Effect of zebra stripes on horseflies

In a relative sense, zebra stripes repel horseflies. That’s the latest discovery reported by Gábor Horváth [pictured here], who discovered that white horses attract fewer flies, and that Vikings knew a thing or two about how to use light for ship navigation. For details, see the study: “Polarotactic tabanids find striped patterns with brightness and/or polarization modulation least […]

A shorts course in cooking, inspired by neutrinos

Len Fisher [pictured here], who was awarded the 1999 Ig Nobel Prize in physics for calculating the optimal way to dunk a biscuit, has advice for a scientist who is confident to his very shorts that the neutrinos-travel-faster-than-light reports will turn out to be in error. Dr. Fisher wrote a letter that’s published in The Guardian (on Nov 25): If […]

Improbable Research