Author: Loh Down Staff

Are humans really at the top of the food chain? This is Sandra Tsing Loh, with the Loh Down on Science. Compared to our great ape cousins, we humans are way ahead in the evolutionary race. We’ve got bigger brains. We also reproduce faster than expected for our body size.

Munch, munch, munch ouch! Not another cavity! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Cavities are a pain. To slow their formation, we add fluoride to toothpaste. But fluoride doesn’t help with cavities once they form. What if something else could? Researchers at the University of

Bzzz bzzz, smack! You—literally—smell good enough to eat! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Those pesky mosquitoes! They do more than just bug us. They spread malaria! Yikes! Even more horrifying? Once you’re infected by a malarial mosquito, you attract more of them! Never fear,

Are horses just . . . overgrown dogs? Science suggests yes! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: The two species do seem to have something unusual in common: The ability to read people’s faces! So say animal researchers at the University of Sussex. These

Feeling—literally—SLUGGISH? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Brains are like computer programs. Information in, decision out. For example, if hungry, eat whatever’s around. REALLY hungry? How deadly ARE those month old leftovers? But this analogy is a gross simplification, RIGHT? Meet Rhanor Gillette from the

Want to change your mood? Try changing your voice! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and an experiment by the French National Centre for Scientific Research. In it, volunteers read a short story out loud while listening to themselves through a headset. But, secretly, their

Want to help your friends keep their New Year’s resolutions? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Do like they do on Jeopardy! Ask questions! When you ask someone about behavior, you help bring that behavior about. So say researchers at Washington State University, the

I’m gonna look so tough with my Hello Kitty tattoo! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We all know tattoos are permanent. But science says our body recycles most of our cells every seven years. Old beat up cells are replaced with sprightly new cells!

Socrates once said the unexamined life is not worth living. But the examined life has its downside, too! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. By examined, I mean measured! We can measure almost anything with gadgets. Sleeping. Eating. Exercising. Not exercising. In a series of

“This call may be recorded for quality assurance.” This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Okay, but who’s assuring the quality? Maybe a company like Marchex. It analyzes customer-service calls for businesses. Say you call your cable company about your bill. Marchex can tell them