Addiction – so complicated, I need a map! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We know that drugs and chocolate are addictive. We get a taste, and our brains tell us we want more! But WHY? The brain has special delivery systems that help drugs
Continue readingTag: brains
Poke-shaped Brain
Are Pokemon brainwashing our kids? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Kids, grownups, almost everyone can recognize Pikachu. This adorable yellow Pokemon is just so cute! Pika pika! He’s just one of hundreds of unique Pokemon. Like many, my own kids spent hours on those
Continue readingExtra-Sensory Perceptions
If you can’t believe your eyes and ears – ask your fingers! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. As toddlers, we learn about our world through seeing, hearing, and touching. And we learn fast! Hot stove? OUCH! But can our sense of touch step up
Continue readingPUN-derstanding
Did you hear the one about the guy who lost his left arm? He’s all RIGHT now! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and on, yes, puns. Researchers Seana Coulson and Els Severens wondered, which side of the brain enjoys a good pun? They recorded
Continue readingPlaying Defense
Have no fear! Nanoscavengers are here! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. You won’t find nanoscavengers in the latest superhero comic, but they could protect you against dangerous nerve agents. Nerve agents are a deadly class of chemicals commonly used as weapons in wartorn areas.
Continue readingSinging Mouseketeers
Mousey in conversations? You’re not alone! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Some conversations just flow naturally. Others…not so much! Imagine small talk with the in-laws! Ugh! You have to tiptoe around sensitive topics, AND coordinate a hundred different mouth muscles! How does your brain
Continue readingCounting Bee
Counting really IS the bees knees! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We count on bees to serve as nature’s top pollinator. Speaking of counting… How DO bees keep track of all those flowers? At Queen Mary University of London, Vera Vasas studies how bees
Continue readingSynchronized Serenity
Fight, flight, freeze and… breathe?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on science. Meditation and yoga are known to help with fear, anxiety, and panic attacks. Why is breathing so tightly connected to our emotions? At the University of Pennsylvania, Minghong Ma is hoping to find out.
Continue readingAsleep or Awake?
Somebody pinch me! Am I REALLY awake? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Brain injury can make it difficult to tell if someone’s conscious or not! Patients in a coma may respond to things, but only as a reflex. How can doctors tell the difference?
Continue readingAlien Limbs
Coming soon… “The Leg from Outer Space!” This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and Alien Limb Syndrome! Patients with this condition describe feeling as if their arms and legs have a mind of their own. They’ll “scratch an itch” that doesn’t exist, or reach for
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