Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Tennessee Aquarium's Christmas Lights Display Is 'Powered By Electric Eel'

Tennessee Aquarium's Christmas Lights Display Is 'Powered By Electric Eel'
Miguel Wattson the eel lights Christmas lights at Tennessee Aquarium (Tennessee Aquarium)

Christmas lights are being controlled by an electric eel at one aquarium in the United States.


Visitors to the Tennessee Aquarium's Holidays Under The Peaks season in December will see lights on a tree flashing at varying intensities based on the electricity being emitted by an eel named Miguel Wattson.

“Whenever Miguel discharges electricity, sensors in the water deliver the charge to a set of speakers," said Joey Turnipseed, the aquarium's audiovisual production specialist.

“The speakers convert the discharge into the sound you hear and the festively flashing lights."

While the lights are not being directly powered by the eel's electrical discharges, the brightness of their flashes reflect the intensity of the electricity detected by the sensors in the tank.

The exhibit has been named "Shocking Around The Christmas Tree" by the aquarium.

Aquarist Kimberly Hurt said the lights blink dimly as the eel releases “low-voltage blips" when he is looking for food, while brighter flashes “are caused by the higher voltage shocks he emits when he's eating or excited."

This is not the first time Miguel's electric jolts have been put to an unusual use – they also generate the tweets on his own Twitter account, which has over 35,000 followers.

More from News

Screenshots of Justin Bieber being hounded by paparazzi
X17OnlineVideo

Fans Defend Justin Bieber After He Confronts Paparazzi For Constantly Hounding Him

Fans defended Justin Bieber after he berated the relentless paparazzi and accused them of only being concerned with turning a profit over valuing people's lives.

According to X17, the "Intentions" singer's retreat to Palm Springs, days before the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, was anything but relaxing as he clashed with the paparazzi for a third day in a row.

Keep ReadingShow less
RFK Jr.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

RFK Jr. Slammed After Claiming HHS Will Discover The Cause Of 'Autism Epidemic' By September

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that scientists would determine the cause of the "autism epidemic" by September, even though scientists haven't discovered a breakthrough despite decades of research.

In a cabinet meeting with Republican President Donald Trump on Thursday, RFK Jr. stated:

Keep ReadingShow less
J.D. Vance and Usha Vance listen to Susan Meyers during his Greenland visit
Jim Watson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Space Force Commander Fired Over Email Criticizing Vance's Greenland Comments

Vice President J.D. Vance and the wider Trump administration are facing criticism now that Colonel Susan Meyers was removed from her post as commander at Greenland's Pituffik Space Base after breaking with Vance in an email she wrote following his controversial visit to the island territory.

Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, alongside the Faroe Islands, the only other autonomous territory within the Kingdom. Citizens of both Greenland and the Faroe Islands are full citizens of Denmark. As one of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union, Greenland’s citizens are also recognized as EU citizens.

Keep ReadingShow less
Karoline Leavitt and Scott Bessent
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Karoline Leavitt Dragged After Making Mind-Numbing Claim About Trump's Tariffs Reversal

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is getting called out after she attempted to justify President Donald Trump's sudden reversal on his proposed tariffs, telling reporters that his actions make sense because he has a master plan to make the world bend the knee.

Trump declared a full 90-day suspension of all the “reciprocal” tariffs that took effect at midnight April 10—except for those on China—in a dramatic about-face from a president who had long championed his historically high tariff rates as permanent.

Keep ReadingShow less
religion signs
Noah Holm on Unsplash

People Explain What Stopped Them From Going To Church Anymore

There's been a perception of a bit of an exodus from religion for the last several decades. But humanity has gone from no organized religions to oppressive religious regimes to rebellion and back again over the last several millennia.

But is the 21st century when religion finally fails to bounce back?

Keep ReadingShow less