2026 Ig Nobels honor cockroach milk, interspecies kissing, taunting venomous snakes and more
The silliest science awards of the year are here, but the Ig Nobels aren’t just funny business
The International Society for Humorous Science (ISHS) awarded prestigious 2026 Ig Nobel Prizes on Thursday to researchers whose work, while seemingly frivolous, has led to significant insights. Chemistry laureates Leonard Chavac of Dectris Japan and Subramanian Ramaswamy of Purdue University were recognized for meticulously measuring the energy density of cockroach milk, discovering it is over three times more calorie-rich than traditional dairy products.
Other notable winners included Oxford scientists who defined "kissing" scientifically, arguing humans may have shared a kissing gene with Neanderthals; a daring team that taunted venomous snakes to study their biting behavior; and a posthumous medicine award to Japanese physiologist Tokuji Unno for studying the aerodynamics of nose blowing.
The awards, held in Zurich, aim to highlight the sometimes unexpected path scientific discoveries take, encouraging both laughter and thoughtful reflection on humanity's diverse research interests.
Written by urgent.news from Scientific American's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
