logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
30m 7s

The Ig Nobel Prize

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

In 1991, the editor of a satirical science journal launched an award for the scientifically ridiculous (and ridiculed), the Ig Nobel Prize. Learn how it all got started and some of the early tech-related prize winners!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Aug 22
Week in Tech: Chips are the New Oil
How will we send memes when the world ends? This week, Oz and Karah recap the first ever World Humanoid Robot Games – the Olympics for Androids. Then, Oz explains why the US might be putting secret tracking devices inside shipments of advanced microchips. Karah explains a texting ... Show More
30m 41s
Aug 20
The Story: Inside a Couples Retreat for AI Companions
This week we go on a romantic getaway for people who are in love with AI. Karah talks with Sam Apple, an author and journalist who wrote an article for Wired about a couples retreat he organized for people with AI companions. We’ll discuss how the weekend unfolded, whether AI rom ... Show More
29m 52s
Aug 15
Week in Tech: If Versailles Could Talk
Is technology actually good for older people? This week, Oz and Karah explore the French palace of Versailles by talking to a statue-turned-chatbot. Then, Oz gives an update on Apple’s new make-or-break Siri overhaul. Karah weighs whether everyday use of technology is rotting our ... Show More
34m 18s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
The 2023 Ig Nobel Prizes, Part 1
It’s that time of year again! Join Robert and Joe as they discuss some of this year’s Ig Nobel prize-winning scientific studies and papers – honored as always for first making us laugh, then making us think. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
46m 7s
Oct 2020
The Nobels Overwhelmingly Go to Men — This Year's Prize For Medicine Was No Exception
From who historically wins the awards, to how they portray the process of science and collaboration, host Maddie Sofia and NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce discuss the many problems with Nobel Prizes in science. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org. Learn more about ... Show More
13m 54s
Nov 2020
The 2020 Ig Nobel Prizes
As usual, Robert and Joe take time in early November to discuss some of the winners from this year's Ig Nobel Prizes -- the awards ceremony that celebrates the weirder and more absurd corners of very real scientific investigation. This year, it's frozen feces knives, narcissistic ... Show More
57m 6s
Oct 2021
Nobel Prize 2.0
The Nobel Prize has rewarded some amazing discoveries. It’s also contributed to scientific tunnel vision. This week, how the Nobel impacted our understanding of an enormous cosmic mystery, and what a new and improved Nobel Prize could look like.For more, go to http://vox.com/unex ... Show More
26m 37s
Nov 2022
The 2022 Ig Nobel Prizes, Part 1
It’s that time of year again! Join Robert and guest co-host Seth as they discuss some of this year’s Ig Nobel prize-winning scientific studies and papers – honored as always for first making us laugh, then making us think.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
50m 5s
Nov 2022
The 2022 Ig Nobel Prizes, Part 2
It’s that time of year again! Join Robert and guest co-host Seth as they discuss some of this year’s Ig Nobel prize-winning scientific studies and papers – honored as always for first making us laugh, then making us think.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
52m 10s
Oct 2020
Babbage: Nobel minds
Host Kenneth Cukier explores the science honoured in this year’s Nobel prizes. Our correspondents assess the life-saving impact of the identification of hepatitis C, speak to one of this year’s winners for physics, Andrea Ghez, about her work unveiling the mysteries of the cosmos ... Show More
27m 27s
Dec 2021
2021 Ig Nobel Prize Grab Bag, Part 2
Once more, Robert and Joe consult the winners of the Ig-Nobel Prizes for a few examples of the hilarious and the weird from the world of legitimate scientific research. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ... Show More
45m 7s
Sep 2023
2023 Ig Nobel Prizes
On today’s episode: A breakthrough in our understanding of preeclampsia! And we celebrate the weird fringes of science by looking at this year’s Ig Nobel Prizes. All that and more today on All Around Science... LINKS: SOURCES In major breakthrough, Western, Brown researchers clos ... Show More
1h 1m
Feb 2022
How the Nobel Peace Prize Works
The Nobel Peace Prize is perhaps the most prestigious award in the world, yet there are plenty of other similar awards. What is it about this one that makes it so honored? And how did the guy who invented dynamite end up creating a peace award? Learn more about your ad-choices at ... Show More
50m 29s