Growth of hamsters during continual centrifugation

Abstract

Female Syrian hamsters have been subjected to continual centrifugation for a period of 4 weeks at four or five times the earth's gravity. Animals were 5 weeks of age at the onset of exposures. Although an increased gravitational field curtails body growth, certain organs were found to show an increase in their relative mass when compared to control littermates. The heart, diaphragm, gastrocnemius muscle, lungs, kidney, and head showed a relative increase in mass, and the femur bones of centrifuged hamsters showed a relative increase in length.