Read about the 9 funny winning achievements of the Ig Nobel Prize 2021 in life science categories. From biology, ecology and chemistry to peace, economy and more.

1. Ig Nobel Prize
2021
The 9 Funny Scientific Winning Achievements

2. 2
The sense and nonsense of the Ig Nobel Prize
Eurofins Genomics – The DNA Universe
• The Ig Nobel Prize is a
satirical prize awarded for
scientific achievements
• However, these scientific
achievements make people
laugh and then make them
think!
Ig Nobel Prize is a wordplay with:
‘ignoble’ meaning ‘inglorious’, ‘undeserving’
and ‘non-noble

3. 3
Recipients:
Susanne Schötz, Robert Eklund, and Joost van de Weijer
Research:
• 10 years of researching of modes of cat-human communication
• Analysis of different sounds produced by cats such as
purring, chirping, chattering, trilling, tweedling, murmuring,
meowing, moaning, squeaking, hissing, yowling, howling,
growling, …
• Test if humans can differentiate between sad meowing
(visit to vet) and happy meowing (feeding time) by listening to
12 recordings of meowing
Achievement:
Humans can differentiate between sad and happy types
of meowing
Ig Nobel Prize 2021 winner for Biology
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Studies of cat-human communication

4. 4
Ig Nobel Prize 2021 winner for Ecology
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The discarded chewing gum bacteriome
Recipients:
Satari, L., Guillén, A., Vidal-Verdú, À., & Porcar, M.
Research:
• Analysis of bacteriome of used gums stuck on pavements
in 5 different countries
• Change of bacteriome over course of three months
Achievement:
• Gum is first inhabited by bacteria known to commonly reside
in human mouths
• Those bacteria gradually disappear in process of ecological
succession  Environmental bacteria take the place
• Bacteriome of older chewing gum resembles bacteriome of
plant surfaces, Antarctic rocks, deserts & solar panels
Bonus fact: Did you know that the
value of the chewing gum trade
exceeded 30 billion $ In 2019?

5. 5
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G – General
Audiences
PG
Parental
Guidance
Suggested
PG-13
Parents
Strongly
Cautioned
R
Restricted
Bonus fact: Humans produce different chemosignal-containing odours in different
emotional states that can be perceived by other people. Chemosignals are also
involved in interspecific communication with dogs & horses.
The smell of fear
Recipients:
Stönner, C., Edtbauer, A., Derstroff,
B., Bourtsoukidis, E., Klüpfel, T.,
Wicker, J., & Williams, J.
Research:
• Chemical analysis of air in movie
theatre for odours produced by
audience
• Can these be used to classify
movies in age rating system?
NC-17
Adults Only
Ig Nobel Prize 2021 winner for Chemistry
Age rating
system
At present, movie age ratings are
done by rating committee supported
by algorithms  Graphic content and
vocabulary of movie are taken into
account
Age rating was never determined
based on people’s reaction movie
Achievement:
• Analysis of movie theatre
air for > 60 volatile organic
compounds known to be exhaled
by people
• Concentration of isoprene seems
to be good predictor to rate movies
according to levels of violence,
sex, language, etc. across different
movie genres

6. 6
Ig Nobel Prize 2021 winner for Economics
Recipients:
Pavlo Blavatskyy
Research:
• Study on obesity levels among cabinet ministers of 15
post-Soviet countries & level of corruption in those
countries
• Based on estimated politician’s body-mass index (BMI)
correlated with measures of corruption
Achievement:
• Estimated BMI is highly correlated with measures of
corruption in a country
• Obesity of politicians could indicate political
corruption
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George Orwell sends his greetings
Bonus fact: Sedentary life has been linked to obesity
and health problems. Osteocyte-depending sensors in
the bones of the lower extremities could be involved
in weight regulation. Activation of these sensors
by standing for longer periods could
decrease obesity.

7. 7
Research:
• Hormonal changes can affect nasal
airway resistance based on activation
of sympathetic nervous system
• Evaluation of nasal breathing before
sexual activity, immediately after, 30 minutes,
1 hour and 5 hours after sexual activity
Ig Nobel Prize 2021 winner for Medicine
Nasal obstruction remedy
Recipient:
Bulut, O. C., Oladokun, D., Lippert,
B. M., & Hohenberger, R.
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Achievement:
• Nasal breathing was improved for up to 60 minutes after
sexual climax
• Breathing was improved to same degree as after
application of nasal decongestant
• Nasal airway resistance reverted to baseline after 3
hours

8. 8
Ig Nobel Prize 2021 winner for Peace
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Beard versus fist
• Intra-species fights have been part of life and evolution
• The lower jaw is often fractured in hand-to-hand fights
Recipients:
Ethan Beseris, Steven Naleway and David Carrier
Research:
• Testing if males evolved beards to provide protection against punches
• Do beards absorb and disperse energy of impact?
• Measuring impact force and energy absorbed by fibre epoxy composite
representing bone, covered with sheep skin with and without hair
• The punch was provided by dropping a weight on constructs
Achievement:
Bearded constructs absorbed ~30% more energy than constructs
without beards
Bonus fact: The face is usually the
primary target in hand-to-hand fights.
The evolution of hominin facial features
could in parts have been driven by the
need for protection during fights.

9. 9
Recipients:
Mulrennan Jr, J. A., Grothaus, R. H., Hammond, C. L., & Lamdin, J. M.
Research:
• Research on cockroach control on U.S. Navy submarines
• Enclosed nature of submarines eliminates use of most insecticides
as they produce hazardous vapours
Achievement:
Use of dichlovor aerosols and 2% propoxur bait is efficient in
exterminating cockroaches on board nuclear submarines
Ig Nobel Prize 2021 winner for Entomology
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Diving cockroaches
Little known fact: Ever since the invention of sailing ships, cockroaches have been a serious problem on board.

10. 10
Recipients:
Radcliffe, R. W., Jago, M., Morkel, P. V., Morkel, E., du Preez, P.,
Beytell, P., ... & Gleed, R. D.
Research:
• Large animals are transported by being hung upside down from
helicopters with harnesses tied to their legs
• Is this method of transportation harmful to animals?
• Investigation of least harmful transportation method by
suspending black rhinoceroses on crane and measuring the
animals’ physiological parameters
Achievement:
Upside down transportation position is better for animals than
animals lying on side
Ig Nobel Prize 2021 winner for Transportation
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Flying rhinos

11. 11
Research:
1. Why don’t pedestrians always collide with each other in large
crowds?
2. Why do pedestrians sometimes collide with each other in
crowds?
Achievement:
1. People can anticipate other peoples’ movement!
2. People are distracted (mostly by cell-phones) and cannot
anticipate other people’s movement!
 Distracted pedestrians impair ability of others to anticipate
crowd movement
 In high density, bi-directional crowds, people spontaneously
form lanes for each direction due to individual’s anticipation of
movements
Ig Nobel Prize 2021 winner for Physics & Kinetics
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Modelling the crowd
Recipients:
Corbetta, A., Meeusen, J. A., Lee, C. M., Benzi, R.,
Toschi, F.
Murakami, H., Feliciani, C., Nishiyama, Y., Nishinari, K.

12. 12
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13. 13
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14. 14
References
• Beseris, E. A., Naleway, S. E., & Carrier, D. R. (2020) Impact protection potential of mammalian hair: Testing the pugilism hypothesis for the evolution of human facial hair. Integrative Organismal Biology, 2(1):
obaa005.
• Blavatskyy, P. (2021) Obesity of politicians and corruption in post‐Soviet countries. Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, 29(2): 343-56.
• Bond, M. (2015) Crowds Are Much Smarter Than We Suspected. [Online] Available from: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/crowds-are-much-smarter-we-suspected-180954868/ [Accessed on
08/11/2021].
• Bulut, O. C., Oladokun, D., Lippert, B. M., & Hohenberger, R. (2021) Can Sex Improve Nasal Function?—An Exploration of the Link Between Sex and Nasal Function. Ear, Nose & Throat Journal,
0145561320981441.
• Calvi, E., Quassolo, U., Massaia, M., Scandurra, A., D'Aniello, B., & D'Amelio, P. (2020) The scent of emotions: A systematic review of human Intra‐ and interspecific chemical communication of emotions. Brain
and Behavior, 10(5).
• Carrier, D. R. and Morgan, M. H. (2015) Protective buttressing of the hominin face. Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, 90(1): 330-46.
• Coffey, L. T. (2014, May 16) Good kitty: These 6 'hero cats' saved the humans they loved. [Onlne] Available from: https://www.today.com/pets/good-kitty-these-6-hero-cats-saved-humans-they-loved-2D79677090
[Accessed on 07/11/2021].
• Corbetta, A., Meeusen, J. A., Lee, C. M., Benzi, R., & Toschi, F. (2018) Physics-based modeling and data representation of pairwise interactions among pedestrians. Physical Review E, 98(6): 062310.
• Hartson, W. (2016, May 12) Top 10 facts about corruption. [Online] Available from: https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/top10facts/669514/top-ten-facts-corruption-Tackling-Corruption-Together-conference-
London [Accessd on 07/11/2021].
• Jansson, J.O., Palsdottir, V., Hägg, D.A., Schéle, E., Dickson, S.L., Anesten, F., Bake, T., Montelius, M., Bellman, J., Johansson, M.E., Cone, R.D., Drucker, D.J., Wu, J., Aleksic, B., Törnqvist, A.E., Sjögren, K.,
Gustafsson, J.Å., Windahl, S.H., Ohlsson, C. (2017) Body weight homeostat that regulates fat mass independently of leptin in rats and mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 115(2):427-32.
• Loose, N. et al. (2020) Revenue of the chewing gum market worldwide from 2014 to 2019. Statista Accounts: Access all statistics. Statista Research Department. [Online] Available from:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/627860/global-chewing-gum-market-revenue/ [Accessed on 28/10/2021].
• Mulrennan Jr, J. A., Grothaus, R. H., Hammond, C. L., & Lamdin, J. M. (1971) A New Method of Cockroach Control on Submarines. Journal of economic entomology, 64(5): 1196-8.
• Murakami, H., Feliciani, C., Nishiyama, Y., & Nishinari, K. (2021) Mutual anticipation can contribute to self-organization in human crowds. Science Advances, 7(12): eabe7758.
• Radcliffe, R. W., Jago, M., Morkel, P. V., Morkel, E., du Preez, P., Beytell, P., ... & Gleed, R. D. (2021) The pulmonary and metabolic effects of suspension by the feet compared with lateral recumbency in
immobilized black rhinoceroses (diceros bicornis) captured by aerial darting. The Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 57(2): 357-67.
• Tougard, C., Delefosse, T., Hänni, C., & Montgelard, C. (2001) Phylogenetic relationships of the five extant Rhinoceros species (Rhinocerotidae, Perissodactyla) based on mitochondrial cytochrome b and 12S
rRNA genes. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 19(1): 34–44.
• Satari, L., Guillén, A., Vidal-Verdú, À., & Porcar, M. (2020) The wasted chewing gum bacteriome. Scientific reports, 10(1): 1-10.
• Schötz, S., & Eklund, R. (2011) A comparative acoustic analysis of purring in four cats. In Fonetik 2011. Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, 8–10 June 2011 (pp. 5-8). Universitetsservice.
• Schötz, S. (2012) A phonetic pilot study of vocalisations in three cats. In FONETIK 2012:-The XXVth Swedish Phonetics Conference (pp. 45-8). University of Gothenburg.
• Schötz, S., & van de Weijer, J. (2014) A study of human perception of intonation in domestic cat meows. In Speech Prosody 7.
• Stönner, C., Edtbauer, A., Derstroff, B., Bourtsoukidis, E., Klüpfel, T., Wicker, J., & Williams, J. (2018) Proof of concept study: Testing human volatile organic compounds as tools for age classification of films.
PloS one, 13(10): e0203044.
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