Snakes on a Plane

[RavenSky]

or... Here's What Happens To Snakes In Microgravity

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5sg0dHqW-Q[/YOUTUBE]

In this study, the researchers loaded a bunch of snakes onto a Vomit Comet. These are planes that fly in parabolas: as the plane moves over the top of the curve, everything inside is temporarily weightless. At the bottom of the curve, it the pull of gravity actually feels a bit stronger.

Here's a video of one snake, Elaphe obsoleta, in microgravity. In the first parabola, the snake eventually knotted its tail and ceased all other body movements. In the second parabola the snake knotted its whole body and once again ceased moving while in microgravity. This posture was held through the next parabola and in the intervening time between the parabolas.

http://animals.io9.com/heres-what-h...utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Interesting article but I felt sorry for the snake. Perhaps he was knotting himself up to keep from barfing up undigested mice :sick001:

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Cool. Next, let's see what happens when we fire a sheep out of a catapult.

 

[skepticalbip]

Cool. Next, let's see what happens when we fire a sheep out of a catapult.

Here you go....

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g95iS6qBXWg[/youtube]

Now I'm wondering if the sheep has to be on fire for this to work.

 

[NobleSavage]

I wonder who funded that study?