Anybody want to take a guess at what’s going on in this video? Three very dead dog fish started flopping around as they were being prepared for cooking:
I’ve only had the chance to watch it once. The fish were decapitated, scaled, gutted, etc., and then set up to cook (I believe) on tin foil with lemon juice and salt. (Okay, so probably not technically “fillets,” but that makes for a cooler title.) I’m guessing it’s the combination of foil, acid, and salt that’s at work here, but I’m hoping someone can get more specific.
Apologies in advance if anyone else has already posted about this–I Googled using the video URL and didn’t turn anything up.
There are several different fish called “dogfish” – the one I grew up knowing the term applied to is the bowfin, Amia calva. I suspect what we’re looking at here is a shark, and the Wikipedia disamgibuation page suggests that’s accurate.
Sharks have a much more “distributed” nervous system than the unnamed clade Osteichthyes+Tetrapoda, with a fair amount of “reflexive” reactions controlled by the spinal cord rather than brain proper. That’s likely what’s happening here – the decapitated, skinned torsos are reacting to being immersed in lemon juice with the same reflex the animal developed in life to avoid that which exposes skin below scales to acidic conditions, which is presumably governed by a reaction based in the spinal cord.
Right, I’m familiar with that. I’m asking, what’s the specific chemical reaction that could be happening to cause an electrical charge, if that’s what’s happening? Or is it something more like **Polycarp **is suggesting?
It sounds like even people who “know,” don’t really know or agree on what causes this. Other sites that have discussed the video also have several self-described experts arguing over different, fairly plausible explanations. It’s an interesting discussion, at least.
And yes, just because someone says “I’m a neuroscientist…” doesn’t mean they are. But I’ve been on Reddit for a while and know that it’s a little surprising how many really smart people are there goofing off all the time. Then occasionally, they get to whip out some knowledge about something they happen to know about.
Burt Wilson: I thought you said if we destroyed the brain, it’d die!
Frank: It worked in the movie!
Burt Wilson: Well, it ain’t working now, Frank!
Freddy: You mean the movie* lied!? *
Maybe she should switch to lime.
P.S.: So, who wants to call Mythbusters? If we hurry, maybe this could make it for Halloween.
