1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to stuff you should know? 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: From how stuff Works dot com? Everybody loves altoy. It's 4 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: little mints that come intense. Well, once the ments are gone, 5 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: you can do some really neat things with the left 6 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 1: over tense. People have made empty three players, cameras, even stoves. 7 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 1: Check out how stuff works dot com slash tent evators 8 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:32,840 Speaker 1: to find out more. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. 9 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:36,639 Speaker 1: I'm Josh Clark. With me is always Charles W. Chuck Bryant. 10 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:39,319 Speaker 1: You sound like you're smiling big as you are. This 11 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: is stuff you should know. Of course I'm smiling. Yeah, 12 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: why not. We're in the We're happy chairs, Chuck. Is 13 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 1: it like August mid late August? August right mid August. 14 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: So you know what that means, don't you. It means 15 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: as hot as hades, and it is. It's gross, man. 16 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: It keeps, it keeps raining just long enough to soak 17 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: the ground and then boom the sun comes out and 18 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 1: it's muggy. Yeah, awful. Yeah, it's I actually spoken to 19 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 1: people who have lived in New Orleans and they say 20 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: that it is as bad as New Orleans. He's really yeah, 21 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: I believe it, Thank you, Al Gore. Stupid global warming, 22 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: but that's not what you were going to talk about anyway. 23 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: I just totally sidetracked. You didn't, I yeah, but I 24 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:17,960 Speaker 1: went with it. This is my way. So what does 25 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 1: August mean? August means that we are to know one 26 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 1: month and change away from the ignoble Awards. Right, not 27 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:31,959 Speaker 1: to be confused with the Darwin Awards. No, which, Chuck. 28 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: How many people sent us when we did that spontaneous 29 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: human combustion? Sent us that Darwin Award clip of that 30 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 1: that Indian man on top of the train, Yeah, getting electrocuted. Yeah, 31 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: it was very distressing, it is. And only about half 32 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 1: of those said be warned what you're about to watch. 33 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: The others were like, check this out, Kentucky Fried dude. Yeah, 34 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: normally like I don't like watching people die, but that one, 35 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: I don't know. I thought it was kind of interesting, distressing. Sure, 36 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: So was he a dar Win Award winner? Yeah? I 37 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 1: can't remember what four, but he was definitely an award winner. 38 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:07,320 Speaker 1: The Darwin Awards are a different deal. Those those people 39 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:11,639 Speaker 1: are generally chided for stupidity and the IG Nobel Prize 40 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:15,959 Speaker 1: winners are not made fun of. Plus, the Ignoble Awards 41 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: actually recognize honest to goodness, genuine scientific research, left of 42 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 1: center scientific research a little bit, but scientific research nonetheless. 43 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: So the Ignoble Awards are coming up. As I said 44 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: October one, they're actually going to have a live webcast 45 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: this year, really, yeah, beginning at seven fifteen Eastern Standard time, 46 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:39,919 Speaker 1: and I imagine you'll be able to find the webcast 47 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 1: or at least a link to it on Improbable research 48 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:46,360 Speaker 1: dot com. Right. Well, NPR every year broadcasts at um 49 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:50,360 Speaker 1: the Friday after Thanksgiving. This year it's the day before Thanksgiving, 50 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: I believe, so we'll look at you. Yeah, but if 51 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:55,799 Speaker 1: you don't want to wait and you want to see 52 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: it live as it happens, yeah, Friday November, the day 53 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: after Thanksgiving. So what are these, dude? We should go 54 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:04,919 Speaker 1: ahead and tell people it's a riff on two things 55 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: on the Nobel Prize and the word ignoble, which means 56 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 1: of low character or inferior quality. Right, And I have 57 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 1: to say that Mark Abrams, the guy who is the 58 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 1: editor of Improbable Research, which is a scientific humor magazine. 59 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 1: Now it's a website. Um, he kind of does a 60 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: little fancy footwork here there. What do you mean, well, 61 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:31,919 Speaker 1: he says that they're they're not. Yeah, He's like, we're 62 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: not making fun of people, but we're making fun of people. 63 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: But because of the Ignoble Prize, Right, he's saying, like, 64 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 1: this is actually the too spark curiosity and science, but 65 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 1: we're celebrating research that shouldn't be replicated or reproduced. He's 66 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 1: kind of all over the place. He wants to have 67 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: his cake and eat it too. A little bit he does, 68 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 1: and boy, how he does he? Ever, since I think 69 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:59,840 Speaker 1: they've done, They've handed out Ignoble prizes for all sorts 70 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 1: of stuff, and uh, it's I like it. I think 71 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: it's fun, sure, and most people do take it lightheartedly. 72 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:08,840 Speaker 1: I have a very famous case that I can go 73 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 1: into later on that someone who did not take it 74 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 1: very lightheartedly. But it's meant to be very humorous. And 75 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: if you look at some of the the award winners 76 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,600 Speaker 1: every year, you can see why. So each year they 77 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:25,040 Speaker 1: give a prize out for in ten different categories, right, yes, 78 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: you let me go through those might as well. Those categories, 79 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 1: Josh are nutrition, peace, archaeology, biology, medicine, cognitive science, economics, physics, chemistry, 80 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:42,239 Speaker 1: and literature. And this, like I said, this is uh, 81 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:45,360 Speaker 1: this is actually legitimate research. Sometimes they're given out to 82 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:49,039 Speaker 1: patent holders, but a lot of times also if you've 83 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:53,839 Speaker 1: had a study published in a legitimate journal, you can 84 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: you're you're you're a candidate. You can be a candidate. 85 00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 1: I think they get like five thousand nominations every year 86 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:02,160 Speaker 1: and they sort through all of them. Right, you can 87 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:05,039 Speaker 1: nominate yourself, right, and the study what the study doesn't 88 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: have to have been done in the year that the 89 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 1: prizes are given out. Yeah. Actually, chuck um back in 90 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:18,599 Speaker 1: some researchers UM at right Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. 91 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:25,600 Speaker 1: We're working on a project that UM they entitled Harassing, Annoying, 92 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 1: and bad guy identifying chemicals, right, and they saw seven 93 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 1: point five million dollars for research grants. Is a real deal, 94 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:36,359 Speaker 1: it is. I've actually seen that the documents from the 95 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:39,280 Speaker 1: Air Force UM and basically what they were coming up 96 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:43,080 Speaker 1: with was a non lethal project of UM, you know 97 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:47,239 Speaker 1: chemicals that one of them was her basically a chemical 98 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 1: that would they would launch behind enemy lines and it 99 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: would arouse the ire of uh stinging insects in the area, 100 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 1: so they go and attack the the enemy. Another one 101 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:05,919 Speaker 1: was to uh create I think chronic or prolonged halitosis 102 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:08,840 Speaker 1: among enemy soldiers so they couldn't stand to be around 103 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:11,159 Speaker 1: one another. And then there was the one that got 104 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:17,280 Speaker 1: the Ignobell, the infamous gay bomb. Yes, it says that, um, 105 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:22,280 Speaker 1: this is under the category I'm sorry category three chemicals 106 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 1: chemicals that affect human behavior, so that discipline and morale 107 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:31,359 Speaker 1: in enemy units is adversely affected. One distasteful but completely 108 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 1: non lethal example would be strong effrodgiacs, especially if the 109 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:41,039 Speaker 1: chemical also caused homosexual behavior. So yeah, the the the 110 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 1: Air Force was working on a gay bomb. How much 111 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:45,279 Speaker 1: money did they put towards this? Well, hold on it 112 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:49,240 Speaker 1: one the two thousand and seven Ignobell Peace Prize, the 113 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:54,279 Speaker 1: prize how much money seven point five million, and that 114 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 1: don't know, you know what exactly what exactly came of it? 115 00:06:58,080 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: And the Air Force didn't take kindly to this, correct, 116 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:02,440 Speaker 1: they kind of they did not show up to receive 117 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:04,039 Speaker 1: the award, right, I don't think they ever had a 118 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: statement to the contrary that they were upset, But yeah, 119 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: they didn't show up and say hey, thanks. This whole 120 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: gabon thing didn't work out, but thanks thanks for the props. 121 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:17,880 Speaker 1: Who judges these things? Actually, what's crazy is that some 122 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: Nobel Award winners, like real Nobel Award winners, serve on 123 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:25,360 Speaker 1: the Board of Governors to decide who is going to 124 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 1: get an ignoble prize? Right Ena, who also has the 125 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 1: professor from Gilkins Island? No, yeah, holy Castle Johnson served 126 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 1: one year. Apparently they do that. They get celebrities and 127 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:39,920 Speaker 1: certain actors and athletes to be on the panel. And 128 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 1: they said regular street Joe's your average Joe off the street. 129 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 1: They'll put them on the panel to Yeah. And it's 130 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 1: held at Harvard. Yeah, what used to be an m 131 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 1: I t announced at Harvard. They have a big ceremony 132 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:56,600 Speaker 1: every year. And I think the prize laureates are able 133 00:07:56,640 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 1: to give a one minute acceptance speeches. All yeah. They 134 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:02,960 Speaker 1: have little miss Hutie Poo who has to who basically 135 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: shouts them off stage when they start exceeding their minute. Uh. 136 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: And the criteria for little miss cutie Pooh is that 137 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:13,720 Speaker 1: she must be an adorable eight year old with ice 138 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:16,600 Speaker 1: water in her veins and from the Boston area. And 139 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:19,080 Speaker 1: they're actually looking for applicants right now. So yeah, if 140 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 1: you're listening in Boston and you're an eight year old terror, yeah, 141 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:27,160 Speaker 1: you might want to apply with a shrill voice. Bring it. Yeah. 142 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 1: The the award itself, Josh, is different every year, which 143 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 1: is kind of cool. They have different designs each year, 144 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,840 Speaker 1: and one of them was the was a cereal box 145 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:41,520 Speaker 1: labeled Ignoble ohs. And that actually, uh kind of leads 146 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:46,319 Speaker 1: as a nice segue into the discussion about this one 147 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:51,000 Speaker 1: guy who very famously uh derided the Ignoble Awards as 148 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:55,319 Speaker 1: stifling science or at the very least, you know, um, 149 00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 1: making fun of it, serious scientific, you're not happy about it. No, 150 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:03,960 Speaker 1: Bob May, it was. Bob May was the head of 151 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:08,320 Speaker 1: the Science Ministry uh in for the UK. So he 152 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 1: was pretty big cheese. I imagine you could put him 153 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,560 Speaker 1: on par with maybe the Surgeon General or the head 154 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:19,920 Speaker 1: of the um uh National Science Foundation here um. And 155 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:23,720 Speaker 1: he came out and he wrote a letter to Improbable Research, 156 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 1: and he also had one published in Nature where he 157 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:32,640 Speaker 1: just railed on the Ignoble organizers and improbable research. He 158 00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:35,439 Speaker 1: said not to ever award another one to anyone from England. No, 159 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:38,040 Speaker 1: and that was kind of like, hey, thanks the people 160 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:42,320 Speaker 1: who were getting the award that year had been doing research. 161 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:44,640 Speaker 1: They were from the University of East Anglia, who I 162 00:09:44,679 --> 00:09:47,480 Speaker 1: have to say is a university that produces some really 163 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:52,880 Speaker 1: entertaining studies. Um, but this one was the research into 164 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:57,320 Speaker 1: the effects or what makes soggy serial or serial saggy. 165 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:01,080 Speaker 1: That's good research, right, Well, he don't give it to 166 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 1: these people, don't ever give it to another British scientist again. 167 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:07,640 Speaker 1: And actually he thought, you know he was. He had 168 00:10:07,679 --> 00:10:11,440 Speaker 1: just put the final stamp of disapproval on it. Actually 169 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:15,080 Speaker 1: created this huge outcry in the scientific community about how 170 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:19,160 Speaker 1: stuffy the British scientific and certainly not doing very much 171 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:24,600 Speaker 1: to quelle. No, he wasn't. And in two thousand his 172 00:10:24,679 --> 00:10:29,320 Speaker 1: successor actually went no. Two thousand two actually went to 173 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 1: the ig Nobel Awards to basically show that hey, great 174 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 1: Britain's you know back on board, baby, Yeah, I think 175 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:41,079 Speaker 1: science the more you can um laugh at certain things 176 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:43,160 Speaker 1: and have fun with it the better, because you know, 177 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:45,439 Speaker 1: you want to turn other people onto science. You don't 178 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:47,440 Speaker 1: want to turn them off by thinking that you know, 179 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:49,880 Speaker 1: we're also stuffying uptight that we can't laugh at ourselves. 180 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:52,760 Speaker 1: You just gave me yet another segwe speaking of turning 181 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: people on um. The two thousand Nobel ig Nobel Prize 182 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:03,960 Speaker 1: winner for Medicine was a guy named Dr Peck van Andel. 183 00:11:04,679 --> 00:11:07,280 Speaker 1: Is that a real name, Yes it is, he's Uh. 184 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:09,840 Speaker 1: I think he's Dutch. Sounds like a pseudonym. He won 185 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 1: the two thousand You you would think it might be. 186 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 1: He won the two thousand ig Nobel Prize for Medicine. 187 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 1: Uh for making the first m ri I video of 188 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:25,720 Speaker 1: human reproductive organs while they're engaged in the act of coitus. 189 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:30,200 Speaker 1: And dude, yeah, if you came, I did, and it 190 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:34,560 Speaker 1: is an mri I porner. It's crazy. So basically he 191 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:38,400 Speaker 1: had he had two people performing intercourse inside an MRI 192 00:11:38,559 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 1: machine for this, and uh, yeah, he has a video 193 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:44,319 Speaker 1: of it and it's up on YouTube. Actually it's an 194 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 1: improbable research number one nineteen, I believe. And I should 195 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 1: probably say if you are listening, you're watching, you're you're 196 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:55,400 Speaker 1: listening to this at work and you're about to open 197 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: another tab, you might want to take it easy, wait 198 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:01,520 Speaker 1: till you get home. And if you're twelve, don't watch 199 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:03,960 Speaker 1: this yet, at least don't tell your parents that it 200 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:05,880 Speaker 1: was Josh and Chuck who told you about this? Right? 201 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:08,720 Speaker 1: Should we talk about some more of these prizes? Yeah, dude, 202 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: it's time. I think Robert Lamb, who wrote this awesome 203 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 1: piece of work, probably had a lot of fun with 204 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:16,600 Speaker 1: this one. He wrote that. Um. In two thousand three, 205 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:20,960 Speaker 1: Keys W. Mulliker did a study on the existence of 206 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:26,559 Speaker 1: homosexual necrophiliac ducks. And this is all real. Yeah it 207 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,800 Speaker 1: actually the study led to dead duck Day in the Netherlands. 208 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:34,679 Speaker 1: Now really, well, it's funny you should say the Netherlands, 209 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:39,600 Speaker 1: because there was one in New Zealand about exploding pants 210 00:12:39,679 --> 00:12:42,360 Speaker 1: among New Zealand farmers in the nine thirties. Someone studied 211 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:44,240 Speaker 1: that too. Yeah, what was up with that? I have 212 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:46,600 Speaker 1: no idea. I didn't I didn't see the final outcome. 213 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:49,520 Speaker 1: I I went on the improbable research and found some 214 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:54,800 Speaker 1: other winner's chuck. Um. There's some pretty wacky stuff out there. 215 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:56,360 Speaker 1: At the very least, I mean, you have to think 216 00:12:56,360 --> 00:13:01,160 Speaker 1: about it. When somebody undertakes this this a study, they're 217 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:03,199 Speaker 1: very serious about it. They want to get to the 218 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:05,760 Speaker 1: bottom of it. And obviously if you look at it 219 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:08,439 Speaker 1: like the gay bomb, they didn't say the gay bomb. Plus, 220 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:12,000 Speaker 1: you know, arousing steam bees and there's legitimate research associated 221 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:15,559 Speaker 1: with it's the gay bomb. They're picking out the funniest 222 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:18,520 Speaker 1: angle of looking at this, but there is some legitimate 223 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,839 Speaker 1: There is very much legitimate research put into this, and 224 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:25,680 Speaker 1: you have to imagine it's funding for this research. Somebody 225 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:30,080 Speaker 1: said Okay, yeah, go check out necrophiliac homosexual ducks and 226 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:33,920 Speaker 1: then it's published. Yeah, usually in a medical journal. I 227 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:36,640 Speaker 1: have one from last year that was pretty funny in 228 00:13:36,679 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 1: the field of chemistry. Um Sherry and Pierre Joseph Hill 229 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:43,439 Speaker 1: and Deborah Anderson discovered that coca cola is an effective 230 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:49,320 Speaker 1: spermicide and see why Hong c c she pe Wu 231 00:13:49,559 --> 00:13:52,840 Speaker 1: and b and Chiang accidentally proved that it is not 232 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:56,560 Speaker 1: an effective spermacide in the same year. So they were 233 00:13:56,600 --> 00:13:58,559 Speaker 1: both award the award for chemistry, which I thought was 234 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:02,280 Speaker 1: pretty funny, and they all showed up to receive it. Yeah, 235 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:06,360 Speaker 1: both sides of the studies. Um. I think it was 236 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:10,440 Speaker 1: last year, Chuck that uh Ivan are Schwab and Philip 237 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:14,839 Speaker 1: are A may Um won the prize for ornithology. What 238 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:19,720 Speaker 1: was that they researched Why woodpeckers don't get headaches really 239 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:22,600 Speaker 1: or why they give people headaches is what I would 240 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 1: follow up with No, uh, last year and nutrition. This 241 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:31,000 Speaker 1: one I thought was pretty funny. Brian Wantsink investigated people's 242 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:35,080 Speaker 1: appetite for mindless eating, and his trick was he had 243 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:38,520 Speaker 1: a self refilling bowl of soup in front of them 244 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:42,200 Speaker 1: that they didn't realize was constantly refilling itself. He would 245 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:43,840 Speaker 1: study if they would just keep on eating and eating 246 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:46,160 Speaker 1: without thinking about it. Awesome. I could go for a 247 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:49,560 Speaker 1: self refilling bowl of soup. Really yeah, depending on the 248 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:55,560 Speaker 1: soup loaded baked potato definitely. Um, I've got one. You're ready. Yeah. 249 00:14:55,760 --> 00:15:00,160 Speaker 1: The Ignoble Prize for Mathematics in a two thousand in 250 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:05,280 Speaker 1: seven UM went to nick's Vence Venson and Piers Barnes 251 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:10,040 Speaker 1: of the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization. They calculated 252 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:12,680 Speaker 1: the number of photographs you have to take to ensure 253 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:15,400 Speaker 1: that nobody in a group photo will have their eyes closed. 254 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:18,680 Speaker 1: Do you have the stat No? I don't, But if 255 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:21,000 Speaker 1: you want the stat you can read the June two 256 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:24,680 Speaker 1: thousand and six issue of Velocity and the articles called 257 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:28,080 Speaker 1: blink free Photos Guaranteed. I've got one for you too. 258 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 1: We could do this all day, we could, but this 259 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:34,160 Speaker 1: one is actually could be real have real applications in aviation. 260 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:38,120 Speaker 1: They discovered that hamsters recover from jet lag more quickly 261 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 1: when given viagra, So there might be something to that 262 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:43,720 Speaker 1: jet lags, you know, a problem for some people, and 263 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:47,120 Speaker 1: maybe something in the viagra could actually help humans because 264 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:50,120 Speaker 1: rats and hamsters and humans all kind of are wired 265 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: the same. Well. I don't know if it's groundbaracking research 266 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:55,680 Speaker 1: as much as it is, you know, just proving conventional wisdom. 267 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:58,760 Speaker 1: You know, Well, do you think so with viagra? Everybody 268 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:03,440 Speaker 1: knows viagra? Here's jet lagging rodents? Okay, sorry, you got 269 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:05,800 Speaker 1: another one? I do? Can you tell by the look 270 00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:08,560 Speaker 1: on my face? Yeah, you were gasping. Two thousand and seven, 271 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:12,640 Speaker 1: the Medicine Prize went to some researchers from the University 272 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:17,040 Speaker 1: of Tennessee College of Medicine. They did some research into 273 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:26,560 Speaker 1: terminating hiccups by digital rectal massage and digital in this case. Okay, yeah, 274 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 1: I was out. You know, that's funny. I read that earlier. 275 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:30,960 Speaker 1: I was like, how can you get a digital rectal massage? 276 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,920 Speaker 1: I was thinking digitizing, all right, I wasn't thinking fingers. 277 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: That makes sense. Do you got any more you want 278 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:39,000 Speaker 1: to do another couple. Actually there was one what the 279 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:42,080 Speaker 1: guy who studied strippers and found that strippers get more 280 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:45,360 Speaker 1: tips when they're ovulating. Yeah, they won the Economics Prize 281 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:48,440 Speaker 1: last year. I thought that was pretty pretty interesting. So 282 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:51,360 Speaker 1: in essence, it's a lot of fun. You know, they're 283 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:54,320 Speaker 1: they're kind of poking fun, but it is some legitimate 284 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:56,720 Speaker 1: research going on, and I just think it's a good time. 285 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,200 Speaker 1: I agree. And if you're interested in checking it out out, 286 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:02,920 Speaker 1: as I said, the ig Noo Bell Prizes are gonna 287 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:05,200 Speaker 1: be on there's gonna be a live webcast at seven 288 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:08,480 Speaker 1: fifteen Eastern on October one if you want to find 289 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:11,240 Speaker 1: out who ends up being miss Cutie Poo for two 290 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:18,640 Speaker 1: thousand nine in a wig, eight year old, steely cold. Yeah, yeah, 291 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:21,200 Speaker 1: I could hear it. Yeah, so Chuck. I guess that's 292 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:22,760 Speaker 1: it right. If you want to read this, I have 293 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:24,920 Speaker 1: to say, you said, Robert Lamb wrote a great article. 294 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 1: I agreed. I think this article has one of the 295 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:29,600 Speaker 1: best introductions on the site. It's a good one. You 296 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:33,560 Speaker 1: can find that by typing in EIGG and then space 297 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,399 Speaker 1: and Nobel on the handy search bar on how stuff 298 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:39,919 Speaker 1: works dot com. And since I said that, that means 299 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:44,960 Speaker 1: my friends that it is time for listener may all. Yes, indeed, Josh, 300 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna call this answer to our query about 301 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:53,080 Speaker 1: the biggest badass of World War two. Yes, Chuck, I'm 302 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:55,639 Speaker 1: very excited about this one. We got a lot of 303 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:58,000 Speaker 1: respond section. We called it, if you remember correctly, just 304 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:00,960 Speaker 1: to recap, we did a thing on jaff any stragglers. Wait, 305 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:03,479 Speaker 1: let's go to the way back machine and listen to 306 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:10,320 Speaker 1: what we said in contrast to u COI was the 307 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:13,840 Speaker 1: baddest dude in World War two. Probably as a matter 308 00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:17,000 Speaker 1: of fact, I invite our listeners to email us by 309 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:21,920 Speaker 1: anybody who can who want, any single individual who can 310 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:26,399 Speaker 1: top the man we're about to talk about as in badness. Okay, 311 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:28,800 Speaker 1: I agree, and Josh will personally email you back and 312 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:33,960 Speaker 1: debate you. And there it is. So. We we posited 313 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:37,879 Speaker 1: the Onada was one of the biggest uh rambos of 314 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:41,159 Speaker 1: the war, and we challenge people sendance went bad and 315 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:43,440 Speaker 1: people did. Yeah, we got a lot of responses. Yeah, 316 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 1: but there was one that had overwhelming uh support. There 317 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:49,640 Speaker 1: was there are actually a couple we want to give 318 00:18:49,640 --> 00:18:53,040 Speaker 1: a special uh uh. I guess you would call it 319 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:56,879 Speaker 1: a runner up to Audie Murphy. Yeah, famous American actor 320 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:02,400 Speaker 1: and soldier. Yeah, baby face like a buck. But yeah, 321 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:06,120 Speaker 1: I started shooting at him. He went crazy and he 322 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:09,359 Speaker 1: was awesome and he was super bad. But I think 323 00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:11,440 Speaker 1: he gets a little attention because he was a real 324 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 1: small guy and he was American, and he was American. 325 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:16,720 Speaker 1: He had like such a chairb base like people think, wow, man, 326 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:18,679 Speaker 1: he's extra bad because he was tough and he's a 327 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:21,880 Speaker 1: little We got some boats. There was some British guy 328 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:24,960 Speaker 1: that was pretty bad. Another couple of Japanese dudes. But 329 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:29,120 Speaker 1: wait what you got another one? But we have a winner, Yes, 330 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:32,840 Speaker 1: clear winner. This guy is so bad. This is uh 331 00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:38,640 Speaker 1: semo hia Hija. The nickname for him was white Death. Yes. 332 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:41,360 Speaker 1: Can I tell this guy's story please? All right? So 333 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:46,000 Speaker 1: he was a Finnish farmer and he um was just 334 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:49,600 Speaker 1: basically doing his own thing when the Russians invaded Finland 335 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:52,120 Speaker 1: the Winter War. Yes, he didn't like this one bit. 336 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:56,400 Speaker 1: So basically he took a standard bolt action rifle without 337 00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:59,000 Speaker 1: a sight. Yeah, no no head site, no scope, no 338 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:02,400 Speaker 1: scope sorry yeah uh and went out into the woods, 339 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:06,639 Speaker 1: the sub arctic woods of Finland, where it gets to 340 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:10,680 Speaker 1: about forty degrees below fahrenheight and just basically sat up 341 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:14,800 Speaker 1: in trees or in blinds and waited. And he didn't 342 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:17,000 Speaker 1: have to wait very long. Over the course of one year, 343 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:22,000 Speaker 1: just using this old rifle, he killed five hundred Russians, 344 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:25,200 Speaker 1: five hundred and five as a sniper. As a sniper, 345 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:28,439 Speaker 1: a lot of these people. When the Russians were finally 346 00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:30,680 Speaker 1: alerted that there was one sniper out there there was 347 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:34,359 Speaker 1: causing them all these problems, they sent detachments with the 348 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:37,600 Speaker 1: specific mission of going to kill him. Find the White Death. Yeah, 349 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:39,959 Speaker 1: that's when he got the name the White Death. So 350 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,840 Speaker 1: they send, they send detachment after detachment out and he 351 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:45,440 Speaker 1: just murders every single one of them too. He killed 352 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:48,040 Speaker 1: two hundred people with a submachine gun, so that would, 353 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:50,600 Speaker 1: I guess would be like the close up fight. So 354 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:55,440 Speaker 1: seven hundred and five seven five confirmed kills in a year. 355 00:20:56,119 --> 00:20:58,879 Speaker 1: Finally somebody gets close enough to him to shoot him 356 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:01,480 Speaker 1: in the face with an explode name pullet, and it 357 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:04,240 Speaker 1: still didn't kill him. Yep, he was shot in the jaw. 358 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:07,920 Speaker 1: Rumor has it that he shot the other sniper before 359 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:11,080 Speaker 1: losing consciousness, So the guy that just shot him before 360 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:15,119 Speaker 1: he passed out, he killed him immediate retribution. And the 361 00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:17,959 Speaker 1: guy who wrote in with the best email says, unofficially 362 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:20,000 Speaker 1: he had over eight hundred kills and this was an 363 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 1: under one hundred days. It was less than a year. Wow. 364 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:25,520 Speaker 1: So he said it was just a killing machine. Think 365 00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:28,240 Speaker 1: about it. That is at least five kills per day 366 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:31,240 Speaker 1: plus two hundred kills with the World War two submachine gun. 367 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:34,879 Speaker 1: And he still didn't die. You know, he lost consciousness 368 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:37,960 Speaker 1: and woke up apparently the day World War two ended. Yeah, 369 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:41,639 Speaker 1: and he lived until So I think the White Death 370 00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:44,679 Speaker 1: I'm gonna vote for him. Oh, hands down. He is 371 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:47,240 Speaker 1: the biggest badass of World War Two. Yeah, although some 372 00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:48,879 Speaker 1: people are going to write in and say, yeah, but 373 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:51,560 Speaker 1: this was sniper stuff and Autie Murphy fought people with 374 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:54,080 Speaker 1: like a knife. And I gotta tell you, Autie Murphy 375 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 1: is to me a very close second. But the White Death, 376 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:01,119 Speaker 1: first of all, alone forty degree, he's below fahrenheight just 377 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:04,400 Speaker 1: sitting out there sniping Russians. I mean, I think he's 378 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:06,560 Speaker 1: I think he wins the award in my opinion. He does. 379 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 1: So I want to give credit where credit is due here. 380 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:13,359 Speaker 1: We want to thank carson Um from Toronto. Actually it's 381 00:22:13,359 --> 00:22:15,760 Speaker 1: a joke. I'm making a joke. He's actually from Edmonton 382 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:18,520 Speaker 1: and he said please don't say him from Toronto. And 383 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:21,040 Speaker 1: he also said something about eating heaven euros and mentioning 384 00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:23,320 Speaker 1: that so his friends would know it's really him. Okay, 385 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:28,119 Speaker 1: so Carson, we've done so. So Carson from Edmonton, Timman 386 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:31,760 Speaker 1: in New York City, Devon from Georgia, and Adrian all 387 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:34,359 Speaker 1: wrote in with White Death and I think they're actually 388 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:36,440 Speaker 1: more stuff I left you off. Yeah, I know they're definitely, 389 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:39,640 Speaker 1: don't snipe me. And also there's a really cool uh 390 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:47,040 Speaker 1: article craft dot com about Rambo or basically actual life 391 00:22:47,040 --> 00:22:52,439 Speaker 1: soldiers who Rambo looked like something or other. Yeah, um, 392 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:54,400 Speaker 1: that was worth reading. And if you want to send 393 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:57,520 Speaker 1: us an email about anything at all, White Death or otherwise, 394 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:00,920 Speaker 1: you can send that to stuff pod cats at how 395 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:08,360 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. For more on this and thousands 396 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:11,840 Speaker 1: of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com. Want 397 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 1: more how stuff works, check out our blogs on the 398 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:19,840 Speaker 1: house stuff works dot com home page. 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