PLEASE FORWARD/POST AS APPROPRIATE ================================================================ The mini-Annals of Improbable Research ("mini-AIR") Issue number 2005-04 April 2005 ISSN 1076-500X Key words: improbable research, science humor, Ig Nobel, AIR, the ---------------------------------------------------------------- A free newsletter of tidbits too tiny to fit in the Annals of Improbable Research (AIR), the journal of inflated research and personalities ================================================================ ----------------------------- 2005-04-01 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2005-04-02 Imminent Events 2005-04-03 What's New in the Magazine 2005-04-04 Sea Monster Discovery 2005-04-05 Attilla the Undersung 2005-04-06 Banana Petioles Morphology Limerick Contest 2005-04-07 Video Minute History of the Universe 2005-04-08 Project Cuppa, Third Serving 2005-04-09 Ig UK Photos on the way 2005-04-10 hair, hair, Hair, HAIR, Hair, hair, hair 2005-04-11 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Sunshine -- Surf and Sand 2005-04-12 On Our Blog 2005-04-13 MAY WE RECOMMEND: Anger and Girdles 2005-04-14 Improbable Research Events 2005-04-15 How to Subscribe to AIR (*) 2005-04-16 Our Address (*) 2005-04-17 Please Forward/Post This Issue! (*) 2005-04-18 How to Receive mini-AIR, etc. (*) Items marked (*) are reprinted in every issue. mini-AIR is a free monthly *e-supplement* to AIR, the print magazine ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-04-02 Imminent Events April 1 -- MUSEUM OF SCIENCE, BOSTON, MA April 9 -- I-CON 24, STONY BROOK, NY April 17 -- NATIONAL WRITERS' WORKSHOP, HARTFORD, CT For details see section 2005-04-14 below. ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-04-03 What's New in the Magazine The Mar/Apr issue (vol. 11, no. 2) of the Annals of Improbable Research is the special PUZZLING SOLUTIONS Issue. Highlights include: <> "The Lost Theorems of Kakutani," by Stanley Eigen. This article is online at <> "Dracula's Pellagra and Lois Lane's Lungs: Further Gleanings from the Medical Literature," by Christopher D. McManus. <> "Other Einsteins (Part 2)," by A.S. Kaswell, with Jessica Girard. <> "Stilettos and Schizophrenia," by Paul Mackin, Peter Gallagher and Lucy Ro. and many other things. The table of contents is at: ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-04-04 Sea Monster Discovery We are proud to announce (if only at second-hand) the 21st century's first great discovery about sea monsters. In a paper to be published this month in the Archives of Natural History, Charles Paxton and two colleagues reveal a possible historical truth about certain sea monsters. Here is the citation: "Cetaceans, Sex and Sea Serpents: An Analysis of the Egede Accounts of a 'Most Dreadful Monster' Seen Off the Coast of Greenland in 1734," C.G.M. Paxton, E. Knatterud and S.L. Hedley, Archives of Natural History, vol. 32, no. 1, 2005, pp. 1-9. The authors report that: [T]here is an alternative explanation for the [reported sighting of a] serpent-like tail. Many of the large baleen whales have long, snake-like penises. If the animal did indeed fall on its back then its ventral surface would have been uppermost and, if the whale was aroused, the usually retracted penis would have been visible. The penises of the North Atlantic right whale and (Pacific) grey whale can be at least 1.8 metres long, and 1.7 metres long respectively, and could be taken by a na•ve witness for a tail. [Paxton is of course a 2002 Ig Nobel Biology Prize winner. He and three other colleagues were honored that year for their report "Courtship Behaviour of Ostriches Towards Humans Under Farming Conditions in Britain," which was published in volume 39 of the journal British Poultry Science.] ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-04-05 Attilla the Undersung This month's undersung scientist is Dr. Attila Grandpierre, who is chief research assistant of the Konkoly Observatory of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary. Attila Grandpierre's publications include "The Fundamental Principles of the Universe and the Origin of Physical Laws." His web sites are and Attila Grandpierre is also a poet and musician: (Thanks to Dany Adams for bringing Doctor Grandpierre to our attention.) ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-04-06 Banana Petioles Morphology Limerick Contest We invite you to enter the first and last annual BANANA PETIOLES MORPHOLOGY LIMERICK COMPETITION, for the best (NEWLY composed!) limerick that elucidates this research report, which was brought to our attention by investigator Nancy Sloat: "The Functional Morphology of the Petioles of the Banana, Musa textiles," A.R. Ennos, H-Ch. Spatz and. T. Speck, Journal of Experimental Botany, vol. 51, no. 353, December 2000, pp. 2085-93. The authors are, variously, at the University of Manchester, UK, and at Albert-Ludwigs-UniversitŠt Freiburg, Germany. RULES: Please make sure your rhymes actually do, and that your limerick at least pretends to adhere to classic limerick form. PRIZE: The winning poet will receive a free, morphologically functional issue of the Annals of Improbable Research. Send entries (one entry per entrant) to: BANANA PETIOLES MORPHOLOGY LIMERICK CONTEST c/o ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-04-07 Video Minute History of the Universe Eric Schulman's one-minute history of the universe can now be seen online, in video, thanks to the NSF. For the video, and a bit of history of the history, see ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-04-08 Project Cuppa, Third Serving Here is another serving from the submissions to Project Cuppa. Project Cuppa is our attempt to collect the best scientists' best rituals for preparing tea or coffee. JOSEPHINE SCOBLE, who is presently working in research in molecular parasitology at the Pasteur Institute in Lille, France, then continuing in September at Keele Univeristy Staffordshire England to do her finals, writes: "No teapot required! I never use teapots because I believe every 'cuppa' must be unique. It is essential that a mug is used with a thin 'lip', preferably bone china and white. The colour of the mug is quite important as it allows me to judge how strong the tea bag is after adding the boiling water. When adding the water, I make sure the water hits the top of the tea bag and I like to let it inflate whilst continuing to pour over the hot water. Once I have finished pouring on the water at a steady rate, I wait for the tea bag to deflate and with a teaspoon I squeeze the teabag once against the side of the mug. One lump of sugar is added, then a splash of milk (semi skimmed) and stir in both directions... drink immediately holding mug in both hands. "I would have loved to have accompanied this information with a schematic, but I feel I have given enough detail." ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-04-09 Ig UK Photos on the way A big thank you to everyone connected with last month's Ig Nobel Tour of the UK -- especially to the British Association for the Advancement of Science, The Guardian newspaper, and all of the participants in the events. In the coming weeks, we will be posting photos on our web site. In the meantime, you can study journalist Donald MacLeod's haunting accounts of certain persons and incidents related to the tour: ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-04-10 hair, hair, Hair, HAIR, Hair, hair, hair The Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists (LFHCfS) has several new members: ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-04-11 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Sunshine -- Surf and Sand Each month we select for your special attention a research report that seems especially worth a close read. This month's pick: "Surfing Injuries," Sam Sunshine, Current Sports Medicine Reports, vol. 2, 2003, pp. 136-41. (Thanks to Robert Lauder for bringing this to our attention.) Dr. Sunshine, who practices medicine as part of the Pacific Crest Medical Group in Aliso Viejo, California, reports that: Compared with other sports, surfing is relatively safe. Contact with the surfboard, rocks, coral, or sand causes most injuries. Environmental factors such as sun exposure and marine animal bites and stings are other causes of injury. Surfing with common sense, sunscreen, and proper equipment can help prevent injury. ---------------------------------------------------------- 2005-04-12 On Our Blog Here are some recent topics (a new one appears every weekday) in our blog: The Book of Weird Experiments Feynman Ice Cream Beatle Wing Music The Adventures of Hideto Tomabechi Suicide -- A Poisson Process? What's Up With Max Gerson? ... and many others Read the blog via ----------------------------------------------------------- 2005-04-13 MAY WE RECOMMEND: Anger and Girdles MACHINE AGAINST THE RAGE "Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Medial-Frontal Cortex Impairs the Processing of Angry Facial Expressions," C.J. Harmer, et al., Nature Neuroscience, vol. 4, no. 1, January 2001, pp. 17- 8. The authors are at the Institute of Neurology, London, U.K. WAIST NOT? "Effect of Clothing Pressure on the Tightness Sensation of Girdles," A.P. Chan and J. Fan, International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, vol. 14, no. 2, 2001, pp. 100-10. ------------------------------------------------------------ 2005-04-14 Improbable Research Events ==> For details and updates see ==> Want to host an event? 617-491-4437. ==> MUSEUM OF SCIENCE, BOSTON, MA -- APR 1, 2005 Improbable Research Show, 7:00 PM. INFO: http://www.mos.org/doc/1136 PHONE: (617) 589-0386 I-CON 24, STONY BROOK, NY -- APR 8-10, 2005 Improbable Research show, 3:00 PM Saturday, April 9. NATIONAL WRITERS' WORKSHOP, HARTFORD, CT -- APR 16/17, 2005 Marc Abrahams's talk on "Improbable Writing" will be at 11:50 AM on Sunday, April 17. IG NOBEL TOUR OF AUSTRALIA for NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK -- AUGUST, 2005 CASCADIACON, SEATTLE -- THURS, SEPT 1 - MON, SEPT. 5, 2005 FIFTEENTH 1ST ANNUAL IG NOBEL PRIZE CEREMONY -- OCT 6, 2005 Sanders Theatre, Harvard University. Tickets will go on sale in August. IG INFORMAL LECTURES -- OCT 8, 2005 MIT. Room and time to be announced. -------------------------------------------------------------- 2005-04-15 How to Subscribe to AIR (*) Here's how to subscribe to the magnificent bi-monthly print journal The Annals of Improbable Research (the real thing, not just the little bits of overflow material you've been reading in this newsletter). ................................................................ Name: Address: Address: City and State: Zip or postal code: Country Phone: FAX: E-mail: ................................................................ SUBSCRIPTIONS (6 issues per year): USA 1 yr/$29 2 yrs/$53 Canada/Mexico 1 yr/$33 US 2 yrs/$57 US Overseas 1 yr/$45 US 2 yrs/$82 US ................................................................ BACK ISSUES are available, too: First issue: $8 USA, $11 Canada/Mex, $16 overseas Add'l issues purchased at same time: $6 each ................................................................ Send payment (US bank check, or international money order, or Visa, Mastercard or Discover info) to: Annals of Improbable Research (AIR) PO Box 380853, Cambridge, MA 02238 USA 617-491-4437 FAX:617-661-0927 ----------------------------------------------------- 2005-04-16 Our Address (*) Annals of Improbable Research (AIR) PO Box 380853, Cambridge, MA 02238 USA 617-491-4437 FAX:617-661-0927 EDITORIAL: marca@chem2.harvard.edu SUBSCRIPTIONS: air@improbable.com WEB SITE: --------------------------- 2005-04-17 Please Forward/Post This Issue! (*) Please distribute copies of mini-AIR (or excerpts!) wherever appropriate. The only limitations are: A) Please indicate that the material comes from mini-AIR. B) You may NOT distribute mini-AIR for commercial purposes. ------------- mini-AIRheads ------------- EDITOR: Marc Abrahams (marca@chem2.harvard.edu) MINI-PROOFREADER AND PICKER OF NITS (before we introduce the last few at the last moment): Wendy Mattson WWW EDITOR/GLOBAL VILLAGE IDIOT: Amy Gorin (airmaster@improbable.com) COMMUTATIVE EDITOR: Stanley Eigen (eigen@neu.edu) ASSOCIATIVE EDITOR: Mark Dionne PSYCHOLOGY EDITOR: Robin Abrahams CO-CONSPIRATORS: Alice Shirrell Kaswell, Gary Dryfoos, Ernest Ersatz, S. Drew MAITRE DE COMPUTATION: Jerry Lotto AUTHORITY FIGURES: Nobel Laureates Dudley Herschbach, Sheldon Glashow, William Lipscomb, Richard Roberts (c) copyright 2005, Annals of Improbable Research ----------------------------------------------------- 2005-04-18 How to Receive mini-AIR, etc. (*) What you are reading right now is mini-AIR. Mini-AIR is a (free!) tiny monthly *supplement* to the bi-monthly print magazine. 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