7 scary science experiments that will give you goosebumps with results

We conduct research to find solutions to problems and conduct scientific experiments to observe the accuracy of the research. But did you know how dangerous these experiments can be?

The drug that causes organ failure while trying to find a solution to cancer: TGN1412

In 2006, researchers from the German pharmaceutical company TeGenero were developing a new cancer drug called TGN1412. After the drug successfully passed animal tests, it was time for human trials. A team of six volunteers was formed for the first human trial. And each was injected with medicine at 15-minute intervals.

The last participant fainted as soon as she received the injection, while the other volunteers fainted shortly afterwards and were taken to intensive care. The drug, which aims to modulate the immune response to better attack cancers or treat autoimmune disorders, unfortunately caused multiple organ failure in volunteers, although it didn’t kill anyone.

Stanford Prison Experiment

In 1971 the US Office of Naval Research funded a two-week social experiment at Stanford University. The study, which aims to see how people behave under the influence of a power imbalance, used a simulated prison environment as a test environment.

Researchers posted an ad requesting volunteers for a psychological study of prison life and selected 24 of those who wanted to participate. Half of the participants were given the role of prisoner and the other half the role of guard, and fake guards were given the authority to arrest fake prisoners and take them to a fake prison.

Conditions in the simulated prison deteriorated rapidly. On the second day, the prisoners started a riot, and on the fourth day, some of the participants were so traumatized that they had to be sent home. On the sixth day, the experiment descended into chaos and was stopped halfway through the scheduled two-week period. For others, the experiment would have failed from the start. Because they explicitly argued that soliciting volunteers to simulate a prison environment attracts people who are prone to abuse of power.

What happens when a baby and a monkey grow up together: Gua and Donald

In 1931, the comparative psychologist Niles Kellogg, driven by the idea that if raising humans in the wilderness makes them wild, would raising animals in civilization make them civilized, decided to conduct an experiment in 1931. The psychologist decided to seek an answer to his question by bringing a chimpanzee into his home and raising him with his young son.

At first, baby chimpanzee Gua was more successful than baby Donald. But with increasing exposure to the human environment, Gua eventually stumbled and was unable to break through the limits of his genetics. But the real surprising development came from Donald. Baby Donald, who started to imitate Gua day by day, lagged behind in human development.

Using science as a weapon: The Anthrax Experiment

One of the biggest disadvantages of scientific discoveries is that as soon as they learn something new, someone finds out how to weaponize it. To identify potential vulnerabilities in London, the researchers, who carried out experiments simulating a biological weapon attack, used a microscopic spore (animals that can survive in harsh conditions) that mimics the behavior of the anthrax spore. Experiments involved throwing a container of spores from a moving underground train and spraying the spores directly at target locations in underground tunnels.

Experiments have revealed that such an attack can easily spread days and weeks before anyone starts showing symptoms. Once the experiments were over, they revealed that a well-executed biological attack was relatively easy to carry out and would be potentially disastrous.

Vladimir Demikhov’s two-headed dog

In 1959, Russian scientist Vladimir Demikhov succeeded in surgically attaching a small dog named Shavka to the body of a larger dog named Brodyga. Both Shavka and Brodyga not only survived (at least four days), but retained their ability to move as much as possible while fully attached to another organism. This experiment, as frightening as it may be, may have laid the groundwork for current organ transplants.

Milgram’s shock experiments

Social psychologist Stanley Milgram set out to explore how people react when caught between a persistent authority figure and their own moral judgment. Milgram recruited participants for a study on the impact of punishment on learning. They were told that they helped administer the test by delivering a shock each time a question was answered correctly and that the student was the main test subject. This was not true. He was a student actor and was genuinely interested in whether people would continue to shock even if Milgram said they shouldn’t make their own moral judgments.

At the start of the experiment, the people who received the shock were referred to as teachers in the experiment and were given a 45-volt shock. The student was then told that for the first wrong answer, a 15-volt shock would be given. For each consecutive wrong answer, the voltage value would increase. As the test progressed, the students grumbled, begged, shouted, and finally fell silent.

Milgram hoped most people would revolt and refuse to be shocked sooner. What he found instead was that most people feel more secure when pressured by an authority figure.

Experiments to delete or alter memories

In the experiment, the researchers used drugs to weaken or erase memories by blocking molecules that facilitate connections between brain cells. Memories are thought to be formed, at least in part, through complex connections in the brain. By weakening or breaking these connections, the memories appear to be lost. The main disadvantage of this method is that it is not targeted and instead affects the memory as a whole.

To achieve certain memories, scientists genetically modified mouse brains to make their neurons sensitive to light. They were then able to turn specific memories on and off by shining light on neurons with an implanted fiber optic cable. Thus, scientists were able to produce even completely false memories of events that never happened.