Nobel, Meet Ig Nobel

The week in science was dominated by a series of events that always manages to spark curiosity and debate--two very good things in humanity.

First, the Nobel Prizes were awarded this week. Of the six categories, three are specifically for science: physics, chemistry and medicine/physiology. This year, even the Peace Prize had a scientific overtone; Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won for research into global warming.

The International Herald Tribune takes a look at facts and fiction when it comes to the Nobel Prizes.

And of course, no Nobel week is complete without the annual Ig Nobels, which honor dubious studies and useless discoveries. The prizes are awarded annually by the Annals of Improbable Research, a honest-to-goodness science journal.

This year, some of the recipients won for developing a "gay bomb," figuring out the effects of Viagra on jet lagged hamsters and figuring out why sheets wrinkle. The studies are all real, but the awards...just for fun. NPR's Science Friday airs a recap of the ceremony each year; when that happens, I'll be sure to post it here.

See? Science does have a sense of humor.