Ode to Genomics

BEETHOVEN’S WIG! IS VERY BIG!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and thanks to Richard Perlmutter. Ludwig van Beethoven is known for his classical music AND his hearing loss. Before he died, he requested his health issues be made public and investigated. What can modern

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Continue reading

Brain Drain

Think fast: what’d you have for breakfast?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Whether recalling mom’s birthday or where you set your keys down, memory can be fuzzy. But we should be able to remember something we just saw, right? Turns out, even very new

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Continue reading

Tongue Tech

Can cats help us create the PURRR-fect hairbrush? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Our feline friends are some of nature’s most fastidious groomers. Tool of choice? Their tongues! What makes them such good cleaning tools? Alexis Noel and David Hu from Georgia Institute of

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Continue reading

Deep Eels

Swarm of eels found in the abyssal deep sea.

Voyage to the bottom of the sea….literally!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The deep ocean is cold, dark — and the least explored place on Earth. Scientists have had a hard time figuring out what lives down there!  So Astrid Leitner from the University

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Continue reading

Diabolical Tank

The diabolical ironclad beetle (Phloeodes diabolicus)

What has six legs and is INDESTRUCTIBLE?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Dropped your phone and cracked it AGAIN?? Can’t they make these cases stronger? Jesus Rivera from UC Riverside and team found the solution hiding in a tree. The Diabolical Ironclad beetle makes

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Continue reading

The Power of Language

Words can change your mind… literally! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Language is a huge part of human development. But can the language we speak physically affect our brains?  Xuehu Wei and team at the Planck Institute in Germany wondered. They compared brain scans

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Continue reading

Spun Out

Ring around the rosyyy… This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Remember spinning around the playground as a kid til you felt like hurling–or maybe did!?? It turns out many other primates like to spin too! What makes this silly, dizzying pastime so much fun? Adriano

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Continue reading

Doxing in Darkness

Hello darkness, my old friend.  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Sleep helps us learn, focus, and recover. Light is nature’s alarm clock. And a good one at that! Even a tiny bit can keep us from catching our Z’s. Would sleeping in total darkness

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Continue reading

Neighborly Squirrels

Photo of red squirrel in tree.

Won’t you be my neighbor… said the SQUIRREL?!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Harsh winters, hungry predators… Life is tough for red squirrels in the Yukon! They’re an extremely territorial bunch — each squirrel fends for itself and defends its turf. But could these

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Continue reading

The Hair Necessities

Female with gorgeous hair and flowers in her hair.

Look for the bare necessities! Or maybe… HAIR necessities! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Hair follicle stem cells located in our scalps keep our locks luscious. Scientists can grow these hair-makers from OTHER types of stem cells. However, the lab-grown variety doesn’t always work

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Continue reading