Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

2011 Ig Nobel Prizes

Posted by samzenpus on from the silly-science dept.

alphadogg writes "The quirky Ig Nobel prizes honoring some of the world's funniest if not the most practical academic research will be handed out tonight at 7:30 EST at Harvard University. The theme this year is chemistry, but that doesn't really restrict which entries might win, judging from research that has claimed Ig Nobels in the past. For instance, last year the prize for medicine went to a Netherlands researcher who discovered that riding roller coasters alleviates asthma symptoms. The prize for engineering went to an international team 'for perfecting a method to collect whale snot using a remote-control helicopter.'" You can read more about this year's nominees and watch the live webcast here.

5 of 61 comments (clear)

  1. I remember last year by inode_buddha · · Score: 5, Funny

    Some guy documented fellatio among fruit bats. With video. The goggles, they did nothing...

    --
    C|N>K
  2. Re:Oh god by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You are a moron.

    Ig Nobles are supposed to make you laugh and THEN make you think because the science is in fact a) good and b) turns out quite important.

    Funny also how Ig Noble award winners dont share your opinion

  3. Re:Oh god by MagikSlinger · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Actually, the vast majority of Ig Noble recipients love it. They have a great sense of humor, and several real Nobel prize winners show up to hand out the awards. The awards are mostly a celebration of the quirky and funny, and an honest celebration of obscure and (seemingly) trivial research. Although in one case, an Ig Nobel preceded a real Nobel prize: http://boingboing.net/2010/10/05/scientist-wins-both.html

    --
    The bitter lessons of a veteran coder: http://bitterprogrammer.blogspot.com
  4. Re:A Fucking Embarrassment by elsurexiste · · Score: 4, Informative

    Relax, they give those prizes for science that makes you laugh, not for useless science.

    A great example is the one about feeding Viagra to hamsters with jet-lag. It's insane, but now that's done, maybe we can use a cheaper/safer substitute based on its findings. The researcher was not offended at all: he even wanted to wear a hamster costume for the Ig Nobel ceremony (he couldn't find one, though).

    --
    I rarely respond to comments. Also, don't ask for clarifications: a brain and Google are faster, believe me!
  5. Re:Ig Noble Peace Prize by marcosdumay · · Score: 3, Insightful

    They can't issue igNobel peace prizes, they would choose the same characters of the Nobel prize lots of times, and that wouldn't be good.

    --
    Rethinking email