11 ridiculous discoveries that won the Shnobel Prize: From the fluidity of cats to spilled coffee

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

It turns out that scientists sometimes conduct such strange studies that they sometimes baffle people with their meaninglessness. But Mark Abrahams, back in 1991, decided to encourage scientists and instituted a parody of the Nobel Prize, creating the Ig Nobel Prizes or the Shnobel Prize, the laureates of which have become over the years researchers, politicians and even mayors of cities, famous for their unconventional solution to problems.

Unnamed cows

The Veterinary Medicine Award went to Catherine Douglas and Peter Rawlinson of Newcastle University in the UK. They proved that cows, to which a person refers by name, give more milk than animals without a name. And they released a great article on the subject called “Exploring Farm Managers' Perceptions of Human-Animal Relationships in Dairy Farms and the Relationship of That Relationship to Milk Production.”

Doorbells

Diplomats of India and Pakistan have never applied for the award, but the founders could not ignore them. The award was based on numerous news reports, in which it was said that representatives of the diplomatic corps of the two countries, in relations between which tensions persist, behaved like middle school students. Early in the morning, someone called the doorbell behind which diplomats of another country lived, and then ran away before anyone could open the door. And the next day the call rang out in the house of the opponents.

Preventing falls in ice

Leanne Parkin, Sheila Williams and Patricia Priest of the University of Otago in New Zealand were awarded the Physics Prize following the publication of their paper in the New Zealand Medical Journal. Scientists have experimentally proved: on icy footpaths in winter, there will be much less falls if people wear socks over their shoes.

Pizza that saves you from death

In 2019, Italian scientist Silvano Gallus was awarded the Shnobel Prize for collecting proof that pizza can protect against disease and even death, but only if it is cooked and eaten in Italy. Prior to this, several articles were published in different publications, the author or co-author of which was the Shnobel laureate. Silvano Gallus studied the protective properties of pizza against oncological diseases of various organs and against myocardial infarction.

Natural cleanser

In 2018, Paula Romao, Adilia Alarkan and Cesar Viana received the Chemistry Prize, and their research focused on human saliva and its properties to clean dirty surfaces. Portuguese scientists have measured the degree of cleaning properties and published their findings in the journal Studies in Conservation.

Incorrect parking problems

In 2011, the Peace Prize was awarded to the Mayor of Vilnius Arturas Zuokas, who clearly demonstrated how you can teach the owners of expensive cars to park correctly. An armored armored personnel carrier, which has rolled the car into a cake, is able to permanently solve the problem in a single city.

Seals are liquid

Marc Antoine Farden was awarded a Physics Prize in 2017 for his use of fluid dynamics in the study of whether a cat can be both solid and liquid at the same time. The scientist told the world about the results of his research in the journal "Rheology Bulletin", having published an article "On the fluidity of cats." Surely, many cat owners tend to agree with Antoine Farden's discovery.

Banana peel friction coefficient

In 2014, Japanese scientists Kiyoshi Mabuchi, Kensei Tanaka, Daichi Uchijima, and Rina Sakai received a physics prize for measuring the amount of friction between a boot and a banana peel, as well as between a banana peel and the floor, when a person steps on a banana peel on the floor. The article "Coefficient of friction of a banana peel" appeared in Tribology Online 7.

Reindeer behavior

Eigil Reimers and Sindre Eftestel received the Arctic Science Prize in 2014. They studied the reaction of Svalbard's reindeer to people disguised as polar bears on Edge Island. Scientists argue that studying the reaction of deer to polar bears will help preserve populations of both in the future.

Beauty in the eyes of a beer lover

A group of scientists in 2013 received a psychology award for experimental confirmation that people who are intoxicated find themselves attractive. Scientists have shared the results of their experiment on the pages of the British Psychological Journal.

Why is coffee spilled?

Ruslan Krechetnikov and Hans Mayer were awarded the 2012 hydrodynamics prize for studying the dynamics of liquid splashing in the hands of a person walking with a cup of coffee. During the experiments, scientists studied the degree of splashing of coffee under the condition that a person walks both straight and backward.

Even a person far from science knows what a Nobel Prize is. What can we say about the prestige of this award among scientists, writers, public figures. The history of the Nobel Prize dates back to 1901. Of course, during this period there were many interesting cases related to its delivery or non-delivery.