AIRhead Research Review
Improbable theories, experiments, and conclusions
Mice, Music, METH
"Methamphetamine Toxicity in Mice is Potentiated by Exposure to Loud
Music," A. Jennifer
Morton, Miriam A. Hickey, and Laura C. Dean, Neuroreport,
vol. 12, 2001, pp. 3277-81. (Thanks to David Derbyshire and other investigators
or bringing this to our attention.) The authors, who are at the University
of Cambridge, UK, summarize their work thusly:
Methamphetamine (METH) is a drug of abuse used for its stimulant effects.... Here, we compared the effect of [a] dominant feature of nightclubs, continuous loud noise, on the toxicity of METH in mice. We found that mice exposed to loud music exhibited longer lasting stereotypy, an altered place preference in the open field and had more seizures than mice given METH in a quiet setting or when exposed to loud white noise.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A report
in the August 19, 2002 issue of The
Independent described a subsequent development:
Scientists who blasted dance music at drugged mice in a "tasteless" experiment have been reprimanded by the Home Office. Seven mice forced to listen to the Prodigy after being given a strong form of amphetamine died while others suffered brain damage. Animal rights campaigners at the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) described the research as "tasteless and horrific". Today, a year after the results were published, the Home Office confirmed it had taken "infringement action" against the Cambridge University team led by Dr Jenny Morton.
Tackiness Theory
"Theory of Tackiness," Cyprien Guy and Ludwik Leiber, Physical
Review Letters, vol. 82, no. 5, February 1, 1999, pp. 936-9. (Thanks
to Ilana Harrus, E.L. Harrington, and Len Finegold for bringing this to
our attention.) The authors are at Laboratoire CNRS-Elf Atochem in Levallois-Perret,
France.
Salamic Assessments
"Sensory and Other Methods for Assessing Salami," S.L. Beilken,
L.M. Eadie, P.N. Jones, and P.V. Harris, CSIRO
Food Research Quarterly, vol. 50, no. 2, 1990, pp. 54-65.
Not Here, Not There
"A Constant Chromomagnetic Field Leads Nowhere," L. Maiani, G.
Martinelli, G.C. Rossi, and M. Testa, Nuclear
Physics, vol. B273, 1986, p. 275 ff.
We welcome your suggestions for this column. Please enclose the full citation (no abbreviations!) and, if possible, a photocopy of the paper
© Copyright 2002 Annals of Improbable Research (AIR)
This HotAIR feature first appeared in AIR VOLUME
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