Marc Abrahams's Blog, page 109

Press release breathes hint of a more potent garlic

“Discovery could lead to more potent garlic, boosting flavor and bad breath” is the punch-in-the-nose headline in a news release from Virginia Tech. The lead researcher [pictured here, gazing at a test tube] explains:

“This information changes the whole story about how garlic could be improved or we could make the compounds responsible of its unique flavor,” said Hannah Valentino, a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Ph.D. candidate. “This could lead to a new strain of garlic that would produce more flavor.”

The team offers punchy details, in a study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, is called “Structure and function of a flavin-dependent S-monooxygenase from garlic (Allium sativum)“.

(Thanks to Davide Castelvecchi for bringing this to our attention.)

Ministerial Exploration: Ozone Up the Rectum in Brazil

The pandemic is inspiring a few individuals to new depths of innovation. The English translation of this headline is: “Minister of Health meets with supporters of ozone use in the rectum against covid-19“. The August 5, 2020 news report appears in the Brazilian magazine CartaCapital:

The article begins by saying: “The interim Minister of Health, General Eduardo Pazuello, met with defenders of the application of ozone in the anus as a way to fight the coronavirus, on Monday 3. The treatment model was suggested by the mayor of Itajaí , in Santa Catarina, Volnei Morastoni (MDB), to help prevent the disease.”

The article finishes up with a bit of recent history: “Although the practice has not been proven effective against covid-19, it is also defended for this purpose in a bill presented on April 1 by federal deputy Paula Belmonte (Cidadania-DF). The PL 1383/2020 authorizes the prescription of ozone therapy as a complementary medical treatment for the coronavirus. Another 2017 project asks for permission to prescribe ozone therapy across the country.”

(Thanks to Ruth Bellinghini for bringing this to our attention.)

Pocket-Sized #1028: “Ruck in a Rug”

In this Pocket-Sized episode #1028, Marc Abrahams shows an unfamiliar research study to Chris Cotsapas. Dramatic readings and reactions ensue.

The research mentioned in this episode is featured in the Important Research issue (Vol. 25, #5) of the Annals of Improbable Research Magazine.

Remember, our Patreon donors, on most levels, get access to each podcast episode before it is made public.

1. Chris Cotsapas encounters:

“Statics and Inertial Dynamics of a Ruck in a Rug,” Dominic Vella, Arezki Boudaoud, and Mokhtar Adda-Bedia, Physical Review Letters, vol. 103, 2009, 174301.

Seth Gliksman, Production Assistant

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Google Podcasts, AntennaPod, BeyondPod and elsewhere!

How does faecal sludge in pit latrines decompose? The quarrel continues.

Does fecal sludge in pit latrines decompose more aerobically, or more anaerobically? The debate bubbles, bubbles, toils, and troubles on, in the research journal Water Science & Technology:

Miriam H. A. van Eekert and colleagues, like their rivals, do not settle for too-quick, easily-disposed-of answers. Some things take time.

News about last year’s Ig Nobel Prize winners, in slow French

Who would not want to hear a news report about last year’s Ig Nobel Prize winners, reported aloud in slow French? Anyone who DOES want to hear that can hear it, thanks to the web site News in Slow French. Their report is called “Cérémonie de remise des prix Ig Nobel 2019.”

Recent progress in Peppa Pig® studies

Given the worldwide success of the Peppa Pig® TV series (and subsequent spinoffs), it’s perhaps not surprising that the character has attracted attention in academic circles. Here are some recent examples of scholarly publications on the subject.

 

Does Peppa Pig encourage inappropriate use of primary care resources? British Medical Journal, 2017; 359

Peppa Pig and Friends International Journal for the Semiotics of Law, volume 31, pages 451–471(2018)

I’m Peppa Shit: Spokes-characters 2.0 as Bearers of Reputational Risk? The Case of Peppa Pig  Meaning and λόγος, Proceedings from the Early Professional Interdisciplinary Conference, 2015

Peppa Pig in China (2019) MKVM13 20182, Media and Communication Studies, Lund University

Peppa Pig: a study on family relationships between grandparents, parents and grandchildren Pensando Familias, 2017, vol.21, n.1, pp. 63-79.

The Billion Dollar Pig – A Subjective Extrospective Exploration of the Cross-Cultural Meanings of The Peppa Pig Cartoon Character Franchise, Consumer Culture Theory (CCT) conference, 2017, Queen Mary University

Research research by Martin Gardiner

“And Then It Began”– an Ig Nobel Prize favorite moment

This historic Ig Nobel Favorite Moment video stars Maria Ferrante, who starred in many of the Ig Nobel operas.

The Ig Nobel Prizes honor achievements that make people LAUGH, then THINK.

The 30th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony will be webcast September 17, 2020 at www.improbable.com.

Coordinator, Narrator, & Typist: Seth Gliksman

Pocket-Sized #1027: “Happiness Equation”

In this Pocket-Sized episode #1027, Marc Abrahams shows an unfamiliar research study to Jean Berko Gleason. Dramatic readings and reactions ensue.

The research mentioned in this episode is featured in the special Psychology issue (vol. 26, #1) of the Annals of Improbable Research magazine.

Remember, our Patreon donors, on most levels, get access to each podcast episode before it is made public.

1. Jean Berko Gleason encounters:

“The Social Contingency of Momentary Subjective Well-Being,”  Robb B. Rutledge, Archy O. de Berker, Svenja Espenhahn, Peter Dayan, and Raymond J. Dolan, Nature Communications, vol. 7, no. 11825, 2016.

Seth Gliksman, Production Assistant

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Google Podcasts, AntennaPod, BeyondPod and elsewhere!

“The The Woman and Miss Sweetie Poo”– an Ig Nobel Prize favorite moment

This historic Ig Nobel Favorite Moment video stars Glenda Browne, Ig Nobel Literature Prize winner, for her study of the word “the” — and of the many ways that word causes problems for anyone who tries to put things into alphabetical order.

Thanks to Jenny Browne as a guest voice and Jon Jermey.

The Ig Nobel Prizes honor achievements that make people LAUGH, then THINK.

The 30th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony will be webcast September 17, 2020 at www.improbable.com.

Coordinator, Narrator, & Typist: Seth Gliksman

“Let Me Do The Duck Talk” – An Ig Nobel Prize favorite moment

This historic Ig Nobel Favorite Moment video stars Kees Moeliker, Ig Nobel Biology Prize winner for documenting homosexual necrophilia in the mallard duck. Guest appearance: Sezen Moeliker.

The Ig Nobel Prizes honor achievements that make people LAUGH, then THINK.

And for those of a more Dutch inclination:

The 30th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony will be webcast September 17, 2020 at www.improbable.com.

Coordinator, Narrator, & Typist: Seth Gliksman