Pimple Power

Pimples – they pack a PUNCH!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying “put up yer dukes!”.  Our skin is home to more than one TRILLION microorganisms, battling for domination!  So Anyo Tsuro and colleagues from Osaka City University staged a Battle of the Bacteria!

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Golden Ticket

There’s gold in them there … bacteria? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When gold and copper are surrounded by certain other chemicals, they’re toxic to the environment. This can hurt the soil, and, in turn, the plants and animals living there. But Nature has

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Diamond in the Dump

One person’s poop is another’s treasure!    This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Squash bugs are major pests for farmers, and resistant to many poisons. To survive, they have a symbiotic relationship with a healthy bacteria that lives in their gut. Other bugs get that

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Vanilla Warfare

Reduce, reuse, recycle…VANILLA? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Plastic wrapping, cups, utensils, oh my! Plastic production is contributing to a global waste crisis! One type of plastic in particular, P.E.T, can be recycled — but it doesn’t break down easily. Is there a sweet

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Gleeful Guts

Eat better to feel better? Now that’s un-BELLY-lievable!   This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science saying…   Ever felt upset after a stomach ache? There might be more of a connection than you think.   Enter Shanlin Ke and a team from Harvard with a

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Bacterial Buddies

The solution to dirty drinking water might be… BACTERIA!? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Clean drinking water is a necessity, but contamination from toxic metals is a growing concern. Even tiny amounts can be extremely hazardous, so early detection is vital. How can we

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Kiss Off, Disease!

Wear your lipstick like warpaint… against DISEASE?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.  We’re all told to “wrap it up” in sex ed. No glove, no love… or something like that. But that does NOTHING for kissing. How can we smooch safely? Alberto Tuñón-Molina and

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Nanobullets

Could we shoot down bacteria POINT BLANK?   This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Sickness just hits ya all at once, doesn’t it? That’s because bacteria quickly multiplies once it’s inside us. AND, they’re growing resistant to antibiotics. How can we catch up?  Autumn Dove and

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Muddy Boots

You kids better not track that mud into the house! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science…remembering something my mother used to say. Or more like, yell! But science asks: Could dirt actually be GOOD for you? Marja Roslund from the University of Helsinki, Finland and

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Golden Ticket

There’s gold in them there … bacteria? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When gold and copper are surrounded by certain other chemicals, they’re toxic to the environment. This can hurt the soil, and, in turn, the plants and animals living there. But Nature has

Continue reading