No the eggs didn't get fried: one more comment

Pale Male and Lola, Sat, Nov 20, 2006
Photo by Lincoln Karim Http://www.palemale.com
[Soaring with talons extended -- looks like courtship is beginning for the 2007 season]


Bill Trankle of Indianapolis adds a comment:

Marie, while I'm not a physicist, and my recollection of circuits is sketchy, I'm guessing that current is irrelevant when it comes to the issue of egg viability. While Ms. Kolling has a good point about bulk concrete (or is that limestone facing?) being a poor conductor, I think that the high humidity in the spring and summer months probably deposits enough surface moisture on the stone to dissipate any voltage that might accrue on the cradle. The moisture doesn't have to be visible, but it's there, and with the amount of voltage being minuscule it would be more than enough. Also, remember that egg shells are about 95 % CaCO₃--the same stuff of which limestone and concrete are largely composed, so, while not effective for insulating against large currents due to their thinness, the shells themselves could insulate the embryos from the microcurrent present (additionally, any moisture on the shells might actually create a Faraday cage around the contents, further protecting them!). That last part is a bit of a stretch, but maybe we can get someone knowledgeable about EM fields to write in about it!

As always, I enjoy the discussions.
Bill Trankle
Indianapolis.