Starfish Wars

Where’s the Terminator when you really need him? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and an ecosystem under attack. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is truly a wonder of the natural world. But it faces a dangerous interloper: The Crown of Thorns starfish, or “COT” for

Bacteria on the Rocks

Waiter, I’ll have water….ice? Not so much! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When a waiter brings us water with ice, we can assume the water is safe to drink. But what about the ice? Enter Raimondo Gaglio and colleagues from Universitá di Palermo in

Super-Ants

Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a… SUPER…ANT? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. To bugs, trees spell one thing: FOOD! Caterpillars and grasshoppers are connoisseurs of the leafy species. But is there a bright side to trees having

Origami Engineering

Would you drive across a paper bridge? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Engineers in Japan and the United States are intrigued by origami. That’s the Japanese art of paper folding. Picture those paper cranes we made as children. Why would origami interest engineers? Think

Man Flu

Sure, women know the pain of giving birth, but they’ve never been stricken by the Man Flu! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Say you, or someone you love, is bedridden with a cold. Completely debilitated. It’s a condition affectionately called the “man flu.” Are

In a Spin

When physicists get bored, curious things happen. This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Meet Mir Abbas Jalali of the University of California, Berkeley. He was playing with his wedding ring on his desk one day. Like you do. The ring wobbled and spun like a

It’s a Drag!

Flying is literally a drag. But does it have to be? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Airplanes feel drag. It comes from pushing against air molecules. And we need gigantic engines and tons of jet fuel to get around it. Is there a way

Animal IQ

Dogs, and cats, and…bears? Who’s the smartest? Care to take a bet? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Suzana Herculano-Houzel, a neuroscientist from Vanderbilt University, hosted, if you will, a battle of wits. She believes that smarter creatures should have more neurons within their cerebral

Holiday Snaps

What now? Family vacation photos . . . for science? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Time-lapse videos that span years or decades can tell us a lot about the world. They show cities growing, ecosystems drying, and even geologic changes. But who’s going to

Night Owls

Who stays more alert the day after a late night? Early birds? Or night owls? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Occasionally, we all stay up late, then have to get up early. When we’re sleep deprived like this, who’s more alert the next day?