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"The Ig Noble Prizes 2018" Topic


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Bowman25 Sep 2018 11:58 a.m. PST

So this years Ig-Noble awards were handed out earlier this month at Harvard University. These are awards for the more goofier research papers published and try to mimic the more prestigious Nobel Prizes.

improbable.com/ig

Here's the full list, from the link above:

Anthropology: Tomas Pesson, Gabriela-Alina Sauciuc, and Elainie Madsen, Lund University
"Spontaneous Cross-Species Imitation in Interaction Between Chimpanzees and Zoo Visitors

Biology: Paul Becher, Sebastian Lebreton, Erika Wallin, Erik Hedenstrom, Felipe Borrero-Echeverry, Marie Bengtsson, Volker Jorger and Peter Witzgall
"The Scent of the Fly"

Chemistry: Paula Romão, Adília Alarcão and the late César Viana, Regional Government of the Azores
"Human Saliva as a Cleaning Agent for Dirty Surfaces"

Economics: Lindie Hanyu Liang, Douglas Brown, Huiwen Lian, Samuel Hanig, D. Lance Ferris and Lisa Keeping
"Righting a Wrong: Retaliation on a Voodoo Doll Symbolizing an Abusive Supervisor Restores Justice"

Literature: Thea Blackler, Rafael Gomez, Vesna Popovic and M. Helen Thompson, Queensland University of Technology
"Life Is Too Short to RTFM: How Users Relate to Documentation and Excess Features in Consumer Products"

Medical Education: Akira Horiuchi, Showa Inan General Hospital
"Colonoscopy in the Sitting Position: Lessons Learned From Self-Colonoscopy"

Medicine: Marc Mitchell and David Wartinger, Michigan State University
"Validation of a Functional Pyelocalyceal Renal Model for the Evaluation of Renal Calculi Passage While Riding a Roller Coaster"

Nutrition: James Cole, University of Brighton
"Assessing the Calorific Significance of Episodes of Human Cannibalism in the Paleolithic"

Peace: Francisco Alonso, Cristina Esteban, Andrea Serge, Maria-Luisa Ballestar, Jaime Sanmartin, Constanza Calatayud and Beatriz Alamar, University of Valencia
"Shouting and Cursing While Driving: Frequency, Reasons, Perceived Risk and Punishment"

Reproductive Medicine: John Barry, Bruce Blank and Michel Boileau
"Nocturnal Penile Tumescence Monitoring With Stamps"

improbable.com/ig/winners

The interesting thing is this, the authors of these papers all flock to the award ceremony, even though their papers are kind of being made fun of. I guess all of them have a sense of humour.

And honestly, the Nutrition paper seems legit to me.

Mithmee25 Sep 2018 12:09 p.m. PST

How far the Nobel prize has fallen.

Bowman25 Sep 2018 12:20 p.m. PST

It's not the Nobel prize.

Nick Bowler25 Sep 2018 1:08 p.m. PST

Given where I work, "Life Is Too Short to RTFM: How Users Relate to Documentation and Excess Features in Consumer Products" is a paper I should find and read. Not that I could change anything – that's controlled by the legal department :(

Winston Smith25 Sep 2018 2:24 p.m. PST

Self-colonoscopy…..
I guess I do have a lot to learn. Apparently I was doing it wrong. grin

And do they really need studies to determine why I shout and curse while driving? Call my ex.

Bowman25 Sep 2018 2:28 p.m. PST

That's my favourite! "Self Colonoscopy: Lessons to be learned"
I wonder what the first lesson would be?

Winston Smith25 Sep 2018 2:36 p.m. PST

Go to the archives!
The Peace Prize for 2016 is very profound.

Hey. This is a great topic!

It's interesting that the Secret Society (Hey, it's at Harvard. Of course there's a secret society involved…) in charge contacts the winners before prizes are announced, lest offense be taken or feathers ruffled.
A legacy from more courteous times.

Ed Mohrmann Supporting Member of TMP25 Sep 2018 3:02 p.m. PST

I am fascinated by the Chemistry award. I wonder how
many maiden Aunts with how many lace handkerchiefs
scrubbed the dirty cheeks of how many nephews to
obtain the data upon which the findings are based !

Bowman25 Sep 2018 4:58 p.m. PST

Also from 2016:

"REPRODUCTION PRIZE [EGYPT] — The late Ahmed Shafik, for studying the effects of wearing polyester, cotton, or wool trousers on the sex life of rats, and for conducting similar tests with human males."

Makes me wonder if his death had anything to do with his research questions.

Winston Smith25 Sep 2018 8:39 p.m. PST

From 2011:


PEACE PRIZE: Arturas Zuokas, the mayor of Vilnius, LITHUANIA, for demonstrating that the problem of illegally parked luxury cars can be solved by running them over with an armored tank.
REFERENCE: VIDEO and OFFICIAL CITY INFO
ATTENDING THE CEREMONY: Arturas Zuokas

Winston Smith25 Sep 2018 10:53 p.m. PST

His honor the Mayor of Vilnius in action.
YouTube link

ZULUPAUL Supporting Member of TMP26 Sep 2018 2:31 a.m. PST

Dang! That mayor is hard core! And before the "rivetheads" say it, it wasn't a tank (no treads).

ScottWashburn Sponsoring Member of TMP26 Sep 2018 4:08 a.m. PST

Basic knowledge is always good. That self-colonoscopy-er of today might save future self-colonoscopy-ers thousands of hours of wasted effort and discomfort.

Winston Smith26 Sep 2018 10:21 p.m. PST

More on colonoscopies. (It might be a minor theme…)

From 2012:


MEDICINE PRIZE: Emmanuel Ben-Soussan and Michel Antonietti [FRANCE] for advising doctors who perform colonoscopies how to minimize the chance that their patients will explode.

That's reassuring.

Bowman27 Sep 2018 5:23 a.m. PST

……for advising doctors who perform colonoscopies how to minimize the chance that their patients will explode.

I would have thought that would be worth a real Nobel prize at least, lol.

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