Ig Nobels

Underwear buried to test soil quality and urinals scientifically designed to prevent splashing were among the projects honoured as the Ig Nobel prizes again put a spotlight on the quirky side of science. The 36th edition of the annual awards, organised by the science humour magazine Annals of Improbable Research, was held just a few weeks before the real Nobel prizes.

For the first time since its inception in 1991 the event was held outside the United States, after organisers said in March that they feared it had become "unsafe for our guests to visit the country". "We cannot in good conscience ask the new winners, or the international journalists who cover the event, to travel to the USA this year," the organisers said, announcing the move to Zurich.

Stomping on snakes

Joao Miguel Alves-Nunes's team took the Ig Nobel in biology for work involving standing on venomous snakes to understand when they decide whether or not to bite. "Who would be stupid enough to put their foot in front of a poisonous snake? Me," the 28-year-old researcher said. He conducted 40,000 tests on 116 snakes, including one rattlesnake that managed to bite him through his protective boots.

Four academics came to receive the physics prize for research aimed at optimising urinals, designing a urinating machine with an "anatomically accurate urethral nozzle". During the ceremony, a picture of Trump flashed on the screen as researchers Justin Kruger and David Dunning were recognised for their work demonstrating that ignorant and poorly-qualified people tend to greatly overestimate their abilities.