Laughter and reflection of the hand at the Ig Nobel Prizes

2010/10/31 Aulestiarte Lete, Izaro - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa

• Sariak

An innovative proposal to analyze the respiratory problems of whales has received the Engineering Award.

Ig Nobel has organized since 1991 the magazine Annals of Improbable Research, which combines science and humor. This year's winners are:

The engineering award has been an innovative proposal to analyze the respiratory problems of whales. When the whale leaves the water, a helicopter (by remote control) collects its mucus and saves the samples in trays located at the bottom of the aircraft. This study was conducted by two British scientists and one Mexican.

Medical Prize winners have also investigated respiratory problems, but in humans. Thanks to Dutch researchers, asthmatics could have a practical solution. How to treat the symptoms of the disease? For example, taking a ride on a roller coaster of an amusement park.

To treat the symptoms of asthma, the winning work of the Medicine Prize proposes to take a tour of a roller coaster as therapy.

Care—SMC

The work awarded the Peace Prize can have a direct application in the life of anyone. UK researchers have been awarded the prize for demonstrating that misuse of phrase or scramble relieves pain.

Biology prize winners have documented that fruit bats make felations. It is a work of researchers from China and the United Kingdom that apparently is not. In fact, “the first evidence has been obtained that other non-human adult animals tend to practice fellatio frequently.”

Eminently practical, the very essence of the Physics Prize. Tell those who live in cold areas! In New Zealand it has been proven that in icy areas, when putting socks on shoes, people fall much less.

The award ceremony is also funny. Besides the winners, humor is the protagonist. In the image, performance last year. (Photo: PTWO).

The work awarded in the public health section is entitled: “Microbiological risk of male barbados in laboratories.” Striking, right? An American group warned in 1967 of the tendency of microbes to stick in the beards. The prize has been for this team.

What can be done to promote the efficiency of organizations? Deliver promotions to randomly selected staff. Three Italian researchers have won the Business Management Award for their mathematical explanation. As for the economy, there have been several winning companies to design and use proposals to increase profits and reduce risks to the world economy (or at least a part of it).

The Ig Nobel in Chemistry has been handed over to several oil tankers and university professors for proving that the old belief that oil and water do not mix is wrong.

Finally, in the Transport section, Japanese and British researchers have been the winners of using mud mold to determine which are the best ways to implement rail.

From Ig Nobel to Novel

This year, Russians Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov have won the “true” Nobel Prize in Physics for their research with graphene. This decision to deliver the novel to the discoverers of this material can, in some way, give more “prestige” to the Ig Nobel. In fact, Geim became famous 10 years ago for having achieved the Ig Nobel in physics along with Sir Michael Berry, for lebiting live frogs using the magnetic field.

Geim is the first person to receive the Nobel and Ig Nobel. Leaving aside the questions of humor, is it going to devote more time to the importance and reflection to the Ig Nobel?

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