Flying mice

10 September 2009

Mice have been levitated by US scientists.

The rodents were made to float in thin air by Nasa-backed professionals who used a superconducting magnet to make them spin frantically in space.

After an initial trial on a three-week old mouse - which saw them kicking about while floating in their special plastic cage - the creatures were sedated to make the weightless ordeal less distressing.

The scientists launched the experiment to help them learn more about the physical conditions of zero gravity conditions faced by astronauts in space.

Researcher Yuanming Liu of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California said: "If we can contribute to the future human exploration of space, that would be very exciting."

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