Scary! A creature that can smell your weakness! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When we think of creatures that smell weakness, we imagine…vampires! Sci-fi villains! That TERRIFYING clown in IT??!! Well, science has added a new creature to that list: LEMURS?! Rachel Harris from
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Scent-sational Molecules
Hmmm. . . What’s that smell? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Scent is not as straightforward as you might think. Scientists have long tried to crack the code of how scent molecules interact with our noses. How does it work? Enter
Continue readingKiller Fungus
Hey – isn’t it YOUR turn to take out the trash? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying… more trash, more flies! And they can host a fungus called Entomophthora Muscae. Which has a sweet trick for turning its hosts into stealth killers! HOW? Andreas
Continue readingSlimy Solution
What’s slippery, slimy, and soon to be in your medicine cabinet? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The answer? Sea snails, of course! Specifically, the Australian white rock sea snail. These escargot secrete a slime that has chemicals also found in prescription drugs. They’re called
Continue readingOrganic Pollution
Forest meadows, fresh flowers… tail pipe exhaust? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Secondary organic aerosols–gah! These tiny particles are a class of chemicals that form the air around us. As natural and industrial gas emissions interact with sunlight, the resulting particles reflect or absorb
Continue readingHigh-Class Element
More money, more problems? Not if you are a social-climbing metal! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Electrons are like the currency of chemistry. And usually, elements like to have a full wallet! Many elements, like carbon and oxygen, are stuck at eight electrons —
Continue readingWater Wonder
Water treatment that’s effective…and CUTE! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Most treatment facilities purify water by using chemicals that glob onto bad stuff. But this process isn’t perfect… if only someone could lend a hand… or a tentacle?! Introducing the sea anemone Actinia! It
Continue readingSmells Like Lemur Spirit
Scary! A creature that can smell your weakness! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When we think of creatures that smell weakness, we imagine…vampires! Sci-fi villains! That TERRIFYING clown in IT??!! Well, science has added a new creature to that list: LEMURS?! Rachel Harris from
Continue readingToxic Baby Food
Ughhh, what did I eat?. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Caterpillars are cute, but not when they damage crops. Plants defend themselves by producing chemicals that attract wasps, a natural pest control. Wasps lay eggs in caterpillars, and hatchlings slowly eat the caterpillars from
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