The Ignobel Awards, reward research that makes people laugh…then think…

Their annual ceremony celebrates the unusual and honours the imaginative. So, stand up Nic Svenson and Piers Barnes from Australia - winners in the Mathematics category for their ground-breaking work calculating the number of photographs you must take to ensure that nobody in a group photo will have their eyes closed

Then there’s the scientists in the acoustics category who conducted experiments to discover why people dislike the sound of fingernails on blackboards, thanks for that…. and the winners of 2006’s dubious Ignobility crown hope to further the human cause by explaining why woodpeckers don’t get headaches….is it because they drink in moderation ?