Cockroach milk and underwear studies win Ig Nobels at first ceremony held outside U.S.
Other research topics included milk from cockroaches, the evolutionary history of kissing and the science of blowing one's nose.
The inaugural Ig Nobel awards ceremony, held outside the United States for the first time due to travel concerns, celebrated unconventional scientific research on October 11th. Teams from Europe received the prestigious awards at a convention center in Zurich, Switzerland, marking the shift from the U.S. where the event had been held for 35 years.
The quirky research encompassed various topics such as the study of cockroach milk, the decomposition of underwear buried worldwide, and the analysis of soil health using personal hygiene items. The awards, organized by the digital magazine, Annals of Improbable Research, took place under the theme of unusual and imaginative scientific contributions.
Researcher Matilda Brindle from the University of Oxford and Catherine F. Talbot of Florida Institute of Technology reconstructed the evolutionary history of kissing, while Dr. Tokuji Unno, who had passed away, investigated the science of blowing one's nose. The tradition of audience participation continued with paper airplanes being thrown at the stage.
The organizers announced that future ceremonies would alternate between Zurich and other European cities, with the next event slated for Antwerp, Belgium in 2027.
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