With the current economic upheaval and bad news on the science and engineering front, I think it’s time to turn to the lighter side of science by looking at some of the winners of the 2008 Ig Nobel Awards. Established by the Annals of Improbable Research the Ig Nobel Awards “honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think. The prizes are intended to celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative—and spur people's interest in science, medicine, and technology.” This year’s winners do just that. Here I present my favorite winners of the 2008 competition, who were honored on Oct. 2 at the 18th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony:
The Archaeology Prize went to a team of Brazilians who measured how the contents of an archaeological dig site can be scrambled by the actions of a live armadillo. I’m not quite sure why this is important, but I do wonder if they used a dead armadillo as a control.
The Cognitive Science Prize went to an international research team that discovered that slime molds can solve puzzles. I think their next move should be to perform this experiment on the residents of New Jersey (where I live). The results might be surprising. (Or not.)
And last, but not least, the Medicine Prize was awarded to researchers who demonstrated that high-priced fake medicine is more effective than low-priced fake medicine. I guess sometimes you really do get what you pay for.
