Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008

S.C.'s 'Shrimp on Treadmill' makes 'Today' debut

The “Shrimp on Treadmill” will finally make the leap from computer screen to TV screen.

What began as a scientific experiment by the College of Charleston’s Lou Burnett turned into a runaway Internet fascination with more than 30 versions of the original film on sites including YouTube. The footage features a shrimp running on a special treadmill.

Once it made it to the Internet, it was manipulated and accompanied with music like the “Benny Hill” theme and “The Final Countdown.”

Burnett, of the college’s Grice Marine Lab, will appear on the “Today” show this morning to explain the intent of his experiment — a “stress test” for bacteria-infected shrimp.

Burnett has expanded his research to include other crustaceans and also has created a treadmill for crabs.

The “Today” show airs from 7 to 11 a.m. on WIS-10, cable channel 3.