Plastic, Heal Thyself!

Family potluck, plate of fixin’s. . . Another plastic fork bites the dust! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Plastic items break every day, from phone cases to prosthetics. If only they could fix themselves! Traditional plastic is like a long chain of repeating molecular

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Windy Warming

Windmills taking the wind out of your sails? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. More and more cities around the world are committing to renewable energy. Coal plants produce carbon dioxide which can lead to global warming. But other options aren’t perfect either! Meet Lee

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Robot Patrol

“Life is plastic, it’s fantastic!” — NOT!!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. From the Alps to the deepest ocean, plastics are everywhere! Microplastics are pieces smaller than a pencil eraser. They take decades to break down naturally. Can robots help? Enter Seyyed Mohsen Beladi-Mousavi

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Clouded Checkmate

Is a good chess move all in the … lungs?!? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Air pollution is hard on our bodies, particularly our lungs and heart. But can indoor air quality also CLOUD our thinking? Steffen Künn and an international team of researchers

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Foggy Thinking

Feeling a little fuzzy today? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Asbestos in the walls! Aerosol particles in the air! Pollution is EVERYWHERE! Studies have shown that continual exposure to OUTDOOR air pollution can cause loss of brain function. Horrors! Should we play it safe

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Robot Patrol

“Life is plastic, it’s fantastic!” — NOT!!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. From the Alps to the deepest ocean, plastics are everywhere! Microplastics are pieces smaller than a pencil eraser. They take decades to break down naturally. Can robots help? Enter Seyyed Mohsen Beladi-Mousavi

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Fungus Versus the Volcano

Conidia of the fungus Alternaria

Do FUNGI put the FUN in … cleaning? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science… and a VOLCANIC scientific discovery! Volcanic eruptions create a chemical called Selenium. And industry has since increased Selenium in water to toxic levels. Can we get help to clean it? Mary

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Outside/In

Aerial photography of gray concrete highways crossing

Working from home in sweatpants? Yes, please! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. The world-wide COVID pandemic has kept many people inside, away from restaurants, shops, and work. Without the usual hustle and bustle, how is the environment faring? Zhu Liu from Tsinghua University in

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Probiotic Pollution Solution

Probiotics… it’s not just for breakfast anymore! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. There’s no easy way to clean up the pollutant trichloroethylene, or T-C-E. This common industrial solvent leaches into soils from improper disposal or spills. Even worse, it causes cancer! How can we

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Organic Pollution

Forest meadows, fresh flowers… tail pipe exhaust? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Secondary organic aerosols–gah! These tiny particles are a class of chemicals that form the air around us. As natural and industrial gas emissions interact with sunlight, the resulting particles reflect or absorb

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