Your daily 90-second dose of real science for real people, with Sandra Tsing Loh!
Was the first Grecian formula actually Roman? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When it came to coloring hair, Ancient Rome was startlingly advanced. Its recipe for hair dye combines lead sulphide and lime. These create nanocrystals, which grow not just inside hair strands but
Look, ma! No hands! I mean wings! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, and on the tool-using habits of New Caledonian crows. Sure, various animals use tools, but we’re the only ones with toolboxes. So other species have to find creative ways of keeping their
Is your margarita. . . endangered? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Insects like bees and butterflies are known for their pollinating prowess. When they feed on the sweet nectar from flowers, pollen rubs off on their legs. This pollen transfers to other flowers so
March for women! March for science! March for…the amygdala? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. There are many opportunities today to protest the status quo. But what inspires us to march? Hannah Nam at Stony Brook University researches the amygdala. That’s the almond-shaped cluster of
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
Thinking of quitting your job? But what about your social life? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Newsflash: You spend as much time with your co-workers as your spouse! Your workplace mentors and water-cooler buddies guide your career and support you socially. But do 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