Is Barney a dinosaur? Does a cat always land on its feet? Can you actually compare apples and oranges? These are a few of the questions scientists have set out to answer, and a few samples of what Marc Abrahams, editor of "The Annuls of Improbable Research," refers to as "achievements that cannot or should not be reproduced."
Abrahams visited our campus March 3 to share his discoveries in the
realm of strange (but true?) science. He may be best known for his
role as the Master of Ceremonies of the annual Ig Nobel Awards, a
gala ceremony held each fall at Harvard University and broadcast on
National Public Radio and via the Internet. Distributed in 10
categories, the awards poke fun at some of the research being
conducted in the name of science.
Take one of last year's winners. Troy Hurtubise of Canada spent his
life savings developing a bear-proof suit and Abrahams produced a
three-minute video of Hurtubise going through ritual tests in the
suit - - being pummeled by several men with baseball bats, serving as
a target for a large tree trunk swinging through the air, throwing
himself down the side of a steep, wooded incline. Other winners
include the creator of the plastic pink flamingo, a researcher who
gave Prozac to clams, the author of the quantum alternative to
growing old theory, and a French scientist who claims to be able to
send medicine through water via telephone lines. Strange, but true.
Or is it? Abrahams claims one-third of the material in his magazine
is genuine research, one-third is concocted, and one-third of his
readers can't tell the difference. (Don't try to do the math.)
The Ig Nobel Awards have become a large draw, however, to scientist
and layman alike. Last year four Nobel winners attended. "Maybe the
universe has two opposite ends and maybe for just a moment we have
them meeting and looking each other in the eye," he said. The
ceremony is an event on its own. Last year's theme was duct tape,
including a duct tape fashion show. Throughout the ceremony, audience
members throw paper airplanes and shout comments and questions.
Abrahams reenacted some of the atmosphere in the Lipke Auditorium
with three audience members playing an impromptu fanfare with a
saxophone, violin and song, for each award he announced. The awards
and Abrahams' magazine bring to life cosponsor Harvard Professor
William Lipscomb's adage, "Science is fun and people ought to know
that."