I feel absolutely terrible today. I don’t know what I’ve come down with, but I’m totally miserable. I’ve sent an email to my boss requesting a sick day. While waiting to hear back from her, and cruising around the intertubes, I came across this interesting article under Strange News at Live Science.
What an odd coincidence for someone who wishes she could switch bodies with someone today:
Strange Experiments Create Body-Swapping Experiences
Robin Lloyd, Senior EditorScientists now have manipulated people’s perceptions to make them think they have swapped bodies with another human or even a “humanoid body,” experiencing the sensations that the other would feel and giving the illusion of being inside the other’s body.
The bizarre achievement hearkens to body swaps portrayed on numerous TV shows and movies such as “Freaky Friday” and “All of Me.”
In real life, the cognitive neuroscientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet succeeded in making subjects perceive the bodies of mannequins and other people as their own. The illusion also worked even when the two people differed in appearance or were of different sexes. It also worked whether the subject was immobile or was making voluntary movements. However, it was not possible to fool the subjects into identifying with a non-humanoid object, such as a chair or a large block.
No problem — I already feel like a large block. Or something.
Maybe my boss has written back by now.
Update: Sick day approved. I’m going to back to bed.
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I’m sorry you’re sick. I gots a stuffy noze but think I’ll shake it off. Hope you didn’t pick up anything from thost cagey creatures at the zoo last week! 😉
Rest, drink plenty of fluids, yada, yada, yada and get well quickly.
**hugs**
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Thanks, Bonnie. I’ve been resting all day and drinking water. I had some soup around lunchtime and then went back to sleep for a while. I woke up still feeling achy, but hungry. That’s a good sign, I suppose.
Thanks for your concern and for the hugs. **hugs** back at ya!
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Wow. Doctors can temporarily cause schizophrenia.
December 4th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Hey Lottie… hope you are feeling better today.
That article we really cool, I love science stuff. You think maybe we can get republicans/fundamentalists to body swap with gay people and maybe they (fundies) won’t be such jerks anymore? 😛
December 4th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Thanks for the well wishes, Matto. I’m feeling a little better today. Now my son is home sick, though. Same symptoms… Must be some kind of bug.
If only… Although I’d hate to put the gays through that kind of exchange.
. 😛
December 4th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Glad you are feeling a bit better today!! Sorry that your son is down with the crud….hopefully he will feel better shortly, too.