(no subject)

[moonwise]

Went to the second of three seminars on green (i.e. environmentally responsible) chemistry tonight. The speaker showed a very disturbing photograph of a mouse in a fluorocarbon solvent, weighted down with a sinker, breathing dissolved O2 in the solvent. "Very happily breathing!" says the speaker.

*gets an attack of the extreme weirdies and has to look away*

And then the speaker talks about some technology, developed in France and Japan, that aimed to replace some of a person's blood with fluorocarbon solvent during surgery. Most blood used in surgery just runs out again, what a waste. Apparently you can replace up to 80% of blood in the body with fluorocarbon and the animal/person will live.

Arafel: AIEEEEEE *shudders to think of her veins coursing with clear fluid*

go ahead and do that on OTHER PEOPLE

don't do it on me.

Comments

[hidetomatsumoto.livejournal.com]

Sorta liquid oxygen, or something new? I've heard about that before--about a mouse being submerged in liquid and still able to *breathe* for a time.

[arafel.livejournal.com]

Oh no - not liquid O2. Liquid O2 is very cold and you'd never be able to breathe it. This fluorous hydrocarbon liquid is apparently able to dissolve oxygen from the air in concentrations comparable to blood, and I guess the body can get to it.

It's still very strange.

Re:

[hidetomatsumoto.livejournal.com]

Ahh.. I know I've heard about something like it before, but I'm not sure if it was the same stuff.

I think there was a movie, (Abyss maybe?) where the used that stuff.

[arafel.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen Abyss in a dog's age, so I really don't remember! :)

I do know that divers who have to go very deep will breathe a mixture of helium and oxygen. But that's not what you're talking about. Interesting question...

[hidetomatsumoto.livejournal.com]

If I remember correctly, in the movie, it was a guy, and he ran out of oxygen in his tank (he knew ahead of time he didn't have enough O2 to make it), and had to flood his helment (deep under sea) with that liquid stuff--even then his chances of survival was in peril. I think that's how it went...

[lordraziel.livejournal.com]

I think the movie was the Abyss. But he did it on purpose because he knew he was going down deep, deep, deep. He had to save the day and disarm a nuclear bomb that had gotten down there. What an interesting idea, for someone else to use. Not me, I'm not breathing "water". :)

[arafel.livejournal.com]

The creaky memory cogs are producing a vague image of what you're talking about. I don't remember but now I'll have to go see the movie again.

[fullofsecrets.livejournal.com]

I remember the stuff that lordraziel is talking about from the movie, I just have no idea whether it's a real substance or something made up for the plot.

*comment*

[wickedorin.livejournal.com]

*in a sickeningly sweet, high-pitched Rinoa-esque voice* If the mouse is so happily breathing, then why is he still struggling?

*cough* *ahem* It's neat. But it's kinda weird, too. But who am I to talk?

Re: *comment*

[arafel.livejournal.com]

It was the weight on the tail that really got me. *shudders* Poor frigging mouse. If I ever find that pic, I'll post it.

Neat, indeed. But weird. Definitely weird.

Re: *comment*

[wickedorin.livejournal.com]

Doesn't it make you wonder if there's a group of scientists out there that, instead of doing anything helpful for the general population, just get together and say, "Hey, wouldn't it be neat if..."? *grin*

Re: *comment*

[arafel.livejournal.com]

*laughs* I think so. It would explain some of the useless research that goes on, I'm sure. "Let's do that! And get governmental funding for it!" Oooookay....

Re: *comment*

[wickedorin.livejournal.com]

I just remember seeing this thing on TV years ago, about a groups of scientists who were determined to know who "the real" Mona Lisa was. And I remember thinking, "They get funding for this?"

Re: *comment*

[arafel.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of people are with me on that particular topic (of the Mona Lisa and other useless research) when I say, "Who gives a sh*t?"

Your taxpayer dollars, friends and neighbors.

Re: *comment*

[wickedorin.livejournal.com]

Then there are the glow in the dark bunnies...