Does anyone watch the TV show "Bones"? I personally love the show. While I do find it unbelievable, it is also extremely entertaining (much like CSI). Not to mention I think David Boreanaz is hot!
On this past weeks' episode, a body was found that appeared to have been shattered into a million pieces. The theory was that the body had been frozen in liquid nitrogen and dropped so that it shattered. The characters then conduct an experiment where they froze a turkey (like one would cook for Thanksgiving) and dropped it from a balcony. Rather than the turkey shattering, it BOUNCED (consequently then hitting Angela in the face)! Later in the episode, a "physicist" states that "everyone knows a body will bounce if frozen with liquid nitrogen". I've embedded a video that I found off YouTube of the bouncing turkey. Extremely amusing.
I honestly don't know if a body would bounce once frozen with LN2. I tried to convince my adviser to let us perform an experiment, but sadly he did not take the bait. If I find out whether or not this is true, I'll let you know. Either way, I still laugh when I watch that part of the episode! And I must have had a great ab work-out, because laughing is making my abs hurt more... lol.
Have a great Wednesday! (Happy $2 Latte Day to me!)
Just wanted to let you know that I found your blog after watching Bones and wondering the same thing about the bouncing turkey. The reason I thought it would be easier to find an answer is that generally Bones gets "major" plot points right scientifically, but not the uses/drawbacks/value of Luminol, and they made it seem like common knowledge in the episodes through that welder/physicist they interrogated. Anyway just know that you are not alone in wondering this and I envy your desire to enjoy running as I am a step behind you in that I enjoy not running but do desire to desire to want to enjoy running. If you find an answer while studying please let me know @:
ReplyDeleteJHLazarus@yahoo.com my name is Jeremy
Please post if you find out why the turkey bounced!
ReplyDeleteI am trying to find out if the statement: 'flesh will bounce after being frozen by liquid nitrogen' is correct for a story I am working on. I had written the story with frozen bodies shattering when struck, but then I watched this episode and the smart-aleck says something to the effect that any idiot would know that an LN2 frozen body would bounce. From the internet research I've done I am thinking the smart-aleck is incorrect -but I want to be sure. Any new info?
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I know nothing new at this point. I still have yet to convince my boss to let us freeze a cornish game hen. Please let me know if you find anything. Either way, the episode was hilarious! Everything they do on tv isn't true, but it sure is more fun in their lab than in mine!
ReplyDeleteI came across your blog by Googling: 'Would A Frozen Body Bounce Bones'
ReplyDeleteI eventually came across these two articles
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2921/could-you-be-frozen-solid-then-broken-into-a-million-pieces
http://www.semcto.com/docs/Liquid_Nitrogen.pdf
My thinking now is that the frozen body would be like a more durable ice cube: it would both bounce (but not as much as the bird on Bones) and crack, and it perhaps would shatter with a sharp strike from a hammer (-that's a lovely thought -I am being sarcastic to be clear).
Bones is still one of my favs, even though I think they Jumped the Shark a bit back when they went to England (-Now they're solving cases on The Jersey Shore!).