What are some of the spookiest experiments we've ever done?
Although science often advances through tried-and-tested methods, sometimes scientists have to find creative ways to test their hypotheses.
Here are five of the wackiest science experiments ever conducted:
Levitating frogs
Everything has its own magnetic field, however small. This means that, theoretically, any object would be repelled by a sufficiently strong magnet.
Scientists dramatically demonstrated this fact in 1997, when they used a high-powered magnet to levitate a live frog.
The frog was unharmed by the experience, but research into this phenomenon (called ‘diamagnetic levitation’) has many potential applications, from medical imaging to space technology.
Turning water into metal
Ancient alchemists would have marvelled at this 2021 experiment, which briefly turned water into a shiny, metallic substance.
Metals conduct electricity because they contain ‘free electrons’, which aren’t bound to an atom. In contrast, pure water isn’t conductive because the electrons are tightly bound to their atoms.
Theoretically, water is conductive under extremely high pressure because the molecules are squished together, creating an overlap between their outer electron orbits.
Scientists were able to create metallic water without high pressure by exposing droplets of sodium and potassium (both are alkali metals that tend to ‘donate’ electrons to other atoms) to water vapour.
The water condensed into a microscopically thin layer around the droplet, and as the metals donated electrons to the water, it turned into a shimmering golden ball, with the properties of a metal.
Slowing the speed of light
In 1999, scientists used a technique called ‘quantum interference’ to slow the speed of light to just 17m (56ft) per second – that’s roughly 61km/h (38mph).
When light is refracted through a transparent substance, such as water or a glass prism, it travels more slowly, but some of the light is absorbed in the process. This limits how much we can slow light down.
To overcome this, researchers super-cooled sodium atoms to almost absolute zero (-273.15°C or -459.67°F) and then applied a polarised laser beam, preventing light from being absorbed when passing through.
When the researchers sent a pulse of light through this setup, it slowed to 1/20,000,000th of its normal speed. This experiment advanced our understanding of how light operates at the microscopic level.
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Painting cows
In 2019, scientists painted black cows with white stripes. Their aim was to test the hypothesis that zebras’ bold black-and-white stripes help to deter biting flies.
And indeed, they found that cows with white stripes suffered 50 per cent fewer fly bites than black cows and spent less time fending off flying insects. The results offer a potential way to defend livestock from biting insects without using harmful pesticides.
Unravelling the mysteries of wombat poo
Wombats have the dubious accolade of being the only creature that produces cube-shaped poo. To understand how they achieve this feat, in 2018, researchers dissected the digestive tracts of two wombats.
They found that the final section of the intestine has alternating regions of stiffer and softer muscles.
Mathematical modelling showed that rapid contractions of this stiff muscle, followed by slower contractions of the soft muscle, could form corners, giving wombat poop its distinctive shape.
Bizarrely, this discovery could aid the development of new manufacturing techniques.
This article is an answer to the question (asked by Barney Reed, Lichfield) 'What are some of the spookiest experiments we've ever done?'
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