Wasabi fire alarm scoops Ig Nobel prize for Japanese scientists

An alarm that squirts essence of wasabi, yawning tortoises and an analysis of why people sigh have won Ig Nobel prizesHow do you wake a deaf person in the middle of the night if there's a fire? Squirt a cloud of wasabi at them, of course. For the Japanese researchers who came up with the horseradish-based alarm system, it was a lifesaving piece of work, but on Thursday night they entered the history books with the award of the Ig Nobel prize for chemistry.Their research was one of 10 areas celebrated at the 21st Ig Nobel prizes at Harvard University. The awards, a spoof on the Nobel prizes, which will be announced next week, honour achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think". Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Ig Nobel prizes Science prizes People in science World news US news Source Type: news