Ah, nature! Trees, rivers… hamster wheels? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Running wheels aren’t just for pet hamsters. They’re lab tools—used, say, to study exercise in mice. But running literally in circles seems nutty. Indeed, many consider the behavior a neurotic byproduct of captivity.
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Slim-Fast Mice
Oh look! A piece of yummy cheese! But…could this be a trap? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Everyone wants to lose weight, scientists just as much as anyone else! And some are looking for answers by studying… mice! At the University of Copenhagen, Karen
Continue readingOdd Couple Mice
Hey, lab mice – take a walk on the wild side! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. For fifty years, scientists have worked hard to breed a standard lab mouse. Similar mice let researchers have better control over their experiments. They can compare different drugs
Continue readingFresh Eyes
New hope for the Three Blind Mice? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The Farmer’s Wife may yet be foiled thanks to researchers from Fudan University. For sighted people, light gets picked up by cells in our eyes. These cells have sheets of pigment that
Continue readingObey Your Thirst
Obey your thirst! Your brain commands it! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Meet Yuki Oka of the California Institute of Technology. He and collaborators have a thirst for knowledge. Literally! They’ve pinpointed two groups of cells in mouse brains that control thirst. Kind of
Continue readingZero to Hero
“Gimme your lunch money!” – Remember that from recess? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The Karate Kid versus Johnny the Bully. Can the physically weak win against the incredibly strong? It’s not just humans. Animals use physical dominance to establish their social rank. Take
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