Zebra Cows & Pizza Lizards?! Ig Nobel Prizes Honor Wacky Science!
The Ig Nobel Prizes are back, celebrating scientific achievements that first make you laugh, and then make you think! This year's ceremony, the 35th annual, took place at Boston University and was webcast to the world, showcasing some truly unusual research.
Cows in Stripes and Pizza-Loving Lizards
Ever pondered whether painting zebra stripes on cows could reduce fly bites? Or perhaps wondered which pizza toppings lizards prefer? Apparently, some scientists have dedicated their time to these questions, and their work was recognized at the Ig Nobel Prize awards ceremony.
One Ig Nobel-winning study involved painting cows with zebra-like stripes. Researchers found that this actually halved the number of times the cows were bitten by flies, offering a potential alternative to pesticides. Flies are attracted to animals through factors like smell, shape, movement, color, and how they polarize light – something that black and white stripes disrupt.
Another intriguing study explored the pizza preferences of different lizard species. While the specifics of their findings weren't detailed, it's safe to say that some lizards have better taste than others (at least in terms of pizza toppings!).
Teflon Food and Other Absurdities
The Ig Nobel Prizes also recognized a team for investigating whether adding Teflon to food could reduce calorie intake. The idea was that the Teflon would simply slide through the digestive system. However, the US food regulator wasn't convinced.
Other winners included William B. Bean, who posthumously received the literature prize for meticulously recording and analyzing the growth of one of his fingernails for 35 years, and Julie Mennella and Gary Beauchamp, who won the pediatrics prize for studying the experience of nursing babies whose mothers ate garlic.
The Ceremony: Laughter and Paper Airplanes
The Ig Nobel ceremony is known for its irreverence. The audience traditionally honors the winners by making and throwing paper airplanes. This year's theme was "digestion," and featured guest speakers like Dr. Trisha Pasricha, who has studied the link between smartphone use on the toilet and hemorrhoids.
The prizes were even presented by genuine Nobel laureates, adding a touch of legitimacy to the absurdity.
- Zebra-striped cows reduce fly bites.
- Lizards have pizza preferences.
- Teflon food might not be the best diet plan.