Rat-Operated Vehicles

We've previously posted about researchers who created fish-operated vehicles.

Along similar lines, neuroscientist Kelly Lambert of the University of Richmond has trained rats to drive small vehicles. She found that they were eager drivers: "the rats had an intense motivation for their driving training, often jumping into the car and revving the 'lever engine' before their vehicle hit the road."

More info: theconversation.com

"Some rats training to drive press a lever before their car is placed on the track, as if they’re eagerly anticipating the ride ahead."

Posted By: Alex - Fri Dec 06, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Science, Experiments

Likelihood of Paper Cuts

A recent article in the journal Physical Review E explores what kind of paper is most likely to give you paper cuts. The answer: dot-matrix paper. Followed by magazine pages.

The likelihood of cutting has to do with the thickness of the paper. Too thin and the paper buckles instead of cutting. Too thick and it indents material rather than slicing it. There's a specific range in between too thick and too thin where the paper cuts.

For the purpose of their research, the authors created a "papermachete" which they used to cut apples, bananas, chicken, etc. (see image below).

The article itself ("Competition between slicing and buckling underlies the erratic nature of paper cuts") is behind a paywall, but you can find a copy on github. One of the authors posted a video on YouTube that explains their research and findings.

More info: phys.org

Posted By: Alex - Sun Oct 27, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Injuries, Science, Experiments

Science Fair Heart Transplant

March 1968: Robert McDavid, a junior at Schulte High School in Terre Haute, Indiana, performed a heart transplant on a live rabbit for his science fair project. School administrators had approved his project. In fact, they applauded it as highly topical since the first successful human heart transplantation had been performed just the year before by the South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard.

After performing the operation, McDavid measured the length of time that the rabbit's body functioned with the new organ. He later exhibited the results of his project at the Regional Science Fair of Indiana State University and received an award for creativity in his field.

Questioned by reporters, McDavid revealed that he had prepared for the procedure by first conducting a number of practice operations, including skin grafts and bone section transplants on chickens. He said that he had also read a number of books about transplants and had conducted interviews with several physicians.

I haven't been able to track down if McDavid went on to become a surgeon.

Terre Haute Tribune - Mar 17, 1968

Posted By: Alex - Mon Oct 14, 2024 - Comments (4)
Category: School, Science, Surgery

46 reasons not to use LSD

The "46 reasons" were actually one reason based on flawed science.

A 1967 study had shown that LSD could cause a two-fold increase in chromosomal breaks in cell cultures. But subsequent studies showed that the breaks were a result of the concentrations of the drug being used — and that pretty much ANY substance, in similar concentrations, would cause chromosomal breaks. In fact, there was no evidence that LSD caused significant chromosomal breaks or was a carcinogen.

More info: Science News

March of Dimes - 1968

Posted By: Alex - Sat Oct 12, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Drugs, Psychedelic, Science, Advertising, 1960s

Irradiated Milk

This product was not subject to atomic radiation, but rather a different process. In the 1930s, to fight rickets, scientists sought to increase the Vitamin D content in milk through the application of ultraviolet rays.

However, as this account relates:

Making matters worse, while experiments showed milk to be an ideal source for getting vitamin D into the diets of American children, prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light tended to give fluid milk a foul odor and an off-putting taste. On top of that, any excess heat had the counterproductive effect of destroying the milk’s vitamin A.

But finally, science found a way!

But, of course, for both political and nutritional reasons, finding a way to deliver vitamin D dairy products remained the ultimate prize. After years of testing, Steenbock, Scott and their collaborators finally determined a three-part scheme for fortifying milk. First, dairy cows could be fed with irradiated feed to produce higher levels of vitamin D. Second, industrial machines constructed by companies like Creamery Package Manufacturing and Hanovia Chemical allowed large-scale irradiation of fluids while minimizing the negative effects on taste and smell.12 Third, irradiated ergosterol could be mixed into the final product as a tasteless additive.13

Read the manufacturer's pamphlet here.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Oct 07, 2024 - Comments (2)
Category: Food, Science, Children, 1930s, Diseases

The effect of humming on vision

A Dec 1967 article ("Effect of humming on vision") by William Rushton in the journal Nature reported that:


I'm sure that's interesting, but it's a response to Rushton's article published four months later that I find more interesting. A former member of the Air Training Corps described how it was possible, by humming (or rather, "purring"), to make your head vibrate such that, when looking at a spinning propeller, the propeller would seem to stop in mid-air. By increasing or decreasing the intensity of humming/purring, one could then determine in which direction the propeller was rotating.

I haven't tested this out to see if it works, but if any of you do have a chance to test it out, please report back with your results.

Nature - Apr 20, 1968

Posted By: Alex - Fri Sep 27, 2024 - Comments (2)
Category: Science, Air Travel and Airlines, 1960s, Eyes and Vision

Teflon as a weight-loss aid

A 2016 article in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology ("Polytetrafluoroethylene Ingestion as a Way to Increase Food Volume and Hence Satiety Without Increasing Calorie Content") proposed using Teflon as a weight-loss aid. The idea was to add powdered Teflon to food in order to bulk up the food's volume without adding calories. From the article:


Maybe they're right about the harmless effects of ingesting Teflon, but it sure would be an uphill battle to convince the public of this given the widespread concern about ingesting Teflon from scratched pans. The manufacturer of Teflon briefly addresses this concern on the Teflon.com website:


via New Scientist

Posted By: Alex - Thu Sep 26, 2024 - Comments (4)
Category: Science, Dieting and Weight Loss

Embryonic Development of the Light-Brown Apple Moth

Another contender in the Great Boredom Sweepstakes.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Sep 21, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Boredom, Education, Insects and Spiders, PSA’s, Science, 1960s

Kinematic programming for rain

July 1966: The mathematician Mervyn Stone published an article in the journal Nature that analyzed "the optimal speed and posture to adopt when caught without protection in a rain shower."

The article itself is mostly gobbledygook to me, but apparently he concluded that if the rain is coming from behind you then "walk forward leaning backwards." While if you're walking into the rain then "lower the head and walk as fast as possible."

Reference: "Kinematic Programming for Rain," Nature - July 23, 1966

The Branford Expositor - Sep 19, 1966

Click to enlarge as PDF

Posted By: Alex - Mon Sep 16, 2024 - Comments (8)
Category: Science, 1960s, Weather

A method for irradiating radioactive radiation

Patent No. 6,415,009 (granted in 2002) is titled, "Method for producing a coiled body for irradiating radioactive radiation."

What could it mean to irradiate radioactive radiation? When I came across the phrase I had to stop and think about it.

The text of the patent unfortunately didn't provide any clarification, although it did reveal that all this irradiating is being done in the context of brachytherapy (from wikipedia: "a form of radiation therapy where a sealed radiation source is placed inside or next to the area requiring treatment").

The phrase "radioactive radiation" actually does make sense to me. Radiation is a catch-all term for the emission of any kind of electromagnetic energy. So 'radioactive radiation' would be high-energy or ionizing radiation, as opposed to, say, low-energy heat radiation.

But I'm still confused what they mean by irradiating radioactive radiation? Does it mean to make radioactive radiation even more radioactive?

Or are they misusing the word 'irradiate'? My dictionary indicates that 'irradiate' means either to be exposed to radiation or to be illuminated by radiation. The sun radiates or emits light, and the earth is irradiated by its light.

So did the patentees mean 'emitting' rather than 'irradiating'? I'm just not sure. If anyone can figure out what the phrase means, let me know.

Posted By: Alex - Mon Aug 26, 2024 - Comments (3)
Category: Science, Atomic Power and Other Nuclear Matters, Patents