Scientists Studying Cockroach Milk, Nose-Blowing Win Ig Nobel Prizes
Quirky Research On Cockroach Nutrition, Nose Aerodynamics And More Honoured
Zurich: Scientists investigating cockroach milk, the aerodynamics of nose-blowing and even the decomposition of buried underwear were among the recipients of the 2026 Ig Nobel Prizes, which celebrate unusual research that makes people laugh before making them think.
Ten research teams were honoured on Thursday at the 36th annual ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland, the first time the awards have been held outside the United States. The event is organised by the Annals of Improbable Research and serves as a humorous counterpart to the Nobel Prizes.
The Chemistry Prize went to researchers who studied milk produced by the Pacific beetle cockroach (Diploptera punctata). Their work showed that protein crystals in the milk provide developing embryos with a highly concentrated source of nutrition, with the crystals containing more than three times the energy of an equivalent mass of dairy milk.
The Medicine Prize recognised the late Japanese researcher Tokuji Unno for his study, “How to Blow Your Nose: An Aerodynamic Study of Nose Blowing”.
Other winners included researchers who reconstructed the evolutionary history of kissing, designed a urinal to reduce splashing and used buried underwear to assess soil health. Another team developed a 3D-printing technique using mosquito mouthparts as nozzles.
The awards traditionally highlight research that appears bizarre or amusing but can reveal serious scientific insights. The ceremony also retained its playful character, with audiences throwing paper planes towards the stage.
The Ig Nobel Prizes were launched in 1991 and are intended to celebrate scientific curiosity and unconventional thinking. The 2027 ceremony is scheduled to take place in Antwerp, Belgium.
