Laughter and Digestion: The Ig Nobel Prize's Quirky Science

Resources

Resources & Recommendations

Books

• "The Plight of the Gastroenterologist" - This is an Ig Nobel mini-opera that was excerpted during the program.

People Mentioned

• Tom Lehrer - Musician and mathematician who wrote the meticulously lyrical song of the elements and advised on early Ig Nobel ceremonies. He passed away at the age of 97.
• Barry Duncan - Gave the traditional Ig Nobel welcome and goodbye speeches.
• Marc Abrahams (Editor of the Annals of Improbable Research) - Master of Ceremonies for the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony and chief airhead.
• Moungi Bawendi (2023 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry) - Presented an Ig Nobel prize.
• Eric Maskin (2007 Nobel Laureate in Economics) - Presented an Ig Nobel prize.
• Esther Duflo (2019 Nobel Laureate in Economics) - Presented an Ig Nobel prize and read an acceptance speech.
• Robert Merton (1997 Nobel Laureate in Economics) - Presented an Ig Nobel prize and read an acceptance speech.
• Svante Pääbo (2022 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine) - Presented an Ig Nobel prize and read an acceptance speech.
• William Kaelin (2019 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine) - Presented an Ig Nobel prize.
• Jerome Friedman (1990 Nobel Laureate in Physics) - Appeared via recorded video to offer congratulations.
• Miss Sweetie Poo (Eight-year-old) - Traditionally enforces the time limit for speakers at the Ig Nobel ceremony.
• Gary Dryfus (Major Domo) - Performed the role of Miss Sweetie Poo in her absence.
• Ben Smith (Director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, 2005 Ig Nobel Biology Prize co-winner) - Delivered a 24/7 lecture on taste, smell, and digestion.
• Trisha Pasricha (Gastroenterologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, co-author) - Delivered a 24/7 lecture on smartphones and the risk of hemorrhoids.
• Dr. William B. Bean (Late) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Literature Prize for persistently recording and analyzing the growth rate of one of his fingernails over 35 years. His son, Bennett Bean, accepted the award.
• Marcin Zajenkowski (Ig Nobel Psychology Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Psychology Prize for investigating what happens when you tell narcissists they are intelligent.
• Gilles Gignac (Ig Nobel Psychology Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Psychology Prize for investigating what happens when you tell narcissists they are intelligent.
• Luca Luiselli (Ig Nobel Nutrition Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Nutrition Prize for studying lizards eating pizza.
• Danielle Dendi (Ig Nobel Nutrition Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Nutrition Prize for studying lizards eating pizza.
• Gabriel Senyabeto (Professor, Ig Nobel Nutrition Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Nutrition Prize for studying lizards eating pizza.
• Roger Meek (Dr., Ig Nobel Nutrition Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Nutrition Prize for studying lizards eating pizza.
• Julie Mennella (Ig Nobel Pediatrics Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Pediatrics Prize for studying what a nursing baby experiences when the mother eats garlic.
• Gary Beauchamp (Ig Nobel Pediatrics Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Pediatrics Prize for studying what a nursing baby experiences when the mother eats garlic.
• Tomoki Kojima (Ig Nobel Biology Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Biology Prize for experiments on painting cows with zebra-like striping to avoid fly bites.
• Kazato Oishi (Ig Nobel Biology Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Biology Prize for experiments on painting cows with zebra-like striping to avoid fly bites.
• Yasushi Samatsubara (Ig Nobel Biology Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Biology Prize for experiments on painting cows with zebra-like striping to avoid fly bites.
• Yuki Uchiyama (Ig Nobel Biology Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Biology Prize for experiments on painting cows with zebra-like striping to avoid fly bites.
• Yoshihiko Fukushima (Ig Nobel Biology Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Biology Prize for experiments on painting cows with zebra-like striping to avoid fly bites.
• Meito Aoki (Ig Nobel Biology Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Biology Prize for experiments on painting cows with zebra-like striping to avoid fly bites.
• Say Sato (Ig Nobel Biology Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Biology Prize for experiments on painting cows with zebra-like striping to avoid fly bites.
• Tatsuaki Masuda (Ig Nobel Biology Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Biology Prize for experiments on painting cows with zebra-like striping to avoid fly bites.
• Junichi Ueda (Ig Nobel Biology Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Biology Prize for experiments on painting cows with zebra-like striping to avoid fly bites.
• Hiroyuki Hiroka (Ig Nobel Biology Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Biology Prize for experiments on painting cows with zebra-like striping to avoid fly bites.
• Katsutoshi Kino (Ig Nobel Biology Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Biology Prize for experiments on painting cows with zebra-like striping to avoid fly bites.
• Rotem Naftalovich (Ig Nobel Chemistry Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Chemistry Prize for experiments on eating Teflon to increase food volume without increasing calorie content.
• Daniel Naftalovich (Ig Nobel Chemistry Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Chemistry Prize for experiments on eating Teflon to increase food volume without increasing calorie content.
• Frank Greenway (Ig Nobel Chemistry Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Chemistry Prize for experiments on eating Teflon to increase food volume without increasing calorie content.
• Deborah Anderson (Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, Virology, Immunology, and Microbiology at Boston University's Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, 2008 Ig Nobel Chemistry Prize co-winner) - Delivered a 24/7 lecture on Coca-Cola, having won an Ig Nobel for discovering it's an effective spermicide under some conditions.
• Fritz Renner (Ig Nobel Peace Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Peace Prize for showing that drinking alcohol sometimes improves a person's ability to speak in a foreign language.
• Inga Karsbergen (Ig Nobel Peace Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Peace Prize for showing that drinking alcohol sometimes improves a person's ability to speak in a foreign language.
• Matt Field (Ig Nobel Peace Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Peace Prize for showing that drinking alcohol sometimes improves a person's ability to speak in a foreign language.
• Jessica Werthman (Ig Nobel Peace Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Peace Prize for showing that drinking alcohol sometimes improves a person's ability to speak in a foreign language.
• Vikash Kumar (Ig Nobel Engineering Design Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Engineering Design Prize for analyzing how foul-smelling shoes affect the experience of using a shoe rack.
• Sarthak Mittal (Ig Nobel Engineering Design Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Engineering Design Prize for analyzing how foul-smelling shoes affect the experience of using a shoe rack.
• Tarunveer - Mentioned as one of the "brave human noses" who helped test smell levels for the engineering design prize research.
• Sanjoy - Mentioned as one of the "brave human noses" who helped test smell levels for the engineering design prize research.
• Gus Rancatore (Proprietor of Toscanini's ice cream shop) - Delivered a 24/7 lecture on ice cream.
• Francisco Sanchez (Ig Nobel Aviation Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Aviation Prize for studying whether ingesting alcohol impairs bats' ability to fly and echolocate.
• Mariana Melcon (Ig Nobel Aviation Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Aviation Prize for studying whether ingesting alcohol impairs bats' ability to fly and echolocate.
• Carmy Corin (Ig Nobel Aviation Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Aviation Prize for studying whether ingesting alcohol impairs bats' ability to fly and echolocate.
• Barry Pincho (Ig Nobel Aviation Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Aviation Prize for studying whether ingesting alcohol impairs bats' ability to fly and echolocate.
• Robert Dudley - Inspired most of the research on bats and alcohol.
• Bert Cotler - Helped with foraging theory for the bat research.
• Giacomo Bartolucci (Ig Nobel Physics Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Physics Prize for discoveries about the physics of pasta sauce, especially clumping.
• Daniel Maria Busiello (Ig Nobel Physics Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Physics Prize for discoveries about the physics of pasta sauce, especially clumping.
• Matteo Ciarci (Ig Nobel Physics Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Physics Prize for discoveries about the physics of pasta sauce, especially clumping.
• Alberto Corticelli (Ig Nobel Physics Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Physics Prize for discoveries about the physics of pasta sauce, especially clumping.
• Ivan De Terlizzi (Ig Nobel Physics Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Physics Prize for discoveries about the physics of pasta sauce, especially clumping.
• Fabrizio Omeda (Ig Nobel Physics Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Physics Prize for discoveries about the physics of pasta sauce, especially clumping.
• David Ravignas (Ig Nobel Physics Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Physics Prize for discoveries about the physics of pasta sauce, especially clumping.
• Vincenzo Maria Scimenti (Ig Nobel Physics Prize co-winner) - Awarded the Ig Nobel Physics Prize for discoveries about the physics of pasta sauce, especially clumping.

Organizations & Institutions

• Annals of Improbable Research - The science humor magazine that hands out the Ig Nobel awards and produces the ceremony.
• Boston University College of Communications - Collaborates with the Annals of Improbable Research to produce the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony.
• Monell Chemical Senses Center - Ben Smith is the Director of this center.
• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Trisha Pasricha is a gastroenterologist at this medical center.
• Harvard Medical School - Trisha Pasricha is an instructor of medicine at this institution.
• Boston University's Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine - Deborah Anderson is a professor at this institution.

Websites & Online Resources

• improbable.com - Website for the Annals of Improbable Research, where listeners can find out more about them.