Toxic Toolbox

Image of rattlesnake.

As Woody says – “There’s a snake in my boot!”  This is Sandra sing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Imagine you’re hiking and “sssss” – a rattlesnake! Eek! If you do get bit, the local doc MIGHT have an antidote, but will it work? Even closely-related species can

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(Un)treatable Disease

Up close photo of cute cat.

It’s a medical miracle — for cats!!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We would love to have our furry friends with us forever! However, a DEMON called Feline Infectious Peritonitis, or F.I.P, may rob cats of all nine of their lives.  F.I.P is a

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Shrimply More

Cuttlefish

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish… This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Have some raisins? Eww, no. Avocado, cheese, or nummy tuna melt? Darnit! Are cuttlefish as picky as toddlers when choosing a snack? Tzu-Hsin Kuo and Chuan-Chin Chiao from National Tsing Hua

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Bee Prepared

Bee on a flower

Hornets BEE-ware! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Hornets! They’re big. They’re mean. And they fear NOTHING!….Except…. Beekeepers in Vietnam noticed Asian honey bees collecting poop from other animals to smear on their hives. Talk about an unusual design choice! An international team of scientists

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Eel Team Six

Eel looking at the camera

Teamwork makes the dream work! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. What’s your favorite team sport? Whatever it is, team sports involve not just great players, but great teamwork. Fish, on the other hand, are not known for their teamwork. No one’s heard of a

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Egg-stra Large Eggs

Dinosaur seating on the top of its eggs

Baby dinosaur or…Jurassic omelette? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Most birds incubate their eggs by sitting on them.  But how did big, heavy dinosaurs warm their eggs without smashing them? This question captured the attention of Kohei Tanaka. He studies Oviraptorosaur fossils. Parent Oviraptorosaurs

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Blink of an Eye

Common adult grackle (dark bird with gren/blue head)

I’ll be there in the blink of an eye….literally? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Imagine you’re a bird, flying through the air….The wind glides off your feathers as you swerve and swoop high above. But one blink…and CRASH landing! Yet blinking keeps eyes moisturized

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Big Brains

Plastic brain model

Big brain…tiny list of Facebook friends? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We, humans, are VERY smart mammals – if we do say so ourselves! Some say it’s because we have such big brains. But at what cost to society? Manuela González-Suárez at the University

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Space Spiders

Spiderweb

Oh what a tangled web we weave…in space?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Many spider webs found in nature are asymmetrical: their top part is smaller than the bottom. Could GRAVITY play a role in this off-center web weaving? Samuel Zschokke from the University

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Gator Re-TAIL!

Two alligators: left side alligator showing its tail and right side alligator showing its head

Do alligators need re-tail therapy too? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Alligators are nature’s prehistoric rough housers. It’s all fun games til someone loses a tail!   Gucci might make CROCODILE shoes, but they don’t sell ‘gator tails. How do young alligators design their

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