levitating frog

01.08.2009 A frog is levitated using a 10 tesla magnetic coil using diamagnetism. (For fun times read my amateurish physics explanation below).

The meissner effect is when you place one magnet above a superconductor and it levitates as it repels (because it creates a mirror image of itself in the superconductor). It is also possible to use this effect to levitate non-magnetic materials (like "diamagnets") which aquire their magnetic properties in the presence of a magnetic field. Diamagnets like water do this and are repelled by external magnets. Since all living things are made of water you can levitate them in the presence of a powerful enough magnetic field. This is done here to this frog but imagine (like floating magnetic trains) if we could build highways from superconductors, get rid of cars and fly around everywhere ourselves, simply because we have water in our bodies... totally possible... totally cool (if you don't have a metal plate in your head)

• David Wilson
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