The 2026 Ig Nobel Prize winners were introduced at the 36th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, in Zurich, Switzerland, on Thursday evening, September 3, 2026.
Why Are or Aren’t There Maps in Novels?
If you meet a person who reads novels, and who has mentioned to you that some of those novels include a map, consider mentioning to to that person that they can read a study about the question of why there are or are not maps in some novels. The study is: “Castles, Battlefields, and Continents: […]
The nature of the Igs, noted in Nature
Nature magazine published a nice editorial about the Ig Nobel Prizes, on September 8, 2026. You might enjoy reading it. And here’s a quick video presentation by Nature journalist Maren Hunsberger: You might also enjoy dipping into some of the other press accounts of this year’s Ig Nobel Prize ceremony and the new winners.
Newman’s Happy Index of ‘Morbid’ Surprising Bits
Saul Newman has written a book about his Ig Nobel Prize-winning research. The book is called Morbid — Debunking Modern Longevity Science. It’s published by MIT Press. (The photo shows Newman with MIT Press’s director, Amy Brand, and the book.) Newman is a Senior Research Fellow at University College London and the University of Oxford. […]
Slime Molds and a double Prize winner and a big, great science adventure
“ ‘This is dangerous’: slime moulds and the bitter debate over the nature of intelligence — Scientists are battling over whether supposedly simple organisms should be considered ‘intelligent’. The outcome could reshape our understanding of the natural world – and our own place within it”. So says the headline of a report by Samanth Subramanian, […]