Shrimps on a treadmill

I honestly don't know what is more pathetic, the fuzz-brain who writes for Background Dominated, or the name of that idiotic blog.  I am just glad that when you go to his blog, you become so easily distracted by the ridiculous background he has, that you don't read his garbage!  But being an X-ray astronomer, I guess that's the prettiest picture Dr. Mush-For-Brains can come up with.

The one good thing I'll say about his most recent post is that it strongly advocates for the power of science for good, the example being a study on why we can become so easily addicted to junk food.  Most people won't argue against this study, especially given the obesity epidemic in this country.  

But recently, many conservatives (especially the self-proclaimed truth tellers at Fox News) point to some scientific studies as wasteful government spending.  The famous example that they love to point to is shrimps on a treadmill.  Mike Huckabee, in all of his ignorance, has claimed "I don't care what shrimps do on a treadmill. I don't want my shrimp going to the gym." 

First of all, does Huckabee really own a shrimp?  If so, that's a bit odd, but okay...  

Second, if these people would actually read about the study, they would find that the treadmill component was a small part in a larger study to understand how shrimp respond to changes in water quality. This study has important implications for the shrimping industry (which is part of our economy) as well as understanding how pollution affects marine life.  Read more here.

The bottom line is that this study is hardly wasteful spending.  In fact, these days, it's so difficult to get money from the government for important studies, you can bet your bottom that scientists will not waste the little money they actually get.  

So, the next time you read about this little guy, remember that the researchers are not just taking their shrimp to the gym!