Ig Nobel Prizes Move to Europe for First Time in 36 Years
AM730 · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
The 36th Ig Nobel Prize ceremony was held in Zurich, Switzerland on Thursday, marking the first time in the award's 36-year history that the event took place outside the United States . The ceremony, organized by the bimonthly journal Annals of Improbable Research, recognized ten unusual research projects that "first make people laugh, then make them think" . The relocation to Europe was prompted by concerns that international participants might face difficulties obtaining US visas .
Key Points
- The ceremony took place at Zurich, Switzerland on Thursday (September 3, 2026)
- This marks the first time in 36 years the Ig Nobel Prizes were held outside the United States due to visa concerns for attendees
- The Chemistry prize went to researchers who discovered cockroach milk contains three times the calories of regular milk
- A multinational team won the Soil Science prize for burying 1,000 cotton underwear items in soil across 25 countries for two months to study soil health through decomposition
- Japan's late scientist Uno Tokuji (宇野德治) won the Medicine prize for research on the aerodynamics of nose-blowing
- A study on the evolutionary history of kissing received the Biomechanics prize
- An economics prize was awarded for research finding that wealthy individuals are more likely to engage in unethical behaviors like stealing children's candy
Why It Matters
The relocation of the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony highlights growing concerns about international scientific collaboration amid tightening immigration policies . These quirky awards, while entertaining, often celebrate genuine scientific breakthroughs with real-world applications, such as the cockroach milk research which identified a potential high-nutrition food source . For Hong Kong's academic and research community, the visa-related relocation underscores the importance of maintaining open channels for scholarly exchange and the potential challenges researchers may face in attending or presenting at international conferences.
The relocation of the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony highlights growing concerns about international scientific collaboration amid tightening immigration policies . These quirky awards, while entertaining, often celebrate genuine scientific breakthroughs with real-world applications, such as the cockroach milk research which identified a potential high-nutrition food source . For Hong Kong's academic and research community, the visa-related relocation underscores the importance of maintaining open channels for scholarly exchange and the potential challenges researchers may face in attending or presenting at international conferences.