What has fur and GLOWS brighter than a Tyra Banks Smize?! (That’s a smile with your eyes.) This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Some animals really light up a room…BUT only under ultraviolet light. This is called biofluorescence. Scientists believe mammals like possums use it
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Hangry Caterpillars
When does the very HUNGRY caterpillar become very HANGRY? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Eating is a serious – and DANGEROUS – business! I WILL “cut you” for that last piece of Valentine’s candy! Do our creepy-crawly friends feel the same? Enter Joseph Collie
Continue readingChewing Out Invasives
Who doesn’t love a delicious Mimosa? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying no, not the cocktail – the plant! It’s an invasive shrub, native to Africa. And water buffalo love it! But when Mozambique’s civil war wiped out large leaf-eaters in Gorongosa National Park,
Continue readingBat-ting the Distance
Down with a cold? Don’t worry, stay batty! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Feeling under the weather? Nothing beats curling up in bed! Hanging out with friends can wait — we don’t want them getting sick too! But what do OTHER social animals do
Continue readingFriendly Felines
If you love cats, blink once! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Unless your kitty is Garfield, you don’t really know what it’s thinking. Cats can’t speak! So, how CAN we communicate with our feline friends? Tasmin Humphrey at the University of Sussex says: it’s
Continue readingCanine Brain
Your dog loves you, NOT because you’re beautiful! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Puppies — they’re adorable! But do they think WE’RE cute? Nora Bunford and her team from Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest also wondered. They used MRI scanners to measure the brain
Continue readingFish’n’Robots
Beam me up… Nemo!?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Would Dory and Nemo really be friends? What if they’re swimming in different oceans? Studying social interactions among animals is hard, but doing it long-distance seems impossible! Maurizio Porfiri and colleagues at New York
Continue readingGlow-cean
Under the sea, Under the sea, Down where it’s….BRIGHTER take it from me? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Some animals have a certain “glow”. It’s called BIOLUMINESCENCE! They use it to communicate in the ocean. But Séverine Martini and Steven Haddock from the
Continue readingStandup Pups
You’d rescue a dog, but would your dog rescue you? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We love our furry friends — SO much, we shower them with toys and clean up their messes! But doesn’t that relationship seem awfully one-sided? Would your puppy return
Continue readingStripey Cows
Is zebra print magical? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. It’s been said that a zebra is just a horse in striped pajamas! But WHY do zebras have stripes? Past studies have shown they DON’T regulate body temperature or confuse predators. So, what’s the use?
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