Ig Nobel Awards (broadcast Friday, November 28th, 2008)

2008 Ig Nobel Prize courtesty Improbable Research

It's the day after Thanksgiving, and that definitely means two things: leftovers, and ridiculously crowded shopping malls. But faithful Science Friday listeners know that it's also time for our annual broadcast of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, recognizing the strange, silly, and stupid in the world of science. Ten Ig Nobel awards were given out this year in early October by the editors of the science humor magazine the Annals of Improbable Research. Join Ira Flatow in this hour of Science Friday for our post-Thanksgiving selection of highlights from the 18th First Annual awards ceremony -- including studies of the sound of potato chips, the jumping abilities of various kinds of fleas, and why any pile of string will inevitably tangle itself up in knots. Plus, plants with dignity -- and a tribute to redundancy. Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.