Archive · 4 Sep 2026
Cockroach Milk, Nose-Blowing Studies Win 2026 Ig Nobels
The Ig Nobel Prizes honor scientific studies that seem funny or unusual but may teach us important things.
In 2026, ten teams received awards at a ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland.
One team studied milk from Pacific beetle cockroaches and found that its protein crystals contain a lot of energy for developing embryos.
Another award recognized research about how air moves when people blow their noses.
Scientists also studied the history of kissing, toilet splashes, buried underwear, and mosquito mouthparts.
The ceremony included the traditional throwing of paper airplanes.
It was the first Ig Nobel ceremony held outside the United States.
The next ceremony is planned for Antwerp, Belgium, in 2027.
Ten research teams received the 2026 Ig Nobel Prizes in Zurich, Switzerland.
Cockroach-milk research found protein crystals containing more than three times the energy of an equivalent mass of dairy milk.
The Medicine Prize honored late Japanese researcher Tokuji Unno for studying the aerodynamics of nose-blowing.
Other winners researched kissing’s evolution, urinal splash reduction, buried underwear, and mosquito-mouthpart 3D printing.
The 36th ceremony was held outside the United States for the first time, with the 2027 event planned for Antwerp.
- Who
- Ten research teams, including researchers from the University of Oxford and the Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.
- What
- The 2026 Ig Nobel Prizes honored unusual scientific research intended to make people laugh before making them think.
- When
- The 36th annual ceremony took place on a Thursday in 2026; the next ceremony is scheduled for 2027.
- Where
- The ceremony was held in Zurich, Switzerland, for the first time outside the United States.
- Why
- The awards celebrate scientific curiosity, unconventional thinking, and research that may reveal serious insights despite appearing unusual.
- Recipients
- Ten research teams
- Ceremony
- 36th annual Ig Nobel ceremony
- Chemistry research
- Protein crystals in Pacific beetle cockroach milk contained more than three times the energy of an equivalent mass of dairy milk.
- Medicine Prize
- Awarded to late Japanese researcher Tokuji Unno for “How to Blow Your Nose: An Aerodynamic Study of Nose Blowing”.
- Organizer
- Annals of Improbable Research
- Location change
- Zurich hosted the first Ig Nobel ceremony outside the United States.
- Next ceremony
- Scheduled for 2027 in Antwerp, Belgium.
