Ig Nobel Prizes: Cockroach Milk and Nose-Blowing Studies Honored

At a ceremony in Zurich, researchers who studied cockroach milk and the science of nose-blowing received Ig Nobel Prizes for quirky scientific achievements. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.

According to the Associated Press, on September 3, 2026, a satirical awards ceremony was held at the Zurich Convention Center in Switzerland, honoring ten research teams. This event was held outside the U.S. for the first time due to concerns about attendees' ability to obtain visas.

Among the honorees were scientists who studied milk from cockroaches and researchers who analyzed soil health using underwear. These works were awarded Ig Nobel Prizes for unusual and imaginative contributions to science.

The organizers, a digital magazine called the Annals of Improbable Research, moved the event from the U.S. to Europe after 35 years due to concerns about visa issues for attendees.

At the Zurich Convention Center, research teams received custom trophies resembling a cross between a mushroom and a human foot. Among them were Matilda Brindle and Stuart West from the University of Oxford, and Catherine F. Talbot from the Florida Institute of Technology, who reconstructed the evolutionary history of kissing. The late Dr. Tokuji Unno, who investigated the science of blowing one's nose, was also honored.

Another research team buried 1,000 pairs of underwear in more than 25 countries to study how soil organisms helped them decompose.

As per tradition, audience members fashioned paper airplanes and hurled them toward the stage to kick off the show.

For future ceremonies, organizers plan to alternate between Zurich and other European countries. The 2027 ceremony will be held in the Belgian city of Antwerp. Previous iterations took place at Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Boston University, but there are no immediate plans to return to the U.S.

"During the past year, it has become unsafe for our guests to visit the country," Marc Abrahams, master of ceremonies and editor of the magazine, told The Associated Press in an email in March.

The Nobel Prizes, which have no relation to their cheekily named counterpart, will be announced at the start of October.

Associated Press science reporter Adithi Ramakrishnan wrote this article. The Associated Press's health and science coverage receives financial support from the AP Fund for Journalism and private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content.