The sea is the source of all life -- has it now spawned the LIVING DEAD as well?
Probably not, though one viral YouTube video has some people worried, the London Evening Standard reports.
The video, posted Friday by user AmmarZed, shows the lifeless body of a decapitated, gutted fish resting on ice. After a few seconds, the fish appears to come back to life, twitching and moving despite its lack of a head.
Several commenters have pointed out that the movement has almost certainly been artificially induced, either by a hand holding the fish's tail off-camera, or through a trick that utilizes table salt.
"You can actually fake this effect with a lot of different types of fish and cuts," user mcopleyumd wrote. "Basically as long as it has not been fully filleted all you have to do is apply some salt to the meat. The salt acts to refuel the sodium channels in the fish's muscle and allows it to spasm like that."
The user added that this method can be used as a "judge of freshness," since it usually only works about a week after the fish's demise, assuming the fish is "kept in good condition."
Chefs looking to thoroughly freak out their guests can use the same trick to make frog legs "dance," as demonstrated in this video.
Click here to read How Stuff Works' more detailed explanation of why salt has this effect.
Related
Before You Go
