Back in the 1960s there was a method for losing weight and repositioning fat - especially that on the buttocks - often shown on TV and newsreels. It consisted of a wide belt passed around the lower body and connected to a machine that vibrated, producing an effect not unlike vigorous toweling after a shower. The flesh shook, and, the user hoped, melted away. You can buy a vibrating belt today ...

Fast forward to 2001 when NASA reported on results of a study (in rats) to maintain bone mass in astronauts under weightless conditions; the scientists used a vibrating plate. Vibration therapy was then tried in postmenopausal women to prevent the sort of changes seen in osteoporosis; preliminary results were 'encouraging", but nothing more has been heard.

Now the idea has been resurrected. Clinton Rubin at SUNY, new York , has shown that standing on a gently vibrating platform for 15 minutes a day can build bone and reduce fat mass in mice. Studies in humans will start soon. Any volunteers?