Skip to main content

Liquid cats, crocodile bets and didgeridoos win Ig Nobel science prizes

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS: Scientists taking on the deep questions of whether cats are liquid or solid, how holding a crocodile influences gambling and whether playing the didgeridoo can help cure snoring were honored Thursday at the Ig Nobel Prize spoof awards.
The prizes are the brainchild of Marc Abrahams, editor of the Annals of Improbable Research, and are intended not to honor the best or worst in science, but rather to highlight research that encourages people to think in unusual ways.
“We hope that this will get people back into the habits they probably had when they were kids of paying attention to odd things and holding out for a moment and deciding whether they are good or bad only after they have a chance to think,” Abrahams said in a phone interview.
Some of the honorees tend towards the spurious: French researcher Marc-Antoine Fardin’s 2014 study “Can a Cat Be Both a Solid and a Liquid?” was inspired by internet photos of cats tucked into glasses, buckets and sinks. The winner of the Ig Nobel in physics used mathematical formulas to conclude that active young cats and kittens hold their physical shape longer than older, lazier felines.
Other work on the prize list has clearer potential for practical applications.
Economics winners Matthew Rockloff and Nancy Greer conducted an experiment in which problem gamblers and non-problem gamblers handled 1-meter (3.3-foot) long crocodiles before playing a simulated slot machine.
The 2010 study, conducted on 103 people in Queensland, Australia, found that problem gamblers were likely to place higher bets after handling the reptiles, as their brains had misinterpreted the excitement of holding a dangerous animal as a sign they were on a lucky streak.
A multi-national team of six researchers won the Peace Prize for the 2005 paper “Didgeridoo Playing as Alternative Treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: Randomized Controlled Trial.”
The conclusion that the Australian wind instrument might be of some benefit was based not the didgeridoo’s droning tone, but rather that the daily practice involved a lot of blowing, and may have strengthened the upper respiratory tract, making breathing easier.
The awards, now in their 27th year, are to be handed out by actual Nobel Prize winners in a ceremony at Harvard University on Thursday.
“They are unusual approaches to things,” Abrahams said. “It would be difficult for some people to decide whether they are important or the opposite. If you had sleep apnea for a long time, the didgeridoo thing would sound quite intriguing.”

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

India recall pacemen Umesh and Shami for Australia ODIs

MUMBAI:  India have recalled fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav for the first three one-day internationals against Australia while they continue to rest their frontline spinners. Yadav and Shami were part of the test squad which blanked Sri Lanka 3-0 but were rested from the subsequent five-match ODI series, which the tourists also swept.Fast bowler Shardul Thakur, who played two matches in the series and took a single wicket, was dropped from the 16-man squad for the series against Australia. The hosts will, however, continue to be without off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and left-arm tweaker Ravindra Jadeja for the first three of five matches against Steve Smith’s side. Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will be India’s spinners as the Virat Kohli-led side continues to build toward the 50-over World Cup in 2019 in England and Wales. “The team for the three ODIs against Australia has been selected in line with the rotation policy of the Board and ac...

United frustrate Liverpool in disappointing derby

LIVERPOOL:  A cautious Manchester United frustrated hosts Liverpool as a lacklustre North-West Premier League derby ended 0-0 on Saturday with neither side able to find the creative touch. The draw leaves United alone at the top of the table on 20 points although Manchester City, who are now a point behind, can regain first place when they host Stoke City later on Saturday.Those hoping for a classic blood-and-thunder clash of the two most successful clubs in English football were probably being overly optimistic but few would have predicted such an uninspiring 90 minutes at Anfield. United manager Jose Mourinho’s team selection suggested that, as last season, he would adopt a cautious approach to taking on Juergen Klopp’s side. Instead of Spanish craftsman Juan Mata on the right, the more defensively diligent Ashley Young started in the role and Marcus Rashford, carrying a slight knock from England duty, was left on the bench. With United’s Romelu Lukaku left alone – an...

Naya Shakti flays govt decision to award Budhi Gandaki Project to Chinese company

Baburam Bhattarai-led Naya Shakti Nepal has said that the decision of Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government to award the contract to construct Budhi Gandaki Hydropower Project to China’s Gezhouba Group Corporation was against the nation’s interest. Issuing a statement on Thursday, the party criticised the government arguing that the decision to hand over the contract to construct 1200 MW project to the Chinese company was condemnable. Bhattarai, who is also a former Prime Minister, said that the government awarded the project to the Chinese company like a blank cheque. The party has also demanded that the government immediately scrap the agreement signed with the Chinese company. The government on June 4 had signed a contract agreement of the project with the Chinese company. Energy Minister Janardan Sharma and a representative from the Chinese company had signed the agreement paper for the construction of 1200MW project. A Cabinet meeting on May 23 had approved the Energy Mi...