The Magazine: Annals of Improbable Research
The magazine about research that makes people LAUGH, then THINK.
Real research, about anything and everything, from everywhere — research that’s maybe good or bad, important or trivial, valuable or worthless. Compiled for you, by the producers of the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony. Six (6) new Improbable magazine issues every year!
SUBSCRIBE—or Buy Back Issues or Years!
- The magazine is published in PDF form. No more paper! (The last issue to be published in paper form was the November/December 2015 issue—volume 21, number 6.)
- GIFTS—Give a single issue as a gift. Or give all the issues from a particular year (2019, 2018, 2017, or some other year) as a gift. (We do not, alas, have machinery in place for gift subscriptions.)
- A little confused about how to subscribe? THIS may help.
- A little confused about how to give a (single issue as a) gift? THIS may help.
Click on a magazine cover
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2023
(vol. 29) |
Jan-Feb | |||||
Advanced Theories
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2022
(vol. 28) |
Jan-Feb | Mar-Apr
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May-Jun | Jul-Aug | Sep-Oct | Nov-Dec |
Ice Cream
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Viruses
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Women & Men
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Men & Women
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Rotation
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Ig Nobel
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To buy an individual back issue, click the “Buy the PDF” link!
After we finish moving web hosts, you will again be able to click on a magazine cover to see the Table of Contents for that pre-2022 issue. |
2021
(vol. 27) |
Jan-Feb | Mar-Apr | May-Jun | Jul-Aug | Sept-Oct | Nov-Dect |
Chocolate.
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Forensics.
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Haphazard.
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Ducks.
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Children.
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Ig Nobel.
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2020
(vol. 26) |
Jan-Feb | Mar-Apr | May-Jun | Jul-Aug | Sep-Oct | Nov-Dec |
Psychology.
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Big Animals.
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Small Animals.
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Coffee, and Tea.
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Con Men.
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Ig Nobel.
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2019
(vol. 25) |
Jan-Feb![]() |
Mar-Apr![]() |
May-Jun![]() |
Jul-Aug![]() |
Sept-Oct![]() |
Nov-Dec![]() |
Surprising Tastes.
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Habits & Tricks. Buy the PDF |
Animals.
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Disgusting Research.
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Important Research?
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Ig Nobel.
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2018
(vol. 24) |
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Pizza.
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Music.
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Noise.
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Numbers. Buy the PDF |
Medical Surprises.
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Ig Nobel.
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2017
(vol. 23) |
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Sneezing, Coughing, Nose-Blowing. Buy the PDF |
Faces. Buy the PDF |
Fears & Tears. Buy the PDF |
Cigarette Butts, Vegemite, and Marmite. Buy the PDF |
Strange Questions. Buy the PDF |
Ig Nobel. Buy the PDF! |
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2016
(vol. 22) |
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Human Heads & Garlic Juice. Buy the PDF |
Smelly. Buy the PDF |
Time & Boredom. Buy the PDF |
Kissing. Buy the PDF |
Red. Buy the PDF |
Ig Nobel. Buy the PDF |
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2015
(vol. 21) |
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Teeth. Buy the PDF |
Hair Twists. Buy the PDF |
Cats. Buy the PDF |
Dogs. Buy the PDF |
Clever Inventions. Buy the PDF |
Ig Nobel. Buy the PDF |
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2014
(vol. 20) |
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Miscreant Trapping. Buy the PDF |
Cloning & Evolution. Buy the PDF |
Centrifugal Research. Buy the PDF |
Chewing Gum. Buy the PDF |
Feathers. Buy the PDF |
Ig Nobel. Buy the PDF |
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2013
(vol. 19) |
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Sloths & Vampires. Buy the PDF |
Blushing. Buy the PDF |
Boring Machines. Buy the PDF |
Italian Hand Gestures. Buy the PDF |
Tolstoys & Rifles. Buy the PDF |
Ig Nobel. Buy the PDF |
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2012
(vol. 18) |
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e-book:
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Body Parts. |
More Body Parts. |
Randomness & Stupidity. |
Projectiles. |
Alcohol Consumption. |
Ig Nobel. Amazon
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2011
(vol. 17) |
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e-book:
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Missing Pieces. Download
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Head & Brain. Amazon
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Mathematicians & Bears. Amazon
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Professor Lipscomb. Amazon
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Animal Oddities. Amazon
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Ig Nobel. Amazon
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Issues Not Yet Available in Digital Form
We plan to make PDF versions of these available, too. (For now, if you want to buy a PDF of one of these issues, email us.)
2010
(vol. 16) |
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2009
(vol. 15) |
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2008
(vol. 14) |
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2007
(vol. 13) |
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2006
(vol. 12) |
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2005
(vol. 11) |
2004
(vol. 10) |
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2003
(vol. 9) |
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2002
(vol. 8) |
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2001
(vol. 7) |
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2000
(vol. 6) |
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1999
(vol. 5) |
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1998
(vol. 4) |
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1997
(vol. 3) |
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1996
(vol. 2) |
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1995
(vol. 1) |
BACKGROUND INFO: Why We Shifted to Publishing Exclusively in PDF form
Some background info, in case you’re wondering, about why we converted from publishing the magazine in paper form, to publishing exclusively in digital form.
Here’s Gizmodo‘s report about that” “Fantastically Nerdy Science Humor Magazine Goes Digital“.
OBSCURE HISTORICAL INFO, for fanatic historians: Some historical technical info about publishing forms and formats
Before making the decision to publish exclusively in PDF form, we tried an experiment—a noble but doomed experiment. We invented an e-book form that solved a problem that plagued most of the e-book industry.
Here’s historical info about the E-book version that we produced for several years (and no longer produce): We were the first picture-filled magazine available as a series of standard e-books, comfy on both tiny (phone) and big screens:
- We produced each issue as a standard e-book (as well as producing the paper version). Read it the same way you read all your other e-books.
- We invented a simple way to make magazines comfy to read on both tiny and big screens (everything from smartphones to desktop monitors). Each e-book contains two copies — one formatted for tiny screens, one formatted identically to the glorious paper version. (Got a question about it? Ask our bookmaster.)
- This was a technological triumph, and a commercial flop – not so many people wanted to read e-books!