Researchers once turned a live cat into a telephone. Princeton researchers Ernest Wever and Charles Bray took out a cat’s skull and most of its brain to connect the animal to electricity. When they spoke into the cat’s ear, the sound could be heard through a phone receiver in another room. The twisted experiment paved the way for cochlear implant developments.
100 Mind-Blowing Experiment Facts
Human birth control pills work on gorillas. During an experiment conducted on four captive gorillas, scientists observed a difference in behaviour. Peak sexual behaviour was observed during menstruation rather than after.
Potatoes can reflect your wi-fi signal. In a 2012 experiment to test the wireless signals on new planes, potatoes were used and placed on the seats. The results found that because of the high water content of the potatoes, they can reflect and absorb radio and wireless signals. Human beings are also able to do the same thing.
Leonardo Da Vinci only has 15 existing paintings. Despite being one of the most proliferous painters of the Renaissance, Leonardo Da Vinci’s portfolio isn’t too extensive. Because he tended to procrastinate and experiment, Da Vinci only had a record of 15 finished paintings.
Scientists have taught rats to drive. According to an experiment, rats can learn how to drive. Scientists made tiny cars with an aluminium floor and a “steering wheel” made out of three copper bars. When the rat stood on the car’s aluminium floor and touched the copper bars, it would start an electrical charge that moved the car. By the end of the experiment, they had taught the rats to steer the car in different directions by touching different copper bars. Their secret? Froot Loops. The scientists conditioned the rats to manoeuvre in different ways by rewarding them with cereal pieces.
The universe is officially coloured “Cosmic Latte.” In 2002, scientists determined that all light in the universe has the average shade of beige colour coined the “Cosmic Latte.” The astronomer Peter Drum came up with the name while he read an article about the experiment in a Starbucks and realized that the colour was similar to his latte.
The person who proved the existence of radio waves thought they were completely pointless. Between 1886 and 1889, Heinrich Hertz did a series of intricate tests that proved the existence of a previously theoretical form of wave – electromagnetic waves. When asked about the practical uses, he responded, “It’s of no use whatsoever[…] this is just an experiment that proves Maestro Maxwell was right—we just have these mysterious electromagnetic waves that we cannot see with the naked eye. But they are there.” Hertz’s name is now used to indicate the various degrees of electromagnetic frequency despite calling them pointless.
The first computer virus was harmless. In 1971, the first ever computer virus was developed. Named Creeper, it was made as an experiment just to see how it spread between computers. The virus simply displayed the message: “I’m the creeper, catch me if you can!” The first virus ever released into the wild was called Brain, which also wasn’t harmful. However, it was the very first IBM PC virus.