Who’s really in charge… you, or your tummy?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. You’re in the library and hunger STRIKES. Forget the salad! You’re craving pizza. Why do we prefer such rich, savory foods? Mengtong Li and team from Howard Hughes Medical Institute wondered.
Continue readingTag: food
Pika Perseverance
Pikachu? More like pika-EWWW! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. In the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau of Southeast Asia lives the plateau pika – a little rodent the length of a butter knife. BUT plateau life is no small feat! Temperatures can reach negative twenty degrees fahrenheit,
Continue readingLeisurely Lunch
Open wide — Here comes the airplane! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Bribing, begging, bargaining…we’ve tried EVERYTHING to get our kids to eat their greens. But could it just be a matter of … TIME? Enter Xanna Burg and colleagues from the University of
Continue readingDangerously Delicious
Are junk foods HIJACKING your brain!? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Junk food can be irresistible. But are we BORN with this preference, or is it something we LEARN? Sharmili Thanarajah from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research and team investigated. Researchers
Continue readingSlimey Memories
Is slime for brains so bad? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science Organisms with brains can remember important things. Where to get food, how to build shelter, where I left my car keys . . . But what about organisms WITHOUT brains? Enter Mirna Kramar
Continue readingVital Vitamins
Could the trick to staying sharp be found in the vitamin aisle? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Dementia and diseases like Alzheimer’s impair memory and thinking for millions of people worldwide. Is there anything we can do to fight back? Enter Maryam Ghahremani and
Continue readingHangry Cycles
Can we take a lunch break? I’m so HANGRY This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We all look forward to eating. But why? We know that animals can anticipate food, but it’s never been shown in humans. Could HANGER prove that we do it too?
Continue readingBrain Stamps
Not eating affects our mood, but what about our brains? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. As we age, our cognitive abilities slowly decline. This impacts memory, learning, decision making, attention, and other things I can’t quite remember. What we do know? Low access to
Continue readingBug Bites
Is the next foodie fad… crickets?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying, CRUNCHY! Protein is part of a healthy diet. However, meat can be expensive, and raising livestock uses lots of resources. Insects are more sustainable, BUT… are people willing to EAT BUGS?
Continue readingBig Brains
Big brain…tiny list of Facebook friends? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We, humans, are VERY smart mammals – if we do say so ourselves! Some say it’s because we have such big brains. But at what cost to society? Manuela González-Suárez at the University
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