Weird Science with Animals: Cats and Other Creatures Subject to Improbable Research and Development

Posted by Jennifer Copley Sep 1, 2008

Both animals and people have been the subjects of Ig-Noble Prizes. Some notable awards include:

• Robert Lopez - removed ear mites from cats and placed them into his own ear, detailing the study results in his report “Of Mites and Men”
• Gregg Miller - invented Neuticles – artificial replacement testicles for cats and dogs, available in various sizes
• Chris Niswander - created PawSense software, which lets you know if a cat is walking on your keyboard
• Sato, Suzuki, and Kogure – developed Bow-Lingual, a device that translates dog language into human language, and later Meow-Lingual to translate cat speak
• Eduardo Segura - invented a washing machine for dogs and cats
• Agostino, Plano, and Golombek - discovered that Viagra helps hamsters recover from jet lag
• Ivan Schwab – researched why woodpeckers don't get headaches
• Rind and Simmons - monitored a locust’s brain cell while it watched portions of Star Wars
• Troy Hurtubise - developed and tested a grizzly-bear-proof suit
• Peter Fong – studied clams on prozac
• Barheim and Sandvik - reported on the "Effect of Ale, Garlic, and Soured Cream on the Appetite of Leeches"
• Watanabe, Sakamoto, and Wakita - taught pigeons how to tell a Picasso painting from a Monet
• Harvey et al. – conducted “An Analysis of the Forces Required to Drag Sheep over Various Surfaces"
• Edward Cussler - investigated whether people can swim faster in syrup or water
• Air Force Wright Laboratory, Dayton, Ohio – sought to develop the "gay bomb" – a chemical weapon designed to make enemy soldiers sexually irresistible to each other
• Howard Stapleton – developed a device that repels teenagers
• Gauri Nanda – created an alarm clock that runs away so that it can’t be turned off
• Mainstone and Parnell - an experiment that began in 1927 - monitoring a glob of tar as it slowly drips through a funnel