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Science & Tech197 outlets ran this3 min read

Ig Nobel Prizes honor studies on cockroach milk, buried underwear

Satirical awards ceremony held outside the U.S. for the first time in Zurich.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
尿が跳ね返りにくい設計の男性用小便器（右の二つ）=論文から

What this story says

  • Ten research teams received Ig Nobel Prizes for studies including cockroach milk and buried underwear.
  • The 36th annual Ig Nobel Prizes ceremony was held in Zurich, Switzerland, the first time it has been hosted outside the U.S.
  • Award-winning research included investigations into soil health using buried cotton underwear and the physics of nose-blowing.
  • The Ig Nobel Prizes recognise scientific work that is both serious and amusing.

Who covered it

Left 33%(41)Centre 42%(51)Right 25%(31)

Percentages are shares of the 123 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 74 of the 197 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

61/100

Hype

41/100

197 sources · methodology

The 36th annual Ig Nobel Prizes ceremony honoured ten research teams for studies that were scientifically conducted but unusual. This year's event took place in Zurich, Switzerland, marking the first time the ceremony has been held outside the United States. The awards celebrate research that is both amusing and thought-provoking.

Award-winning research

Among the studies recognised were research into the nutritional value of cockroach milk, and an investigation into soil health that involved burying cotton underwear. Other award-winning projects included work on the physics of nose-blowing and the behaviour of venomous snakes. The ceremony, organised by the Annals of Improbable Research, featured authentic Nobel laureates presenting the satirical awards.

Coverage comparison

What the coverage left out

None of the left-rated digests mention the specific number of pairs of underwear buried in the soil health study, a detail present in the Times of India and ANSA digests. None of the right-rated digests mention the specific reason for the ceremony being held outside the U.S., a detail noted by some centre and left-rated outlets.

Tags:#IgNobelPrizes#Science#Research#Satire#Zurich

Coverage settled. We checked this 371 times and stopped on 9 Sept 2026, 12:30. The figures above are what it finished at.

How other outlets pictured it

Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.

Spectators throw paper planes during the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony held in the Zurich Convention Center in Zurich, Switzerland, on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (Claudio Thoma/Keystone via AP)
CTV NewsCentre

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

41 rated outlets

  • Left-rated reports highlighted the unusual nature of the research, with several mentioning the buried underwear and cockroach milk studies. Some reports noted the ceremony's move to Zurich, with one digest from Liberation stating the event was for "works with the appearances of lousy but well-scientific aims." The Sun Chronicle and Radio-Canada digests mentioned the ceremony was held outside the U.S. due to travel or political concerns. The Canberra Times digest noted that "buried undies, nose-blowing studies win Ig Nobel prizes."

Centre

51 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated reports focused on the variety of studies awarded, frequently mentioning cockroach milk and buried underwear. CBS News and Hindustan Times digests noted the ceremony was held outside the U.S. for the first time due to travel concerns. ANSA and Euronews digests highlighted specific studies, such as the physics of anti-splash urinals and the evaluation of soil health through buried underwear. Idaho Press and Chronicle Online digests mentioned that ten teams were honoured for contributions such as studying cockroach milk.

Right

31 rated outlets

  • Right-rated reports often led with specific, unusual studies, such as the buried underwear experiment to evaluate soil health, as seen in the Times of India digest. Free Malaysia Today and Neue Zürcher Zeitung digests also mentioned the buried underwear and urinals. Politika.rs and Yna.co.kr digests focused on the range of unusual research, including cockroach milk and nose-blowing techniques. EADaily digests referred to the event as the 'Schnobel Prize'.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Ig Nobel Prizes honor studies on cockroach milk, buried underwear?
Of the 123 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 33% are rated left, 42% are rated centre, 25% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 197. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Ig Nobel Prizes honor studies on cockroach milk, buried underwear left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 123 rated outlets on this story, 33% are rated left, 42% are rated centre, 25% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Ig Nobel Prizes honor studies on cockroach milk, buried underwear biased?
Ig Nobel Prizes honor studies on cockroach milk, buried underwear is one event reported by 197 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which outlets covered Ig Nobel Prizes honor studies on cockroach milk, buried underwear?
197 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What are the Ig Nobel Prizes?
The Ig Nobel Prizes are satirical awards given annually to recognise scientific research that is both amusing and thought-provoking. They celebrate studies that are scientifically conducted but unusual, often prompting laughter and reflection.
Where was the 2026 Ig Nobel ceremony held?
The 36th annual Ig Nobel Prizes ceremony was held in Zurich, Switzerland. This was the first time the event has been hosted outside of the United States since its inception.
What kind of research was awarded?
Ten research teams received awards for studies that included investigating the nutritional value of cockroach milk, evaluating soil health by burying cotton underwear, and examining the physics of nose-blowing. Other awarded research covered topics such as snake behaviour and optimised urinals.

Read it at the source

197 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

41
Show 33 more

Centre

51
Show 43 more

Right

31
Show 23 more

Not rated

74
Show 66 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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