Climate Concerns, Treadmill Make Athletic Shrimp A Star (VIDEO)

Climate change is reeking havoc on marine life. Not only have sea temperatures risen dramatically, but storms and waves are becoming increasingly damaging to underwater ecosystems.

David Scholnick, a biologist from Pacific University, recently invented a shrimp treadmill, which allows researchers to measure the activity of an exercising shrimp for a set period of time at fixed speed and oxygen levels. Scholnick has been using the treadmill to determine the disparity between the performance of healthy and sick shrimp, as a means of examining how disease impacts shrimps' performance.

MSNBC's Sara Goudarzi reports:

Humans fighting an infection typically sleep more and are not at top physical performance. "The situation is much more critical for a sick marine crustacean, such as a shrimp, where a decrease in performance may mean the difference between life and death," said David Scholnick.

Shrimp dealing with an infection would be less active and might be limited in their ability to migrate, find food, and avoid being eaten, Scholnick said. "These studies will give us a better idea of how marine animals can perform in their native habitat when faced with increasing pathogens and immunological challenges."

Watch:

Comments

[JuniorNorman]

I saw a shrimp on a treadmill 2 years ago it aint new or news

[williamjgc]

I think we need to get Gore on a treadmill

[KaLaPa111]

Shrimp on a Treadmill?? Somebody call Sam Jackson 'cuz I smell a movie deal!

"Somebody better get this motherf@#%ing shrimp off my motherf@#%ing treadmill!"

[skeptaholic]

I smell Oscar. Or is that sweaty shrimp?

[Marklar]

Man ,I was really hoping someone had created a power plant that generated electricity with shrimp running on treadmills.

[emncaity]

You wonder why they don't take the more direct approach of simply asking the shrimp how they rate their own fatigue level. It's not like shrimp are stupid.

[emncaity]

Um...writer, it's "wreaking," not "reeking."

[bbriani3842]

You know there is a Richard Simmons video playing in the lab to "PUSH IT, BABY! KEEP IT GOING!"

[saron123]

Oh, this reminds me of John McCain.......he missed this one during the campaigning.

Remember his repetitive jokes about >>>> spending millions of dollars to study the DNA of bears somewhere in Montana bla bla bla .......

And, criticized Barack for funding some sort of expensive scientific projector at a planetarium in Chicago (which McCain confused with the regular office overhead projector) .......

A Shrimp-Treadmill would have made another repetitive joke by McCain. Maybe in Georgia's campaign?

[Southrnbelle]

Shrimp on a treadmill - I've seen it all!!

[FreedomAgain]

mmmmmm shrimp.

[JimBozo]

Cats like treadmills, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhevcUZOFZc

[gifu]

Thanks for that one. My siamese is going nuts as usual as I watch.

[hypnotoad72]

"Reeking havoc" stinks. Try "wreaking havoc" instead.

Who wrote the article?

[ericmiami]

Yes, "reeking havoc."
Haven't these writers read a little in school?
I believe it should be "wreaking."

[ranch111]

Mmmm, yeah. A big deal in light of other things happening in the world. I mean, Guns n' Roses just released Chinese Democracy. Come on.

[rr52]

If it happens to little things, eventually it will happen with those higher up the chain--like us.

[WilliePilgrim]

The scientific examination of living organism withing the laboratory context is a worthwhile endeavor and the scientists doing this no doubt need to present their research as being relevant. I don't know who's attempting to draw some correlation between the activity of shrimp in that lab setting and the possible effects of global warming, but it is yet another stretch..and the arguement that says we are doomed to disaterous effects from global warming (regardless of its source or longevity) is now stretched so thin as to be laughable. I don't mind that the global warming alarm is becoming a numbing buzz at the outskirts of my awareness, but I do resent that the genuine environmental impacts that actually DO threaten the stability of the ecosystems on which we depend will likewise be seen as just so much "sky is falling" when the prediced catastrophes don't arise and instead we find more and more species and ecosystems disappearing due to population, persistant organic pollutions, and loss of habitat and short sighted harvesting of natural resources.

[arkansawtravler]

Why not just add to your disappearing list the effects of global warming. Ta Da!