AT LAST, mice have been levitated.
The trick was performed using a strong magnetic field that distorts the movement of electrons in water molecules, which in turn produces a magnetic field opposing the one applied. The result is a repulsive effect, which was used by Yuanming Liu and colleagues at the in Pasadena, California, to lift a young mouse weighing 10 grams.
Levitated mice could be a testing ground for studying the effects of space travel on humans, such as bone and muscle loss and changes in blood flow. Liu鈥檚 machine can mimic anything between Earth and zero gravity.
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The method has previously been used to float frogs and strawberries.