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Scientists studying cockroach milk and nose-blowing win Ig Nobel prizes for quirky science

Ten research teams were honored for studies on kissing, cockroach milk, nose blowing and underwear decomposition, with future ceremonies set to rotate in Europe.

  • On Thursday, the 36th Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony took place in Zurich, Switzerland, honoring 10 research projects designed to "first make people laugh, and then make them think," with "fungi" as this year's theme.
  • Organized by the Annals of Improbable Research, the annual awards parody the prestigious Nobel Prizes and have been given since 1991, marking the 20th consecutive year a Japanese national was among the winners.
  • Medicine prize winner Tokuji Unno studied nose blowing, while associate professor Changhong Cao's "necroprinting" study won the technology prize; other recipients included research finding cockroach milk contains three times the energy of cow's milk.
  • Associate professor Carly Anne York at Lenoir-Rhyne University told CNN the Ig Nobels "never fail to highlight research that makes you 'laugh, and then think." Evolutionary biologist Matilda Brindle added that curiosity is fundamental to scientific progress.
  • Organizers moved the ceremony from the United States to Europe this year amid tighter U.S. visa issuance under President Donald Trump's administration, continuing to transform seemingly far-fetched ideas into legitimate scientific endeavors.
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Ten research teams honored in Zurich at satirical science awards ceremony

·Belgrade, Serbia
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There are those who have studied the physics of anti-sque urinals and those who have buried a thousand pairs of panties in 25 different countries to evaluate soil health. (ANSA)

·Rome, Italy
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Bury briefs to test soil quality, design a urinal scientifically to avoid splashing: here are some of the works rewarded during the 2026 edition of the Ig-Nobel,

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Nature broke the news in London, United Kingdom on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
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