Ovulation cycles and their relation to lap-dance tips

The 2008 Ig Nobel Prizes have been given out.  For those of you that don’t know: the Ig Nobel Prize is given for research that is done in various areas on subjects that are somewhat irrelevant.  Past winners included the scientific testing of the ‘five-second rule’ and for ‘exploring and explaining why woodpeckers don’t get headaches.’

Some of this year’s winning topics include:

ECONOMICS PRIZE. Geoffrey Miller, Joshua Tybur and Brent Jordan of the University of New Mexico, USA, for discovering that a professional lap dancer’s ovulatory cycle affects her tip earnings.

PEACE PRIZE. The Swiss Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology (ECNH) and the citizens of Switzerland for adopting the legal principle that plants have dignity. 

BIOLOGY PRIZE. Marie-Christine Cadiergues, Christel Joubert,, and  Michel Franc of Ecole Nationale Veterinaire de Toulouse, France for discovering that the fleas that live on a dog can jump higher than the fleas that live on a cat.

You can read all about those prizes and more by going here.