Backyard Brains is a company that uses hands-on experiments to teach concepts in neuroscience. They along with marine biologists at Woods Hole, MA recently conducted an experiment which showed how squid physically react when exposed to hip hop music.

Squid are gifted with the ability to camoflage, which they use to blend into (or stand out from) a surrounding environment. This is accomplished through a sensitive pigment and chromatophore, which are light reflecting cells inside of squid. During the experiment, scientists exposed squid to hip hop using a suction electrode attached to the nerve in the upper side of its caudal fin (see above). The electrode transferred the electrical stimuli from an iPod to the squid. Upon "hearing" the music, the squid started jammin’. Not really jammin’ in the sense as if Holyfield had just won the fight, but jammin’ as only a squid can: their cells started reacting to the music by changing color and contracting in a fascinating manner. Hopefully they weren’t harmed in the process.

Apparently this isn’t the first time scientists has shown how animals react to listening to hip hop. Backyard Brains reportedly conducted a previous experiment that made a disembodied cockroach leg dance to the Beastie Boys. I can’t make this stuff up y’all. Now imagine what would happen if sloths are exposed to some Waka Flocka Flame. Bow!Bow!Bow!Bow!

Watch how squid react upon listening to Cypress Hill’s "Insane In The Membrane" after the jump. Dvice.

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The Urban Scientist Dr. Danielle N. Lee Uses Biology, Hip Hop & Social Media To Educate & Inform.