Creature Feature

Got scary movies on the brain? Mmm…. BRAAAAIIINS….! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We’re fascinated by cinema ghosts, ghouls – and zombies! Is it the thrill, or just masochism? Matthew Hudson and colleagues from the University of Turku investigated. They screened a scary-movie double

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Binge-Eating Mind

In the immortal words of Homer, “mmmm… donuts!” This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. What’s today’s most common eating disorder? Binge eating! And it’s a major health crisis—more prevalent than breast cancer and HIV. Scientists are hard at work trying to find a solution. Enter

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Mind Control

I’ve got burgers on the brain – literally! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Do I want fries with that double-double? Of course!! Sure, it messes with my waistline. But is it also messing with my BRAIN? Meet Garret Stuber from the University of North

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Typing Test

Practice makes perfect! Right? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. You’re learning to play the piano. You practice endlessly but you’re still stuck on “Chopsticks!” Is it your clumsy fingers, or is something ELSE slowing you down? Marlene Bönstrup from the National Institute of Health

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Spider Sense

As if spiders weren’t scary enough…they’re listening to us, too?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Jumping spiders are vicious predators known for their keen eyesight. Not so much for their hearing, because they lack eardrums. But now researchers from Harvard and Cornell have spun

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Playing 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.

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It’s Lit

Could the light at the end of the tunnel… cure blindness? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Your eyes and brain communicate in perfect harmony to let you see. But for kids with amblyopia, or “lazy eye syndrome,” this tango gets messed up. The brain

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Loosened Lips

Does my margarita make me MORE articulate? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down Science. Alcohol affects how our brain works and remembers. Many bilingual speakers claim their foreign language skills IMPROVE after a drink. But is it just liquid courage? Fritz Renner at Maastricht University in the

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Cocoa Cure

Improve your memory by… drinking hot chocolate? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Our memory declines with age. Neurologists at New York’s Columbia University may now know why—and what to do about it. They studied a specific brain area, the dentate gyrus, or DG. As

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Ticklish Rats

Who enjoys a tickle—toddlers, babies, rats?!? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We often link laughter to joy, humor, and happiness – emotions typically felt by humans. But do animals also gleefully giggle during play? Scientists at Humboldt University in Berlin gave the question a

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