Join us and some surprising people in a twitter discussion about surprising things in science. This is part of the AAAS’s new Virtual Media initiative. The AAAS is of course the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which publishes Science magazine, organizes the AAAS Annual Meeting (at which we have done an Improbable Research […]
Tag: surprise
Highly Technical Explication of a Simple Surprise About Surprise
Three researchers put into words their simple surprise about surprise. They published a study that goes into considerable detail. It has to do with the facial appearance of people who are surprised by something. Here, for context, is a random selection of photos turned up by a google search for the phrase “surprised faces”: The […]
Current Biology, biology, fun, and the Ig Nobel Prizes
The journal Current Biology, in celebrating its 25th birthday (congratulations!), published a special issue that includes two articles touching on the Ig Nobel Prizes. Geoffrey North, the journal’s editor, wrote an editorial called “The Biology of Fun and the Fun of Biology“: Both [the artist] Magritte and [the artistic chef] el Bulli illustrate one aspect of ‘fun’ that is relevant to Current Biology […]
No need to wait for “Suspense and Surprise”
If you have been waiting for “Suspense and Surprise”, your vigil is over. A PDF version of the paper is online. (Thanks to investigator Nathan Randall for bringing this to our attention.) The paper, of course, is the long-awaited (if you have been waiting long for it): “Suspense and Surprise,” Jeffrey Ely, Alexander Frankel, Emir Kamenica […]
The improbable — the (thus!) surprising — in physics
Ashutosh Jogalekar, writing in the Curious Wavefunction blog, writes about some of the most surprising discoveries in physics since 1900. Reading that reminds us to remind you that “improbable” means “what you don’t expect”. Thus, here is some of the most improbable research in the modern history of physics: Surprises in physics: From black bodies […]
Anal probe: parsnips, pigs’ tails & lots more
In 1995, the Ig Nobel Prize in literature was awarded to two surgeons who painstakingly assembled a study called Rectal Foreign Bodies: Case Reports and a Comprehensive Review of the World’s Literature. Those case reports involve, among other items: seven light bulbs; a knife sharpener; two flashlights; a wire spring; a snuff box; an oil […]