Research about winking, and news about Ig Nobel events in Europe

This month’s mini-AIR research spotlight scrutinizes this study about winking: “Elevation of the Eye-Balls on Winking,” W.R. Miles, Journal of Experimental Psychology, vol. 14, no. 4, Aug 1931, pp. 311-332. The research was done at Stanford University. That study and other bits of improbable research news congest the November issue of mini-AIR. mini-AIR is the wee, free monthly […]

Chocolate and Tea Are Better Than Flouride, for Teeth, in Toothpaste for Rats?

This month’s mini-AIR research spotlight shines on possible ingredients for toothpaste, to protect teeth: “Theobromine: A Safe and Effective Alternative for Fluoride in Dentifrices,” Tetsuo Nakamoto, Alexander U. Falster, and William B. Simmons, Jr., Journal of Caffeine Research, vol. 6, no. 1, February 2016, pp. 1-9. The authors, at  Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and at […]

Decisive-Regret-Under-Uncertainty Limerick Contest

This month’s research limerick contest: Devise a pleasing limerick that encapsulates this study: “Regret in Decision Making Under Uncertainty,” David E. Bell, Operations Research, vol. 30, no. 5, 1982, pp. 961-981.  The author, at Harvard University, reports: “After making a decision under uncertainty, a person may discover, on learning the relevant outcomes, that another alternative […]

LIMERICK CONTEST: Cigarettes in a Milkshake

This month’s contest — Devise a pleasing limerick that encapsulates this study: “The Smoking Milkshake,” Jennifer Thomas and Paul E. Luebbers, American Journal of Health Education, vol. 40, no. 6, 2009, pp. 322-328. The authors, at Emporia State University, explain: “Cigarettes can have many ingredients. Philip Morris, the nations largest cigarette manufacturer, uses over 200 […]

Improbable Research