The IG Nobel Prizes is a ceremony that parodies the real Nobel Prizes and it is organized yearly by the scientific humor magazine Annals of Improbable Research. The awards are given for real research which has the characteristic of first making people smile and only afterwards making them think. Awards have been won in the past for research concerning ideas like: ostriches are sexually aroused by the presence of humans and black holes meet every condition to actually be the location of Hell. Every year the event is hosted with the help of real Nobel laureates at the beginning of October.

This year the IG Nobel Prizes has given awards to discoveries which “cannot or shouldn’t be reproduced”. Among the winners we can find research dealing with the moral standings and dignity of plants, the fact that fleas on dogs jump higher than fleas on cats and other apparently goofy finds. The awards are double-special because of the fact that they award real scientific research and because they bring science in general in a more relaxed corner, showing people that even this precise discipline has a fun side.

This year’s awards consisted of ten categories from which the most outrageous discoveries are that cola can make sperm explode, the adaptation of a legal principle that plants have dignity, expensive fake medicine is better than cheap fake medicine and that food actually tastes better if it sounds crunchier. Even if it funny, these scientific finds are actually well researched and, incredibly enough, some can actually make you think about fantastical things. The IG Nobel Prizes ultimately promote creativity and the ability of scientists to think outside of the box. Necessary or not, this award giving ceremony is surely funny enough to bring some smiles on people’s faces.