Ig Nobel Prizes: Science Research that is Funny

Did you know that your brainwave would measurewere awarded for coming to the conclusion that
differently when you chew different flavors of gum?people who believe they have foot odor are right
And that if trained, pigeons can tell the differenceabout it while people who do not, are also right about it.
between an original Picasso to a Monet? Moreover,2) In 1996, executives of tobacco companies received
did you know that the people who discovered thesethis award for testifying in front of the US Congress
notable achievements have received an Ig Nobelthat nicotine is not an addictive substance.
Prize?3) In 2001, a Canadian professor was awarded for his
The Ig Nobel Prizes are awarded every year tostudy on injuries from falling coconuts.
research in the fields of science, medicine, and4) In 2004, the prize was shared by a group of
technology that have made people laugh and thenAmerican psychiatrists who had studied the influence
made them think. In other words, the Ig Nobel winnerscountry music has on suicide.
are responsible for creating the most ridiculous and5) In 2005, a Missouri inventor was awarded for
unnecessary studies in their respective fields.creating artificial testicles for dogs.
However, the Ig Nobel Prizes are not a laughing matter.Psychology 1) The 1993 award was given to
A real Nobel Laureate selects the nominees andresearches who came to the conclusion that people
presents the award to the genuine researchers in awho claimed they were kidnapped by aliens from
ceremony that takes place every year at Harvardouter space were probably kidnapped by aliens from
University, usually around the same time when theouter space.
prestigious Nobel Prizes are announced.2) The 1994 award was presented to the former
The first Ig Nobel Prizes ceremony took place in 1991.Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, who has
Then, only three prizes were awarded forbeen investigating for 30 years the effects of
achievements that cannot, or should not, bepunishing three million citizens whenever they spit,
reproduced. Since then, dozens of researchers fromchew gum, or feed pigeons.
different fields of knowledge and from different parts3) The 1995 prize was presented to a group of
of the world were awarded for their forgettableprofessors from the Keio University in Japan who had
achievements. Here you can read about some ofmanaged to train pigeons to discriminate between
them.paintings by Picassos as against those by Monet.
Biology 1) In 1991, Robert Klark Graham, was awardedPeace 1) The 1995 award was presented to the
for developing a sperm bank that accepts donationsTaiwan National Parliament for claiming that politicians
only from Nobel Prize winners and Olympians.can gain more by punching, kicking and gouging each
2) The 1996 prize was shared between twoother than by waging war against other nations.
Norwegian professors who had investigated the2) The 1996 prize was awarded to the President of
influence of ale, garlic, and sour cream on the appetiteFrance, Jacques Chirac, for celebrating the fiftieth
of leeches.anniversary of Hiroshima with atomic bomb tests in the
3) In 1997, three different professors from threePacific.
different countries were awarded for measuring3) In 2000, the British Royal Navy received this award
brainwave patterns while people chewed differentfor replacing the usage of live cannon shell with the
flavors of gum.usage of the shout Bang!
4) In 2005, a large group of professors andAnd the list can goes on. Ig Nobel Prizes have also
representatives of the perfume industry werebeen selected for weird and funny achievements in
awarded for cataloging the specific odors producedthe fields of literature, economics, physics, nutrition,
by 131 different species of frogs in a state of stress.education, archeology, chemistry and more. Just look
Medicine 1) In 1992, a group of Japanese researchersout for the upcoming 2008 Ig Nobel Prizes.