You’ve heard of good good good vibrations. What about bad bad bad vibrations? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, talking about an icky allergic disorder. It’s called vibratory urticaria. And people who have it aren’t singing a happy tune. That’s because any vibration against their
Continue readingTag: genetics
Lucky Genes
Hey parents! Your kid is vomiting – why aren’t you sick? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, on germs and genes. You know the drill. Your pride and joy brings home a stomach bug. You’re both up all night, exposed to MANY icky bodily fluids.
Continue readingDNA Autocorrect
Autocorrect is great for our phones. But what about our DNA? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. DNA is made of building blocks called bases. These bases spell out the blueprints for our cells! Sometimes, mistakes are made, and the wrong base gets swapped in.
Continue readingLet Them Eat Air
Can we make food out of thin air? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Soil is full of microbes. These tiny organisms eat and break down other organisms. They also recycle nutrients. But in desolate places on earth, or even in space, what is there
Continue readingTravelin’ Cows
Where did the mysterious, pre-Roman Etruscan people come from? Ask the cows! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Thanks to a wealth of Etruscan artifacts, archaeologists know this: The civilization flourished in the first millennium BC in what is now Tuscany. But nobody ever figured
Continue readingSugar Buzz
Oh hey, deadly superbug. You want some. . . candy? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. You’ve probably heard about SUPER BUGS. The bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics. But RESISTANCE isn’t the only problem. Some bacteria are drug TOLERANT. What’s the difference? Antibiotic RESISTANCE
Continue readingGettin’ Hangry
Introducing hanger. Part hunger, part anger, let’s party! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: You know what I’m talking about. Now, don’t get hangry with me. Point is, it’s hard to be nice when your stomach is growling. Why? A dietician at Texas A&M
Continue readingMosquito Mating
Can mosquito species tell each other apart? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Well, not really. That’s why yellow fever mosquitoes will try to mate with Asian tiger mosquitoes, and vice versa. Enter University of Florida entomologists. They wondered about yellow fever mosquito populations
Continue readingHow Do You Spell Zika?
One, two, three! It’s easy as… A, G, C? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Who doesn’t love a spelling bee? Cute middle-schoolers lisping out words like Xanthosis and Logorrhea! But spelling is vital inside living organisms too! Why? See, cells need proteins to work
Continue readingPrehistoric Virus
Scientists are bringing back a 30,000-year-old virus. What could possibly go wrong? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Sure, call it a comeback! French researchers call it Mollivirus sibericum, and it’s long been frozen in Siberian soil. Thanks to climate change, that once chilly
Continue reading