Product Description

The "Annals of Improbable Research" (AIR) is often desribed as the "Mad Magazine of Science". It is a bi-monthly magazine and an Internet Website. It is best known for hosting the "Ig Nobel" ceremony, honouring real scientists who have conducted funded research, yet whose achievements "cannot and should not be reproduced". This book will cover the Ig Nobel Prizes, their history, some highlights, and the 1996 Awards. Additional material about "Big Science" will include contributions by actual Nobel Laureates and articles that treat real science with a wry spin. The volume closes with suggestions for education and teaching of science, underscoring the need for the educated person to understand some basic science and to nurture the natural curiosity of children when they encounter science. It is for anyone interested in science humour.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #383216 in Books
• Published on: 2002-02-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From Amazon.com
"Science is too human, too much fun, and too important not to laugh at it." The Annals of Improbable Research (and its predecessor, the Journal of Irreproducible Results) has been making fun of science and scientists for decades. This latest compendium includes a listing of the Ig Nobel prizes, annually awarded "for scientific achievements which cannot or should not be reproduced," and some of the prizewinning papers, such as "Failure of Electric Shock Treatment for Rattlesnake Envenomation" and "Of Mites and Man." There are also plenty of groundbreaking original studies from AIR: "How Dead Is a Doornail?" "Furniture Airbags," and "The Medical Effects of Kissing Boo-Boos." As the book's warning label states, the result is a highly reactive mix: "Contents are unexpectedly educational and informative, especially in patients who suffer allergic reactions to science, technology, literature, or art. Can be highly addictive." Let the buyer beware. --Mary Ellen Curtin

Linda Seebach, Rocky Mountain News, Denver, CO
When I first saw the anthology Best of Annals of Improbable Research, I thought it would be a good Christmas present for someone I know who agrees with AIR's fundamental principle: Science is too important to be stuffy about. But I'll have to buy another copy; I'm going to keep this one!

Review

Customer Reviews

The Ubiquitous Holy Grail
As a scientist and technical professional I couldn't put this book down. I have kept up with the the Annals of Improbable Research for many years and this truly reflects some of the best efforts of scientists the world over. In this volume we have works by legitimate Nobel prize winners, and lesser known works such as "Gummy Worm on a Sidewalk" by Kate and Jesse Eppers, ages 12 and 10, respectively. (In their conclusion they noted that: "We came to a conclusion that three out of five people will accidentally step on a gummy worm thrown on a sidewalk." Brilliant.)

Highlights for me include: "The Laser Cheese Raclette", "The Effects of Peanut Butter on the Earth's Rotation," and, of course, "Internet Barbie and the Time Caplet." There are too many to go into, but almost all are delightful. I guess the only minor critique would be of the couple of pages of limericks, which I find a bit trying, particularly when the subject matter is "Mastodon, Mother, and Babe."

Overall a wonderful, humorous look at scientists and science through a very different lens than most are used to.

NO SCIENCE, NO HUMOR
I thought I was buying a book about funny things that have happened in the name of science, but that was not the case with this book. It's just a collection of not-so-funny articles that have appeared in the magazine "Annals of Improbable Research". They are not funny, and, you won't learn anything new about the scientific world. So, if you want to have a laugh while reading true stories about scientists, do not buy this book.

Very Funny, Enjoyable Humor
As a scientist, I really enjoyed reading about the many funny quirks of scientific experimentation. Perhaps without these eccentricities, there would be no innovation! Great book!! If you enjoy "behind-the-bench" humor, I would like to suggest yet another book filled with hilarious situations and lots of candid, satirical wit on the life of scientists and their managers in high-tech R&D industry, from the point-of-view of the technical staff. This new, insightful American satire is entitled, "Management by Vice" by C.B. Don and is highly recommended as an entertaining, adjunct-read to the incredible "Annals of Improbable Research".