The Ig Nobel Prizes are back and, as always, they prove that the intersection of humor and science can sometimes yield the most unexpected insights. Each year, the awards honor unusual research that might first make us laugh, but then leaves us pondering deeper questions about the world around us.
The 2025 ceremony, held at Boston University, showcased a range of peculiar studies — from whether Teflon can curb hunger to the preferred pizza toppings of West African lizards.
This year’s prize winners prompted reflection on how seemingly absurd ideas can contribute to serious scientific exploration. What do cows painted with zebra stripes have to do with reducing fly bites? What can drinking alcohol teach us about foreign language proficiency?
Teflon Diets and Zero-Calorie Solutions
One of the standout winners in the chemistry category was a team led by Dr. Rotem Naftalovich, who proposed a bizarre yet fascinating concept: blending Teflon (PTFE) into food as a way to reduce calories without sacrificing volume. Yes, the very same Teflon found in non-stick pans. The idea is simple: by adding powdered Teflon to food, manufacturers could potentially create a zero-calorie filler that leaves the stomach feeling full while passing through the digestive system without being absorbed.
Although this concept may sound outlandish at first, Naftalovich and his colleagues made their case. They explain how PTFE is already used in medical devices and laboratory equipment without harm. However, regulators were not amused. “I don’t think they wanted to review it because it was such a wonky idea,” Naftalovich admitted about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s cool reception to the concept.
While Teflon might not make its way into your next meal anytime soon, the study challenges us to think about new ways to address the global obesity crisis through innovative — and often odd — methods.
Zebra Cows: A Striped Solution to Fly Bites
When it comes to pest control, few ideas are as striking as painting cows with zebra-like stripes. This odd experiment, which won the biology prize, came from the mind of Dr. Tomoki Kojima and his colleagues in Japan. Their goal? To find a way to reduce the painful and annoying fly bites that plague cattle, especially in warmer climates. Turns out, zebras — known for their black-and-white stripes — might have evolved their distinctive pattern as a natural defense against biting insects.
The research team tested the theory by painting six pregnant Japanese black cows with either zebra-like stripes, black stripes, or leaving them unpainted. The results were clear: cows with zebra stripes experienced almost 50% fewer fly bites than those with black stripes or no stripes at all. The researchers speculate that the stripes might confuse the flies’ motion detection system, preventing them from landing on the cows as easily.
Odd as it seems, these findings have real-world applications for the agricultural industry. Reducing fly bites not only improves cattle welfare but could also boost milk and beef production by reducing stress.
Lizard Pizza Preferences and Other Odd Animal Behavior
In one of the most amusing studies honored at this year’s Ig Nobels, a group of rainbow lizards in Togo was found to have a surprisingly refined palate for pizza. Yes, you read that correctly. The lizards, which typically feast on insects and arthropods in their natural environment, were observed at a seaside resort where they became particularly fond of a certain type of human food: pizza.
Researchers Daniele Dendi, Gabriel Segniagbeto, Roger Meek, and Luca Luiselli were curious if the lizards, accustomed to urban environments, would partake in the occasional human snack. But they didn’t stop at just observing random pizza thefts. They wanted to know: Do rainbow lizards have a preferred pizza topping?
To test their hypothesis, they placed two types of pizza — four-cheese pizza and four-seasons pizza — on separate plates, spaced about ten meters apart. It didn’t take long for the lizards to make their decision. They flocked to the four-cheese pizza, leaving the other variety untouched.
The lizards displayed a strong preference for the cheesy pizza, leading the researchers to consider whether there was something uniquely appealing about its scent or texture. The team theorizes that the chemical properties of cheese may attract the lizards, or perhaps it’s easier for them to digest, as the cheese could be more energy-dense than the other toppings.
The Influence of Alcohol on Language Skills
In another eyebrow-raising study, researchers explored how alcohol might impact foreign language fluency. Dr. Fritz Renner and his team found that a small amount of alcohol improved participants’ ability to speak a foreign language, contrary to the common belief that inebriation would impair communication.
The researchers recruited 50 German-speaking university students, all fluent in Dutch, to participate in a controlled experiment. After drinking a small amount of vodka (mixed with bitter lemon) to get slightly tipsy, the students engaged in a conversation with native Dutch speakers. The result? Those who had consumed alcohol performed significantly better than the control group, which had drunk only water.
But the improvement wasn’t in language proficiency in the traditional sense — these students weren’t suddenly translating Shakespeare on the fly. Rather, it was a boost in confidence. As Renner put it, alcohol seemed to reduce language anxiety, which, in turn, helped the participants speak more freely and engage in the conversation with greater ease.
The Quest for Better Pasta: Physics Meets the Kitchen
While some Ig Nobel winners tackle topics with serious societal implications, others provide us with unexpected insights into everyday life. Case in point: the perfect pasta sauce. The physics prize went to a team of Italian scientists who tackled the problem of clumpy, unappetizing pasta sauces — specifically the beloved cacio e pepe.
Cacio e pepe, a simple yet notoriously difficult dish to prepare, involves pasta, Pecorino cheese, and black pepper. The problem arises when the cheese and pasta water mix to form an unpleasant clumpy texture, often leaving cooks frustrated. In response, the researchers explored the physics behind this phase transition to create a smoother, more uniform sauce. They discovered that the key to a perfect cacio e pepe lies in the starch ratio. If you use just the right amount of starch from pasta water or cornstarch, the sauce remains silky and smooth.
Bizarre Yet Meaningful
The Ig Nobel Prizes are about more than a good laugh. They highlight the power of curiosity-driven science — research that begins as seemingly bizarre but often reveals unexpected truths. As Carly York, a biology professor, explained, “Beneath every experiment that sounds absurd on the surface lies real insight waiting to be uncovered.” In fact, much of today’s transformative science began with similarly odd or “silly” questions.
So, the next time you hear about an oddball study — whether it’s cows in stripes or lizards with pizza cravings — remember that even the strangest research can help us better understand the world. And maybe, just maybe, there’s more to Teflon than we ever thought.
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