Are you under the influence… of BABY? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Mmmm… that distinct baby scent! It can make us feel all warm and fuzzy… and AGGRO?? Meet Eva Mishor and her team of scent detectives at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science. They
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Cray-Sea Creatures
What’s big, scaly, and eats more than your Dad at a discount buffet? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying… Ichthyosaurs! These ancient REPTILES swam in oceans but breathed air… Imagine something like a scaly dolphin, but the size of a whale! In fact, P.
Continue readingAstro Glassblowing
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 readingFuture Fabric
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 readingSick Bubble
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 readingBirdie Breakups
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 readingElectric Spideyland
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 readingSeeing Eye to Eye
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 readingVirtually Painless
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 readingSuspenseful Gases
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
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