On September 3rd, the 36th Ig Nobel Prize ceremony took place in Zurich, Switzerland. This was the first time the ceremony was held outside the United States. The change came due to concerns about attendees being able to safely enter the U.S.

The Ig Nobel Prize is a satirical awards ceremony organized by the science humor magazine “Annals of Improbable Research.”* The prizes recognize unusual research that makes people laugh, and then think. This year, 10 teams were honored for their quirky research.

This year’s Biology Prize went to a team of researchers in Brazil and Australia. During a study, the team tapped and pressed on various venomous snakes. They aimed to determine what sort of conditions would cause a snake to bite.

The Soil Science Prize was given to a team from Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Germany. The team began by burying 1,000 pairs of underpants in the soil of over 25 different countries. After two months, they dug up the underpants and studied their condition. This helped them to learn how cotton decomposes in soil.

* Annals of Improbable Research 황당무계 리서치 연보 (미국의 과학 유머 잡지)