2006 Ig Nobel Prizes Announced

The Annals of Improbable Research has announced the winners of the 2006 Ig Nobel Prizes, the slightly less prestigious counterpart of the Nobel Prizes awarded this month. Scientific breakthroughs honored this year included:

An explanation for why woodpeckers don't get headaches

The invention of a teenager repellant, which emits an annoying noise audible to teenagers but not most adults

Why the sound of fingernails on a blackboard is so bloody awful

A paper entitled "Termination of Intractable Hiccups with Digital Rectal Massage." Which pretty much speaks for itself, I think.

Read all about these and the other Ig Nobel Prizes in the Annals of Improbable Research.