Create a lava lamp that is the right environment for sulphur-vent bacteria, or some other visible wiggling life form that likes hot amorphos environments, jar the little guys in the clear lamp with a heat element & light under it and place it in your dorm room...or office etc.

Not only do you have the "mystical" blobs changing densities up & down, but little bugs swimming in all that glowing murk. Two cools in one! Chicks Dig it.
-- macncheesy, May 04 2004

Retros- How to make a lava lamp http://www.oozinggoo.com/ll-form5.html
ahh-how to make a lava lamp, with specific ingredients [macncheesy, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Hydrothermal vent http://web.uvic.ca/...othermal-vents.html
[hippo, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

The DeepBUG project http://www.chm.bris...k/deepbug/index.htm
My previous research project, which is dragging on a bit, but which could be quite interesting if I could get the damn machine to give me some numbers [hazel, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Excellent, as long as the power doesn't ever get shut off.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, May 04 2004


Might be difficult to ship. And what do you feed a sulpher-vent lifeform?
-- phoenix, May 04 2004


Make the lamp similar to an eco-sphere. It's a remarkably simple ecosystem that Macncheesy is talking about. Of course, it depends... on.. a constant influx of sulfides.... oh dear this isn't going to work.

Rats. I wanted one too!
-- Madcat, May 04 2004


Shame they all die when you turn the lamp off.
-- DrCurry, May 04 2004


There is a disco-heating element that stays on :)
-- macncheesy, May 04 2004


I like it, sign me up. (WTAGIPBAN)
-- krelnik, May 04 2004


Has any aquarium yet managed to install a sea vent environment?
-- DrCurry, May 05 2004


A hydrothermal vent fishtank would be very cool. There might be some technical challenges in maintaining sufficient pressure such that the wter can be at 400C and still be liquid but it would look good.
-- hippo, May 05 2004


//Shame they all die when you turn the lamp off.// Why should they? They will probably go into some hibernating state when it gets too cold. How else could they spread across the ocean floor.
-- kbecker, May 05 2004


Groovy. +
-- sartep, May 06 2004


//And what do you feed a sulpher-vent lifeform?//

You feed em sulphur [phoe]. Probably in the form of H2S. That's what lots of the deep biosphere bacteria eat. We think. We're not entirely sure. See linky for a (rather sparse) page about my previous research project. Sadly few results posted as yet - I'm analysing the samples as I type...

Top idea - not sure about the practicalities of it though. These bacteria are fuckers to grow outside their environment.
-- hazel, May 06 2004


I really didn't think chicks WOULD dig it, but then I read [blissmiss]'s post... hmmm... shows what I know.
-- zigness, May 06 2004


[hazel] how does solubility of H2S vary with pressure? Do those poor critters just starve to death at atmospheric pressure because there is not enough H2S in the water?
-- kbecker, May 07 2004


Churn, churn... +
-- moomintroll, Oct 20 2006



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