Blue Ornamental tarantula. This giant spider gets its

NUT-ricious Chocolate

January 18, 2019 Loh Down Staff

Healthy milk chocolate. Sound nuts? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Unlike its more sophisticated cousin dark chocolate, milk chocolate isn’t known for its health benefits. But what if we could change that? Scientists at the USDA and North Carolina State University may have found

Thinking Plants

January 15, 2019 Loh Down Staff

Can plants think? Would you believe… yes? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Consider barberry, a European shrub. It produces bean-sized fruits, each with one or two seeds. Its biggest threat is a tiny fruit fly. The fly injects its eggs into one of the

Mystery Volcano

January 11, 2019 Loh Down Staff

Can a volcano cause global… cooling? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, going back in time to… The early 1800s. When it’s cold! Throughout Europe and North America, there’s frost, and famine. That cold spell was blamed on the eruption of Indonesia’s Tambora volcano, in

Puffa Fish

January 4, 2019 Loh Down Staff

Now, for some breathtaking research on puffer fish! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Puffer fish famously inflate into spiky spheres that are difficult for predators to eat. To do so, they swallow huge amounts of water. Their super-stretchy stomachs expand like water balloons. It’s

Anti-Smoking Trip

January 1, 2019 Loh Down Staff

Can magic mushrooms… help you quit smoking? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Go ask Alice! Or ask Matthew Johnson, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His study enrolled 15 volunteers who had been smokers for an average of 30 years. All had