These prizes highlight the absurdities of human endeavors but without mocking the embedded science in it. It celebrates its quirks, its questions and its capacity to illuminate the edges of human understanding. The Ig Nobels bring attention to work that might have otherwise been ignored forever. That is true of the 2006 Ig Nobel Prize in Ornithology awarded to Ivan R, Schwab and late Philip May. As early as 1976, May had argued that woodpeckers were nature’s living experiment on head injury prevention. But it took three decades before the value of the headstrongness of woodpeckers – without getting succumbed to brain injury – was accepted as an engineering idea which lay trapped as an evolutionary mystery.
Following several years of research in the quest for Ig Nobels, science writer Upasana Sarraju has put together a thoughtful and reflective compilation on weird science and scientists for whom the curiosity tugged along to bag the coveted prize, which disproves the proverbial expression curiosity killed the cat. Curiosity of twelve extraordinary scientists is presented as unusual stories in search of science. Scientific achievements having a curious property get the award, both celebrating the enjoyable side of science and enticing people to become interested in science.
Each prize justifies for being funny and radical at the same time. A 2012 Ig Nobel Prize was awarded to a team of researchers for their study on the dynamics of spilling coffee from a cup as you walk. On the flip side, the team paid attention to walking speeds and the quantity of coffee initially in the cup. However, the interplay between the complex motion of a cup, the biomechanics of walking, and the low-viscosity-liquid dynamics came under scientific scrutiny. One wonders if this research has direct implications but other awards on fluid dynamics and even the viscosity of the fluid determine how the liquids behave under varying conditions.
The surprisingness of a banana peel may seem frivolous for a scientific inquiry but 2014 Ig Nobel Prize in Physics led to discussions about the design of safer flooring materials, which is particularly important in public spaces like hospitals and shopping centers. In eleven chapters, Sarraju explores strange corners which winners of the Ig Nobel Prizes have selected and curated science that is cool, interesting and real. These inimitable Prizes are windows into the strange, wonderful and sometimes hilarious world of asking questions just because.
Weird but chaotic, predictable but laughable, discovery is in itself a great thrill. The safest way to transport rhinos is by lifting the animal upside down. It may seem a wild joke but in reality, that is the fact which can hardly be ignored. Even that may be true for transporting even pigs. What does this all mean? It means that the world is full of scientists who are funny, odd and endlessly curious. It also means that scientists are eccentric, mischievous, and deeply weird.
Written with delightful insights and interests, Sarraju explores what lies beyond the heart of scientific discovery. It explores how a laughable beginning becomes an idea that can change the world. Each award is first understood as an idea before it is developed as a concept for further exploration. In doing so, the author leaves the reader with possible questions for additional insights. For instance, open the smelliest thing in your fridge and reflect does your brain lights up with disgust, hunger or a primal urge to throw it far. Our ability to imagine and seek out more mysterious reality drives us towards an incredible future.
by Upasana Sarraju
Penguin RandomHouse, New Delhi.
Extent: 318, Price: Rs. 499.
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