Back in the day when there were only three networks
and subsequently only three channels to watch, I’d get up on a Saturday morning
and settle in for a morning of cartoon watching. I have a recollection of a
character’s body going rigid and translucent as electric current coursed
through his frame when he grabbed hold of an electric eel.
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| Courtesy Google Images |
As funny as this was to a preteen, apparently it’s
not so farfetched. According to tvtropes.org an electric eel (which isn’t really an eel
but rather a species of knife fish) is capable of delivering a jolt capable of
killing an ungrounded adult. When you consider that less than one tenth (1/10)
of one (1) amp can prove fatal if it travels through the heart, you can
understand the plausibility of meeting your demise if you were to encounter an
electric eel.
However, the current emitted by electric eels is
capable of more than incapacitating other life forms. Turns out their power can
be harnessed for good. Currently (pun intended), the folks at the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy, Utah have illuminated Christmas lights that they attached to
an eel tank. As the eel swims through the water, it generates a current
necessary to power the lights.
How cool is that? It’s not a new idea but that
doesn’t diminish its interest factor.
Anyone have any idea how many eels it would take to
power a house?
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