STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Seventy-two small fish were briefly launched into space by researchers Thursday, hoping their swimming patterns would shed some light on motion sickness.

German researchers sent the cichlids on a 10-minute rocket ride that blasted off from a launch pad in northern Sweden, said Professor Reinhard Hilbig, who was in charge of the project.

“They were very happy, I think they want to have another flight,” he said.

The thumbnail-sized fish were filmed as they swam around weightlessly in small aquariums during the unmanned space flight.

The German team will now study the video to see if some of the fish swim in circles because that is what fish do when they experience motion sickness, said Hilbig, of the Zoological Institute at the University of Stuttgart

Ga. lawmakers want license plates free of Gators logo

ATLANTA – A harassed minority – Florida Gators fans in Georgia – got the chance this month to show their school pride on their license plates, but legislators are attacking the new privilege with a full-on blitz.

Unhappy that some states, including Florida, make it difficult or impossible to put the logos of Georgia colleges on their own plates, the state House voted 142-10 on Wednesday to keep those states’ school logos off Georgia-registered car bumpers.

“Whatever is good for the goose is good for the gander. Whatever we allow here in Georgia would have to be allowed in other states,” said state Rep. Barry Fleming, the bill’s sponsor.

“This bill solves a lot of problems.”

The House measure would allow special prestige alumni plates only for states that reciprocate in honor of Georgia schools, adding a twist to the bitter rivalry between the Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs.

The bill now goes to the Senate, where it enjoys the support of the chamber’s leaders.

Under current law, groups seeking approval for a vanity tag must have their application approved and persuade 1,000 people to plunk down $25 apiece before the plates are printed.

University of Florida alumni in Georgia quickly lined up the necessary number of motorists, and county drivers services offices began issuing the tags this month. Georgia also allows prestige plates honoring Clemson University in South Carolina and Auburn University in Alabama.

Alabama and South Carolina, however, do not allow plates to be labeled with out-of-state colleges.