Beer bottle shagging beetles with HUGE MEMBERS win prize

Aussie beetles who mistake the brown bobbly bit round the rim of beer bottles for an alluring female have landed two entomologists this year's Ig Nobel prize for biology. Darryl Gwynne and David Rentz witnessed the misguided insects trying to do the nasty with the traditional "stubbies" in Western Australia, setting them on …

[Bakunin]

Wasabi

Their site seems to be taking a bit of a pounding at the moment. But I'm fascinated by this one

"... determining the ideal density of airborne wasabi to awaken sleeping people in case of a fire or other emergency ..."

(Best icon I could find for wasabi)

[Anonymous Coward]

Pictures or it didn't happen?

I just wanted to be the first poster with the obligatory "Pictures or it didn't happen"

or "I for one, welcome our well hung insectoid overlords".

This may be difficult to replicate in Playmobil.

[Andrew Moore]

Here's a video of the Major of Villinus running over luxury cars in an armoured vehicle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-fWN0FmcIU

Will that do?

Great to see that he turned up at the ceremony to accept his award.

[Tom Maddox]

Do you understand the concept of the Ig Nobel prize?

[ElReg!comments!Pierre]

I rather like the litterature prize

Although it's hardly new, that's the first thing they teach in "Management 101" (or so I'm told).

For the image-craving anon there are these:

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/55735000/jpg/_55735388_55735387.jpg

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/55679000/jpg/_55679824_55679823.jpg

[pete 22]

BOFH angle?

Maybe its time for the BOFH to do some science....

[Ben 42]

Mating errors

Might be my new favorite expression.

[Tom Maddox]

The Mayor of Vilnius

Hell, he's got my vote.

[Jacob Lipman]

"Meanwhile, the Ig Nobel Peace Prize went to the sensible mayor of Vilnius in Lithuania, for demonstrating that the problem of illegally parked luxury cars can be solve by running them over with an armoured tank."

It was an APC, and it was a publicity stunt. A bit baffled how this won the prize. Usually their picks are very good.

[Jesthar]

Would be fun to try in London, though ;)

I'm not sure the car flattening only being a stunt has any bearing on being awarded the prize - he was just demonstrating that running them over with an APC was a potentially practicable way of solving the problem. And isn't that what scientific research is primarily concerned with, the exploration and validation (or otherwise) of hypotheses and/or theories? ;)

[Andy Tunnah]

london ? psh

it would never happen in the UK, the owner would sue the goverment for the cost of the car, plus millions in damages for personal suffering, and demand that the road where it happened be legally theirs as that would be the only way they could ever get over this tragic event

[Lamont Cranston]

Run them over whilst occupied?

Win, all round.