The Nobel Prize-2017

The Harvard University for the 27th time awarded the prize for the most dubious achievements in science

Anatoly Chikvin, Publishing House "Committee"

Traditionally, the prize in 10 nominations was awarded by real Nobel laureates. This year they were Eric Maskin (Prize in Economics 2007), Oliver Hart (Prize in Economics 2016) and Roy Glauber (Prize in Physics 2005). The winner received the main prize in the amount of 10 trillion Zimbabwean dollars (the currency has not been issued since 2009).

Physics

The prize in physics was awarded to Marc-Antoine Fardin (France, Singapore, USA) for his work "On the Rheology of cats" (Rheology Bulletin, Volume 83 Number 2, p. 16). In it, the scientist found out whether a cat can simultaneously be in a liquid and solid aggregate state. His research was based on photos posted on the Internet of cats climbing into buckets and sinks. Fardin found that older cats spread faster than kittens.

Economy

Australians Matthew Rockloff and Nancy Greer were awarded an award in this field after they found out that casino players tend to place higher bets after holding a crocodile in their hands.

They conducted a study in which more than a hundred subjects (62 men and 41 women) had to place bets in the electronic version of slot machines. Some of them were offered to hold a crocodile in their hands before that. The reptile's jaws were securely bound, but it could still scratch the test subject.

Scientists have found that those who had a close proximity to a crocodile caused negative emotions, made less bets, and those who had problems with gambling in the past made them more often. Studies have shown that the brain perceives nervous excitement from proximity to a dangerous animal as a signal of luck in the game.

Anatomy

James Heathcote (Great Britain) discovered that upon reaching the age of 30, a person's ears begin to increase in size by about two millimeters every decade. The study was conducted back in 1995 and was called "Why do old people have big ears?".

Biology

A group of scientists from Japan, Brazil and Switzerland investigated how the female and male insects of the genus Neotrogla have changed sexual roles. In cave hay eaters, males have vaginas, and females have penises, which make up to 15% of their total body length.

During mating, which lasts up to 70 hours, the female inserts a gynosome (penisoid process) into the phallus (tubelike vagina). Scientists have suggested that thanks to this, the female can hold a partner for as long as she needs. This is the only genus known to date in which the anatomy and sexual roles have changed so much.

Hydrodynamics

The team from the USA and South Korea received an award for figuring out how not to spill coffee when walking. It turned out that it strongly depends on what kind of container the drink is in, and at what speed the tester moves.

Coffee, poured into a wine glass, splashed heavily when walking slowly, and remained almost motionless when walking fast. In the case of an ordinary mug, everything was exactly the opposite.

To reduce the risk of spilling the drink, scientists recommended wrapping the cup with the palm of the hand on top, it was also effective to walk backwards. However, at the same time, the risk of stumbling or colliding with someone who was also carrying a mug backwards increased.

Food

The prize in nutrition was awarded to Fernanda Ito, Enrico Bernard, and Rodrigo Torres (Brazil, Canada, Spain) for the first scientific report on the presence of human blood in the diet of bats of the species of hairy-legged vampires.

Having studied the droppings of animals living in the north-east of Brazil, scientists have found that not only animal DNA is present in it, but also human DNA. They suggested that the decrease in the number of wild birds in the region forces night hunters to attack livestock and local residents.

Medicine

French neuroscientists have won the prize, proving that in the brain of some people there is a special area that causes disgust to the smell and taste of cheese. Scientists conducted an MRI of the brain of more than 300 subjects, during which they showed them photos of products and offered to smell solutions with the corresponding odors.

In people who had previously reported their aversion to cheese, the pale ball and the black substance – the brain regions involved in the reward system - were more active in the picture.

Cognition

The prize in the field of cognitive sciences was awarded to a group of scientists from Italy, Spain and the UK, who found out that many identical (monozygotic) twins cannot distinguish each other in photographs.

Obstetrics

The prize in the field of obstetrics went to Spanish scientists who proved that the fetus reacts more actively to music if you play it directly into the mother's vagina, and not at the surface of the abdomen. To find out, they conducted an experiment on 106 women. The fetal facial expression was recorded using ultrasound.

Peace Prize

A group of scientists led by Dr. Milo Puen from the University of Zurich has proved that playing the didgeridoo, a musical wind instrument of the aborigines of Australia, relieves the symptoms of apnea – frequent stops of breathing during sleep – and reduces snoring.  The authors of the study presented data according to which constant training in playing the didgeridoo significantly strengthens the upper respiratory tract. 25 volunteers suffering from apnea played the instrument for 5-6 days a week for 25 minutes for four months, which gave an effect similar to the methods used in traditional medicine.

The ceremony at the Sanders Theater has been held since 1991. Established by the journal "Annals of Incredible Research", the Nobel Prize is traditionally awarded for achievements "that first make you laugh, and then make you think."

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  15.09.2017