Your daily 90-second dose of real science for real people, with Sandra Tsing Loh!
Ah, the vulture! It’s not just another pretty face. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Let’s face it. Vultures like their meat a little older and rottener than the rest of us do. It’s unorthodox, but it works for them. Still, it seems strange that
Is pouring salt in someone’s wounds a good idea? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying yes! But wait. Scientists have long known that some of the salt we eat gets stored in our skin. But they’ve thought that was a byproduct of salt intake,
Do you have imported genes? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, talking about DNA, not denim. Researchers from the University of Cambridge say humans certainly have genetic imports. The reason? “Horizontal gene transfer.” That’s when genes jump from one species to another. Like from viruses
How many four-letter words do you know? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Let’s take “drat.” Rearrange the letters, and you can also make dart, and that’s about it. My point? There’s a limit to how many words you can make with those four letters.
And now, some mind-blowing news about . . . concussions? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Concussions happen when someone’s brain literally gets shaken inside their skull. Ow! When athletes get knocked on the noggin, coaches may check for concussion on the sidelines. How? By
; Credit: Michael Blaylock/Edenspace Systems Corporation The Loh Down On Science 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
; Credit: Ignorance is Bliss The Loh Down On Science Paper, plastic, and… cigarette butts? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Urban birds scrounge up people’s trash to build their nests. No butts about it! Just like cigarettes aren’t good for you or me, they
The Loh Down On Science Hey English speakers, want to learn a second language? Maybe not Chinese. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Meet bilingual Hebrew-English speaker Shahar Ronen. When he was a graduate student at MIT, he got curious about how well different modern languages
; Credit: Julie Macey The Loh Down On Science Surf’s up dude! Grab your. . . calculator? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Surfers travel all over the world in search of the perfect wave. But even if you’re not riding monster waves in Hawaii,
The Loh Down On Science Ommmmm….can mindfulness help us live longer? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Yoga, meditation and Tai-Chi are proven ways to relieve anxiety and stress. But could these activities also help prevent disease? Ivana Buric at Coventry University studied how our