Brady Barr is to hippos as Troy Hurtubise is to grizzly bears, more or less. Troy won a 1998 Ig Nobel Prize for for developing, and personally testing a suit of armor that is impervious to grizzly bears. Brady Barr built and used a hippo suit, so as better to go lightly amongst the hippopotami. […]
Month: March 2008
Perfect cuppa, in reprise
Investigator Yann Bassaglia reminds us all that in 2003 the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) published its recommendation for the perfect way to make a cup of tea. (You may recall that, over the past decade or so, the subject has inspired many mighty battles in mini-AIR). Here is the RSC’s recipe: How to make […]
Ig event at Oxford THURSDAY night
EMBARRASSING TYPO ALERT: The original version of this blog item said Friday, not Thursday. It should say Thursday. Sorry about that! Thursday, Thursday, Thursday. Not Friday. Thursday. The sixth annual Ig Nobel Tour of the UK (for National Science and Engineering Week) begins Thursday night (6 March) at Oxford. For details and/or to reserve tickets, […]
Jargon Appreciator, Yet Again
Thank you for publishing my letter about ?Important Jargons in Scientific Reports? (AIR Vents 14:1), and for publishing my reply (?Unimportant Perspectives on Important Jargons,? AIR Vents 14:6) to the angry letters to my letter (AIR Vents 14:3, 14:4, 14:5). I ought to disclose that I am not a completely disinterested party. My mother, Emily […]
In the pubic interest
The rise and fall of a louse is tragic in the eyes of the louse and in the hearts of scientists who love that louse. Until recently pubic lice, also known as “crabs”, were riding high. Studies in the 60s, 70s and 80s reported more of them were taking up residence in their favourite neighbourhoods. […]
Something’s wrong with Debbie’s Head
Apparently, something is wrong with Debbie Wolf‘s head, as she herself says in a February 2, 2008 report in the Daily Mail: Debbie Wolf says she is one of Britain’s growing number of “sliders” – people who believe their presence interferes with household appliances, radios and light bulbs. She claims she can turn street lamps […]
James Hildebrand joins LfHCfS
James Hildebrand has joined the Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists. Emily Miller, who nominated him, says: I am thrilled to nominate James Hildebrand and his luxuriant flowing mane. Mr. Hildebrand conducts research into emergency department pharmacotherapy while a medical student at the University of Rochester. James Hildebrand, B.A., LFHCfS Research Associate, Emergency Pharmacist Research […]
Nakamats Do-Re-Mi
In this video, 2005 Ig Nobel Peace Prize winner (for photographing every meal he consumed during a 34-year period) Dr. Yoshiro Nakamats sings a version of “Do-Re-Mi” on a Tokyo Street, attempting to leverage the performance into being elected mayor of the city. (Thanks to investigator Annalee Newitz, whose January 26, 2008 article about the […]
Hopped up about walks
Scientists have explained mathematically why the famous “silly walks” of Monty Python’s John Cleese have never caught on in the long history of Homo sapiens. The giant, leg-twirling strides of silly walks may enable an individual to leap around swiftly but are simply too expensive in metabolic energy compared to conventional locomotion, according to a […]
LOGIC LESSON: Button, button, who’s got the button?
In this quick video, U.S. congressman Jack Kingston demonstrates a subtle point of logic: not wearing a pin is bad, but not wearing it is not bad. (Thanks to Josh Marshall for bringing this to our attention.)