Comb-Over Inventors Recognized

The inventors of U.S. Patent number 4,022,227 (pdf) were honored yesterday for their "Method of Concealing Partial Baldness."  They were awarded the Ig Nobel Prize in the field of engineering at a ceremony at Harvard University.

According to the BBC, other awards were given:  The scientific validation of the "five-second" rule took the Public Health category.  The Medical award went to the report on The Effect of Country Music on Suicide.  Another prize was awarded for the discovery that herrings communicate by farting.  The big one, "the Ig Noble Peace prize" was won awarded to the inventor of karaoke, which allows people to tolerate one another in a whole new way.

The Guardian has more details on the way the ceremony is conducted.  One tidbit from this article:

Real Nobel prizewinners turn up to hand out the prizes, to be challenged to explain their work in 30 seconds, and to be booed off stage.

The Ig Nobel prizewinners turn up at their own expense to be given worldwide recognition for their extraordinary observations and what the organisers describe as 'prizes made of extremely cheap materials and a medallion that's pretty awkward to wear'.

Before you think it's just a joke, Nature.com also has an article on the story.

Apparently, these awards are a big deal.