Difference between revisions of "Lick the Moonmilk"

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(Mondmilchloch Lucerm)
(Mondmilchloch Lucerm)
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And of course sterile containers for taking samples of the moonmilk. Or even better a mobile lab:<br>
 
And of course sterile containers for taking samples of the moonmilk. Or even better a mobile lab:<br>
  
[[File:mobile_cave_lab.png|x300px]]
+
[[File:mobile_cave_lab.jpg|x300px]]
 
 
"In an initial experiment (Peoc'h, 1986) was established that young chicks aged from 1 to 7 days could attract towards them a robot controlled by a random generator" <br>
 
<br>
 
Ok, so not the chicks are attracted by the robot but the robot (with a candle mounted on it) is attracted by the chicks (in a cage) :-) And why? Because they are in the dark and want to go to the light. And use their psychokinetic force.<br>
 
<br>
 
Believe it or not? Science is not about believing it's about testing, observing and understanding. <br>
 
So let's try. <br>
 
  
 
== The Experiment ==
 
== The Experiment ==

Revision as of 08:52, 22 September 2014

Moonmilk sprint flyer.png Hack-Sprint at GaudiLabs and the mount Pilatus in Summer 2014.
Participants: Urs Gaudenz, Felix Bäntli, Medea Gaudenz, Gian Gaudenz, Thomas Vetterli

The Moonmilk

What does Wikipedia say? [1]

Moonmilk (sometimes called mondmilch, also known as montmilch or as cave milk) is a white, creamy substance found inside caves. 
It is a precipitate from limestone comprising aggregates of fine crystals of varying composition 
usually made of carbonates such as calcite, aragonite, hydromagnesite, and/or monohydrocalcite.


And there are several hypotheses:

  • Is moonmilk the result of bacterial action rather than from chemical reactions?
  • Is moonmilk created by the bacterium Macromonas bipunctata?
  • Is possible that moonmilk carries dissolved nutrients that can be used by microbes, such as Actinomycetes?
  • Is it created by "moon rays" as Conrad Gessner, Swiss naturalist who coined the term "Lac Lunae" back in 1555, thought?


Moonmilk was dscribed as a remedy by Gesner in 1555. Like many other cave contents like bear bones or dripstones, moonmilk was mined and sold by pharmacies. It was prescibed until the 19th century. As it is simply calcite, it definitely cured acalcinosis and probably cardialgia by neutralicing the acid. [2]

This sounds interesting. Let's explore.

Mondmilchloch Lucerm

Luckily the cave Mondmilchloch, where Conrad Gesner first observed and described the moonmilk is in the Pilatus Mountain and not far from GaudiLabs Lucern [3]. The cave seems to be more than 100 meters long and bathed by a stream of water.

Map mondmilchhoele.png
How to get there?
Driving from Lucern to Alpnach and then on to Lüdtoldsmatt (Lütoldsmatt). After a curvy road there is a parking and good starting point for the walk. From there on to Schybach, Alp Schy (1336m) then next to Alp Birchboden (1616m). Alp Birchboden is a nice place to have a break after the steep climb. From here on to the Mondmilchloch at 1710m, there is a path with some orange markings on the way. The cave is quite wet and is is best to take with protective clothing or a second set clothes. And of course the usual caving equipment like torches, headlamp and good shoes. Even a helmet can not be wrong.

And of course sterile containers for taking samples of the moonmilk. Or even better a mobile lab:

Mobile cave lab.jpg

The Experiment

At the HackteriaLab 2014 we had by chance the perfect condition to carry out this experiment.

Cindy Lin, amateur naturalist, albeit always tempted to remove living things from their natural environments, "found" three young chicken during the retreat in Bumi Pemuda Rahayu Arts Center.