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https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/09/meet-the-2026-ig-nobel-prize-winners/>
"It’s that time of year again, when we learn which lucky scientists are among
the winners of the Ig Nobel Prizes. This year, the prizes honor research on
designing the perfect splash-free urinal; using mosquito proboscises to
“necroprint” tiny nozzles; studying composition rates of buried cotton
underwear; and the aerodynamics of a healthy nose-blow, among other highlights.
Established in 1991, the Ig Nobels are a good-natured parody of the Nobel
Prizes; they honor “achievements that first make people laugh and then make
them think.” The unapologetically campy awards ceremony features miniature
operas, scientific demos, and “24/7 lectures,” whereby experts must explain
their work twice: once in 24 seconds and the second in just seven words.
Acceptance speeches are limited to 60 seconds. And as the motto implies, the
research being honored might seem ridiculous at first glance, but that doesn’t
mean it’s devoid of scientific merit. In the weeks following the ceremony, the
winners will also give free public talks, which will be posted on the
Improbable Research website.
After 35 years in Boston, the annual prize ceremony will take place in Zurich,
Switzerland, this year and will continue to be held in a European city for the
foreseeable future. The reason: concerns about the safety of international
travelers, who are increasingly reluctant to travel to the US to participate.
Four of last year’s 10 winners opted to skip the ceremony rather than travel to
the US, and the situation has not improved.
“During the past year, it has become unsafe for our guests to visit the
country,” Marc Abrahams, master of ceremonies and editor of
The Annals of
Improbable Research magazine, told
The Associated Press in March. “We cannot
in good conscience ask the new winners, or the international journalists who
cover the event, to travel to the US this year.”
Next year’s ceremony will be held in Antwerp, Flanders. The Ig Nobels will
return to Zurich in 2028 and every even-numbered year after that. “In that
respect, it will be a little like the Eurovision Song Contest with a base in
Europe,” said Abrahams, who founded the Ig Nobels and serves as emcee during
the annual ceremony.
Without further ado, here are the winners of the 2026 Ig Nobel prizes."
Via Christoph S.
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
