Accidental animal crueltyI once invented a brilliant game - I'd sit at the top of the stairs and throw cat biscuits to the bottom. My cat would eat them, then I'd shake the box, and he would run up the stairs for more biscuits. Then - of course - I'd throw a biscuit back down to the bottom. I kept this going for about half an hour, amused at my little game, and all was fine until the cat vomited. I felt absolutely dreadful.
Have you accidentally been cruel to an animal?
This question has been revived from way, way, way back on the b3ta messageboard when it was all fields round here.
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rob, Thu 6 Dec 2007, 11:13)
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Killed by coldYay! Biology! Ahem, I mean, hmmmn, interesting...
To the best of my knowledge (which is based on humans, not insects!) you can kill something with cold one of two ways...
You can make it quite cold so that the chemical reactions within it's cells slow down leading to a build up of toxic products, or you can make it very cold and ice crystals will form in it's cells and will mess with the cell membranes.
As you froze it with liquid N2 I don't think either of these things happened, if you make animal cells extremely cold they will freeze before toxic products can build up and before ice crystals form.
I recon your insect died because you heated it back up too slowly (you can get the toxic product build up thing here too.) Maybe repeat the experiment using a 32C water bath?
I am going to sneak a N2 cylinder out of my lab tonight and see if I can freeze me some students! If any of you are around in Leeds tonight watch out, mwmahahahaaaaa...
(, Thu 6 Dec 2007, 14:51, Reply)
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