Ig Noble Prizes honour those who have conducted unusual, hilarious research or produced quirky, funny inventions. Both animals and people have been the subjects of Ig-Noble Prize-winning research. Some notable awards include the following.
Ig Noble Prize Winners: Animal-Related Research and Development
- Robert Lopez – removed ear mites from cats and placed them into his own ear, detailing the study results in his report “Of Mites and Men”
- Gregg Miller – invented Neuticles – artificial replacement testicles for cats and dogs, available in various sizes
- Chris Niswander – created PawSense software, which lets you know if a cat is walking on your keyboard
- Sato, Suzuki, and Kogure – developed Bow-Lingual, a device that translates dog language into human language, and later Meow-Lingual to translate cat speak
- Eduardo Segura – invented a washing machine for dogs and cats
- Agostino, Plano, and Golombek – discovered that Viagra helps hamsters recover from jet lag
- Rind and Simmons – monitored a locust’s brain cell while it watched portions of Star Wars
- Troy Hurtubise – developed and tested a grizzly-bear-proof suit
- Peter Fong – studied clams on prozac
- Barheim and Sandvik – reported on the “Effect of Ale, Garlic, and Soured Cream on the Appetite of Leeches”
- Watanabe, Sakamoto, and Wakita – taught pigeons how to tell a Picasso painting from a Monet
- Harvey et al. – conducted “An Analysis of the Forces Required to Drag Sheep over Various Surfaces”
- Novoselov and Geim – conducted pioneering work on an invisible hammock for cats
- Acevedo-Whitehouse and Rocha-Gosselin – developed an efficient means to collect whale snot via remote-controlled helicopter
- Douglas and Rowlinson – discovered that cows with names produce more milk than unnamed cows
- Schwab and May – explained why woodpeckers don’t suffer from headaches
- Taguchi, Guofu, and Guanglei – used bacteria from giant panda feces to reduce kitchen waste by 90%+
- Cadiergues, Joubert, and Franc – found that dog fleas jump higher than cat fleas
- Toro, Trobalon, and Sebastian-Galles – proved that rats can’t always determine whether a person is speaking Dutch backwards or Japanese backwards
Non-Animal-Related Prize-Winning Research and Development
- Edward Cussler – investigated whether people can swim faster in syrup or water
- Air Force Wright Laboratory, Dayton, Ohio – tried to develop the “gay bomb” – a chemical weapon designed to make enemy soldiers sexually irresistible to each other
- Howard Stapleton – developed a device that repels teenagers
- Gauri Nanda – created an alarm clock that runs away so that it can’t be turned off
- Mainstone and Parnell – conducted an experiment that began in 1927 – monitoring a glob of tar as it slowly drips through a funnel
- Atkins and Kingston – proved that swearing does indeed relieve pain
- Pluchino, Rapisarda, and Garofalo – showed mathematically that organizations could increase their efficiency by promoting people at random
- Morales, Apatiga, and Castano – created diamonds from tequila
- Miller, Tybur, and Jordan – found that lap dancers receive bigger tips when ovulating
For more animal-related entertainment, see the Fun Animal Stuff page.