Friday, October 3, 2008

Ig Nobels for 2008

The 2008 Ig Nobel prizes, awarded for research "that make people laugh – then think", have been awarded. Some of the coolest / most interesting awards:

  • Peace: the citizens of Switzerland and its federal ethics committee on non-human biotechnology for adopting (pdf) the legal principle that plants have dignity.
  • Medicine: Dan Ariely and colleagues for demonstrating that expensive placebos are more effective than cheap placebos, and
  • Economics: Geoffrey Miller, Joshua Tybur and Brent Jordan for showing (pdf) that lap dancers' tips are highest when they're ovulating.

Congratulations to the winners! A video of the ceremony, by the way, will soon be available.

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