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| Penguins and the “Force of Nature” Around Their Nests |
The annual Ig Nobel Prize for research that “first makes you laugh, then makes you think” was announced in the U.S. on October 6th.
The awarded studies include calculations of the “internal force” of penguins when they relieve themselves; comparisons of swimming speeds between humans in regular water and syrup; and the question of how many years it takes for tar to drip a single drop!
Swimming in Syrup Is Like Swimming in Water…
Edward Cussler and Brian Gettelfinger from the University of Minnesota won the Ig Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their very “sporty” work. While Gettelfinger was a student training for the Olympics, he had the idea to compare swimming speeds in water and syrup.
The two set out to conduct experiments, obtaining permission from 22 different authorities to pour corn syrup into a 25-meter swimming pool.
However, the city of Minneapolis demanded $22,000 to carry out the experiment, citing concerns that the syrup would overwhelm the drainage system after the experiment.
Not giving up, they finally decided to mix 310 kilograms of candy powder with water in the pool. Sixteen volunteers swam in the syrup pool before transitioning back to regular water.
The results were “useless,” as Cussler himself admitted: there was no difference; swimming in regular water or syrup was equally fast or slow.
The “Internal Force” of Penguins
Perhaps few people, except researchers, know that penguins sitting on their nests often hesitate to go outside to relieve themselves. When the need arises, a penguin simply leans forward, lifts its tail, and “fires away.”
The Ig Nobel Prize in Fluid Dynamics went to Benno Meyer-Rochow (International University Bremen, Germany), the University of Oulu in Finland, and Jozsef Gal (Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary) for their study showing that a penguin, given its size, has an “internal force” of 10 to 60 kilopascals when relieving itself—significantly higher than the “internal force” of humans performing a similar task.
Why does a penguin not seek a private spot to relieve itself but does so while sitting on its nest? One temporary explanation is that it does not want its eggs to get cold.
The Running Alarm Clock
This year’s Ig Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to a scam email originating from Nigeria that narrates a clever and systematic story about how they know of a treasure that belongs to them and promise to reward anyone who helps them retrieve it.
Many in Vietnam may have received this award-winning “work”! The Economics Prize went to Gauri Nanda (MIT, USA) for inventing a special alarm clock, considered a contribution to the economy. This clock, named Clocky, has wheels.
When it rings and the sleepy owner hits the snooze button, Clocky immediately “runs away” on its wheels, “hiding” somewhere else to continue ringing.
The owner has no chance to reach out to turn it off again and, theoretically, must get out of bed, go to work on time, and… contribute to the economy.
A Multi-Generational Experiment
The experiment that won this year’s Ig Nobel Prize in Physics could accurately be called a multi-generational experiment. Although tar is still considered a liquid, its properties resemble those of a solid. Thomas Parnell (University of Queensland, Australia) devised a way to demonstrate that tar is indeed a liquid. He placed tar into a funnel, where it solidified.
Then he simply sat and waited for it to drip down, as a liquid should! This experiment began in 1927. Eight years later, the first drop finally fell. The second drop fell exactly nine years after that.
Now Parnell has passed away, and researcher John Mainstone continues the experiment. As of 2000, the tar has dripped its eighth drop, and Mainstone is waiting for the ninth to fall.
The 2005 Ig Nobel Prizes
* Biology: Benjamin Smith (University of Adelaide, Australia) and his team studied the different scents emitted by stressed frogs. Conclusion: some emit scents of cashew, licorice, mint, or rotten fish.
* Fluid Dynamics: Victor Benno Meyer-Rochow (International University Bremen, Germany) won for research on the internal pressure used by penguins when relieving themselves.
* Physics: Since 1927, researchers from the University of Queensland, Australia, have demonstrated that tar is a liquid by placing it in a funnel and waiting for it to flow down. This year, the tar is about to drip its ninth drop. This experiment holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running experiment in the world.
* Peace: Two researchers from Newcastle University on the River Tyne, England, won for studying the effects of Star Wars movie scenes on the brains of… grasshoppers.
* Chemistry: Research from the University of Minnesota (USA) showed that swimming speed in syrup is equivalent to swimming speed in regular water.
* Literature: Nigerian “authors” won for their scam emails sent to millions around the world, asking for a small amount of money to help them recover a massive treasure to share. This type of email has also appeared in Vietnam.
* Medicine: The award went to Gregg Miller for inventing “Neuticles,” a type of artificial testicle that can be used for… neutered dogs.
* Nutrition: Dr. Yoshiro Nakamats took photographs of his meals for 35 years to study the effects of food on brain activity, health, and longevity. He discovered 55 factors that could help a person live to the age of 144.
* Economics: The Clocky alarm clock created by Gauri Nanda (MIT, USA).
HA NGUYEN (compiled)
