Sunday, September 20, 2009

Mice Don't Levitate- Do They?

Readers:

Mice are the brunt of human experiments every day. If I was a mouse, this story might be the last straw.

Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory discovered a way to levitate mice using a superconductive magnet. Their goal is to simulate an astronaut's weightlessness and to study possible bone loss in extended space missions. Our furry friends are placed over a magnet in a specially constructed cage. The magnet is so powerful it can levitate the water in their bodies and in turn levitate them. Researcher Yuanming Liu said this about the first levitated mouse, "It actually kicked around and started to spin. Without friction, it could spin faster and faster."

Fiction author Douglas Adams, in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, said these same mice are the most intelligent beings on Earth. In fact, he said, they created this giant supercomputer named the Earth to figure out the meaning of the life, the universe, and everything. Turns out we are the experiment. Next time you find yourself floating and spinning uncontrollably, don't be surprised :) It's just the mice exacting their revenge.

~Scott
"Live, Learn, Teach"
www.micedonttastelikechicken.com
 
Site Meter