Has addiction gone VIRAL? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Retroviruses like HIV make us sick by inserting their genes into our cells. Usually, these genes cause cells to make new copies of the retrovirus. But occasionally, the genes mutate and can’t make new viruses.
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Motorized Meds
Medications, start your engines! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. In the last few years, scientists have developed biological micromotors for delivering drugs. They’re supposed to work like propellers, steering those healing medicinal molecules more quickly into your bloodstream. But there’s a problem. These motors
Continue readingMarijuana Mama
Mothers to be—No more T-H-C! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science saying: Turn on, tune in, and LEAVE THE POT OUT. Marijuana has been legalized in twenty-five states in the U-S, for medical or recreational use. Of those who smoke marijuana, 6 percent are pregnant
Continue readingFear Blockers
Afraid of spiders? Just wave your wizard wand! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying, unfortunately, unlike Harry Potter and his friends, we can’t simply magic the fear away. Or can we? Uncontrollable fear can make life difficult, and there aren’t many options for treatment.
Continue readingTotal Buzzkill
Today’s update is sure to … bring you down? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: That’s not exactly the goal of French medical researchers. They investigated the neurochemical basis of marijuana addiction. How? They got rats high by injecting them with marijuana’s active ingredient
Continue readingStaff Infection
Mountain men, rejoice! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and some surprising news about beards. British scientists wanted to know if beards were spreading bacteria in hospitals. Why? Because hospital-acquired infections cause thousands of preventable deaths each year. So they swabbed the faces of around
Continue readingBacterial Addicts
Education helps keep kids off drugs. But what about BACTERIA? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When humans take drugs, our bodies don’t use the whole dose. The leftovers are just peed out. This might not seem like a big deal. But wastewater treatment facilities
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