Do grandmas really have a “magic touch” for baking? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Aspen Reese from Harvard wanted to know: can grandma’s actual hands really make a difference? She and her team sent flour to eighteen bakers across North America and Europe. The
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Resurrecting Spiders
Beware the dead spider robots! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science saying: “Quick! Grab a shoe”. Ready, aim and…Wack! The spider falls to the ground. Watch as its legs curl. Yuck! Why do they do that!? Enter Te Faye Yap and team from Rice University.
Continue readingFlower Power Devour
Could flower power take a bite out of the energy crisis? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Most plants get their energy from the sun, but carnivorous plants eat ANIMALS! They each have a special way to trap their prey. Could this inspire new energy-harnessing
Continue readingFriendly Felines
If you love cats, blink once! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Unless your kitty is Garfield, you don’t really know what it’s thinking. Cats can’t speak! So, how CAN we communicate with our feline friends? Tasmin Humphrey at the University of Sussex says: it’s
Continue readingRobo Smarts
Is the future of teaching. . . robots? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Teachers could sure use a hand in the classroom! Researchers think robots could help students learn, collaborate, and express themselves. But how do students feel about robo-teachers? Camino Fernández-Llamas and his
Continue readingFlier Friendly
Frequent fliers? More like frequent colliders! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Here you are, a bird in flight, minding your own business. Suddenly – SQUAWK! OH NO! A WIND FARM! Fly back!!! Wind energy might help save the planet, but it’s deadly to birds.
Continue readingTummy 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.
Continue readingNanodiamonds in the Rough
It’s raining cats, dogs, and… NANODIAMONDS?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Icy planets like Neptune and Uranus have some CRAZY weather conditions. We’re talking three hundred fifty degrees below zero AND rainstorms. But not just any rainstorms… DIAMOND storms! How could we do that
Continue readingBright Firework Future
Could burning fireworks cause cancer?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Every color of firework comes from a different chemical. Some have toxic byproducts. BUT! Finding safe replacement colors is hard. Some just don’t flash or sparkle right! Is the idea of good nontoxic fireworks
Continue readingRat Race
Could your next driving instructor be … Stuart Little? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Wild rats are smarter than scientists thought. One wild rat escaped and eluded seasoned field researchers for over four months! So are lab rats naturally dumber than their liberated friends?
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