Bizarre Scientific Winners of 2025: Teflon Diets, Zebra Cows, and Pizza-Eating Reptiles Honored with Ig Nobel Prizes
In a celebration of curiosity-driven research, the Ig Nobel Prizes were held at Boston University in 2025. This prestigious event honours unusual and thought-provoking scientific discoveries that, while seemingly absurd, reveal unexpected truths.
One of the winning projects came from Dr. Rotem Naftalovich's team in the chemistry category. They proposed using Teflon, commonly known for its non-stick properties, as a potential zero-calorie food additive. The idea is to create a filler that leaves the stomach feeling full while passing through the digestive system without being absorbed.
In a separate study, Dr. Tomoki Kojima's team won the biology prize for an experiment painting cows with zebra-like stripes to reduce fly bites. The researchers theorize that the stripes might confuse the flies' motion detection system, preventing them from landing on the cows easily. Reducing fly bites could improve cattle welfare and boost milk and beef production by reducing stress.
Language enthusiasts will be intrigued by a study conducted by Barbara Köpke, Julia Ockert, and Hannelore Grimm. They found that a small amount of alcohol improves foreign language fluency in German-speaking university students fluent in Dutch. The improvement was due to a reduction in language anxiety, allowing participants to speak more freely and engage in conversations with greater ease.
The physics prize went to a team of Italian scientists for their research on creating a smoother cacio e pepe pasta sauce. According to the researchers, the key to a perfect sauce lies in the starch ratio.
Another fascinating study showcased at the event was a research on West African lizard pizza preferences. Although specific details were not provided, it was revealed that rainbow lizards in Togo have a surprising preference for pizza. Researchers placed two types of pizza, four-cheese and four-seasons, in front of the lizards to test their preference. The lizards showed a strong preference for the four-cheese pizza.
Much of today's transformative science began with odd or 'silly' questions, according to biology professor Carly York. The Ig Nobel Prizes serve as a reminder that even the most seemingly absurd questions can lead to groundbreaking discoveries. These awards not only entertain but also inspire us to continue questioning and exploring the world around us.
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