Zebra-Stripes, Teflon Food & Pizza-Loving Lizards Win Wacky Science Awards!

The Ig Nobel prizes are annual awards that celebrate unusual and imaginative scientific research. Unlike the traditional Nobel prizes, the Ig Nobels are designed to make people laugh first and then think more deeply about science. This year, the ceremony was held at Boston University, where scientists from different countries were recognized for their quirky studies. Marc Abrahams, the founder of the awards, explained that every winner has done something that is both funny and thought-provoking.

One of the most talked-about projects this year came from Japan. Researchers discovered that painting cows with black and white stripes, similar to zebras, could reduce the number of times cows are bitten by flies. Flies are attracted to animals for many reasons, including their smell, shape, movement, and color. The scientists found that the stripes on the cows changed the way light was reflected, which made the cows less appealing to flies. This could help farmers use fewer pesticides, which are chemicals that can harm the environment and animal health. Tomoki Kojima, one of the researchers, wore a zebra-print shirt to the ceremony and joked with his team by pretending to be attacked by fake flies. He said the award motivated them to keep working hard.

Another winner was a team from the US and Israel who experimented with adding Teflon, a slippery plastic used in cookware, to food. Their idea was that Teflon could bulk up food without adding calories, as it would pass through the digestive system without being absorbed. However, the US food regulator was not impressed by the idea, calling it 'wonky. ' Other winners included an Italian team who studied when pasta sauce starts to separate and how to prevent it, and scientists who found that rainbow lizards in Togo prefer four-cheese pizza over other toppings. There was also a prize for two pediatricians who discovered that when mothers eat garlic, their breastmilk smells like garlic, and babies seem to enjoy it more.

The Ig Nobel peace prize went to research showing that drinking alcohol can improve a person's ability to speak a foreign language, specifically Dutch. The aviation prize was awarded to a study that found fruit bats lose their ability to fly and echolocate when they drink alcohol. The literature prize was given posthumously to William Bean, who spent 35 years tracking the growth of his thumbnail and published several studies about it. The Ig Nobel awards are organized by the Annals of Improbable Research, a US science humor magazine. In previous years, winners received a Zimbabwean trillion dollar bill, but this year, due to inflation, they were given a wet wipe.

The Ig Nobel prizes highlight the lighter side of science and encourage people to think creatively. While the research may seem silly at first, it often leads to new ideas and solutions. The ceremony is filled with laughter and jokes, but the science behind the awards is genuine. These awards remind us that curiosity and imagination are important in scientific discovery, and that even the strangest questions can lead to valuable insights.