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News & ArtsTuesday, April 21, 2009
Science / Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Dear Science
Posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 2:58 PM
JSL: Last Monday, SPD divers recovered a jar with a fetus in it from the mud in Lake Washington.Any idea WTF?
Golob: Ask around at the anatomy department. Probably an embryology specimen that was stolen. It might not be a human fetus; lots of mammals look similar to humans until very late in development.And yeah. Gross.
JSL: It was human.
Golob: If it's a late fetus, there isn't exactly a great supply. Beyond medical samples, the other likely source is a miscarriage.
JSL: In a jar filled with formaldehyde? I'm pretty sure it was medical. I just like to imagine that there's a mad scientist out there somewhere missing one of his test subjects.
Golob: I'd place my money on a careless med student.
JSL: In the bottom of the lake?
Golob: Canoe rentals are cheap from the UW Waterfront Activities Center.
JSL: So wait, your theory is that some medical student rented a canoe, fetus in tow, and then paddled all the way down to Seward park (which is the part I'm telling you just now) and then threw a bottled fetus overboard?This is why I'm the reporter.
1
I'll bet you anything there are hundreds of bottled fetuses tucked away in the bowels of the UW -- and now there's one fewer.
3
@1 I'll bet some bored grad student has cataloged them all and arranged them so that based on the positions of their limbs it looks like they are dancing
6
@2: Maybe it was one of the fetus' used to perfect the invitro process that loveschild used to have her kids. Cause she had 3 kids due to in-vitro, but doesn't want stem cell research cause "it kills babies!" hahahahaha
17
Yup. On the other hand, a reporter probably wouldn't know the exact preservative, nor would your average cop. Shades of The Kingdom ...
19
Just because they found it near Seward Park doesn't mean that's where it was dumped.
A fetus in a jar would have roughly similar buoyancy as water; depends how much air was in there too. So it could have floated around in the currents for ages (years?) before settling where it did.
BTW, I kinda like saying "fetus in a jar". Not something I use in a sentence every day.
A fetus in a jar would have roughly similar buoyancy as water; depends how much air was in there too. So it could have floated around in the currents for ages (years?) before settling where it did.
BTW, I kinda like saying "fetus in a jar". Not something I use in a sentence every day.
20
med students, especially in by-gone days, are sorta famous for "pranks" with anatomy specimens and cadaver parts, are they not? medical school hazing as i understood it.
i'm just surprised that someone found the thing, not that is was there in the first place. it's a big, deep lake.
i'm just surprised that someone found the thing, not that is was there in the first place. it's a big, deep lake.
21
The dialogue between Jonah and Jonathan is pretty funny! Jonah keeps introducing wackier scenerios and Golob keeps logically explaining them away... I could see it getting comical if continued to absurd points...
JSL: The fetus had three heads.
Golob: Probably a mutation or chimera.
JSL: It was also holding a miniature sign reading "Free Mumia!"
Golob: Often, paper descriptions were put inside samples, the writing must have decayed over time.
JSL: I took it out and it started hitting on my neighbor's girlfriend.
Golob: I give up.
JSL: The fetus had three heads.
Golob: Probably a mutation or chimera.
JSL: It was also holding a miniature sign reading "Free Mumia!"
Golob: Often, paper descriptions were put inside samples, the writing must have decayed over time.
JSL: I took it out and it started hitting on my neighbor's girlfriend.
Golob: I give up.
23
@12
Shhhhhhh!
Some of us don't want the world to find out where we go to nap during work hours. Thanks.
Shhhhhhh!
Some of us don't want the world to find out where we go to nap during work hours. Thanks.
24
I visited a museum a long while ago, around 1960 I think, and saw one on a shelf in a "doctor's office of the nineteenth century" display. Had the typical ten-year-old's reaction of "Wow! That's cool!" Mighta been at Cooperstown, NY, but I'm not sure. Best wishes to all.
25
if these were the remains of native americans or slaves everyone would be so "we have to show respect" but because showing respect for these remains might undercut the case for slaughter-at-will abortion all the sensitive liberals can be snarky and cruel.
28
Golob - please read the comments on Savage's post "Spit or swallow....(etc)"
The commenters commit all sorts of egregious errors in discussing evolution. How can you let Sloggers continue to be so naive? It's horrible! They couldn't pass a high school exam with the reasoning they use! Please correct them!
Seriously, Darwin is turning in his grave as I write.
The commenters commit all sorts of egregious errors in discussing evolution. How can you let Sloggers continue to be so naive? It's horrible! They couldn't pass a high school exam with the reasoning they use! Please correct them!
Seriously, Darwin is turning in his grave as I write.
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