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CAMBRIDGE , Mass. — The bright head behind research subject area about how Earth ’s magnetic field regard pooping dog and why people see Jesus in goner were honor tonight ( Sept. 18 ) during one of the most purposefully ridiculous ceremonies in all of science : the Ig Nobel Prizes .
Each class , the Ig Nobel Prizes(a sendup of the slightly more famous Nobel Prizes ) are awarded to scientists whose enquiry " makes people laugh and then think . " tall Research , the system that awards the prizes , runs the annual observance here at Harvard University ’s Sanders Theater .
During a science break for the 2014 Ig Nobel Awards ceremony on Sept. 18, presenters create a gelatin substance while a “human sparkplug” looks on.
And what a ceremony it was . Two " human sparkplugs " dressed in little more than smooth-spoken torso pigment were welcome on stage to usher talker to the mike , and paper airplanes flew through the dramaturgy on more than one occasion . But the solid food - themed night was truly about honoring science and the scientist who do it . [ See all of the 2014 Ig Nobel Prize success : Banana Peels to Nasal Pork ]
" The achievements speak for themselves all too articulately , " Master of Ceremonies Marc Abrahams said during tonight ’s Ig Nobel presentations .
At first blush , most of the research boast during the ceremony seems frivolous , but upon further inspection , what ’s merriment on the surface in reality has a more important , scientific significance . For representative , this yr ’s plunder in Arctic science went to a group of researcher who dressed up like opposite bear to see howreindeer in Norwaywould respond compared with their reactions to human being . [ The 12 Weirdest Animal breakthrough ]
Paper airplanes fly during the 2014 Ig Nobel Prize ceremony.
While this polar bear research might seem ridiculous at first glance , it is actually related to clime modification skill . Because polar bears are get stick on landmass later and by and by in the twelvemonth due to melted ocean ice , the scientist wanted to see how reindeer populations react to polar bear ( or what the animals perceived to be polar bears ) and compare it with the way they behave around humans . ( The Greenland caribou were much more serene when the humans just looked like man . )
The Ig Nobel in Medicine went to doctors who used cured porc to stop a young child ’s " one - in - a - million bleeding disorder . " While they try many different technical and even expensive methods to stop the bleeding , the squad of doctors eventually flex to an older - time cure : They stop the bleeding by packing the patient ’s nozzle with strip show of vulcanised porc .
" They saybacon get everything better , " Children ’s Hospital of Michigan ’s Sonal Saraiya , one of the Medicine prizewinners , told Live Science before the ceremonial .
Other scientist were present for research that founddogs align themselves along Earth ’s charismatic subject lineswhile pooping , and the Neuroscience Prize went to a squad of scientist who found out how common it is for human race to see brass in random image that did n’t really show faces . The phenomenon calledface pareidoliais responsible for turning a normal piece of toast into an ikon of Jesus ' face and a rocky Martian landform into a human face .
One of the succeeder either did n’t need to show up or could n’t make it to the ceremonial . The prize in political economy was given to the Italian government ’s National Institute of Statistics " for proudly claim the lead in fulfilling the European Union mandate for each country to increase the official size of it of its home saving by including tax revenue from prostitution , illegal drug gross sales , smuggling and all other unconventional financial transactions between unforced participants , " consort to Ig Nobel voice .
This yr ’s First Annual IgNobel PrizeCeremony ( which is really the 24th year the prizes have been awarded ) also featured actual Nobel laureate who help hand out the 10 pillage to the 2014 Ig Nobel success .
A group of ask round speaker also return a series of short , somewhat silly speeches . In keeping with the food - themed eve , the inventor of the all - in - one food Soylent gave a 24 - instant technological talk on metabolism and then tot up it up with seven dustup .
" Thanks to enzyme , man are solar powered , " Soylent developer Rob Rhinehart allege during the event .
Last year ’s Ig Nobel plunder pay respect to some truly funny research as well . The 2013 Joint Prize in Biology and Astronomy was awarded to a group of scientists who establish thatdung beetle find their way of life homeby looking at theMilky Wayif they are lost . ( But first , the beetles do a dance on their roll balls of dung . )
The 2013 prize for psychological science went to a team of researchers who found that people who think they are drunk think they are attractive as well ( duh ) .
" If you did n’t gain an Ig Nobel Prize tonight and specially if you did , better luck next class , " Abrahams said at the final stage of the ceremony .
