A team of researchers behind an experiment that involved hanging rhinoceroses upside-down, suspended in the air by their feet, has been awarded an Ig Nobel Prize.
The spoof accolade borrows its name from, but is not connected with, the world-famous Nobel Prize.
Created by the science magazine Annals of Improbable Research, the annual Ig Nobel Prize has been running since 1991.
It honors curious and "imaginative" discoveries and, like the original, has its own popular following.
The winning team of researchers, from Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Brazil, the U.K. and the U.S., were attempting to see whether rhinos could be more safely transported when airlifted if they were suspended upside down.
As part of the experiment, led by Robin Radcliffe, a senior lecturer in wildlife and conservation medicine at Cornell University, the team sedated 12 black rhinoceroses in Namibia using aerial darts, bound their legs, and suspended them. They then measured their biomarkers for respiration and ventilation.
While the research method may sound bizarre, the findings of the experiment had important implications for conservation efforts.
Rhinos are often moved, usually by road but sometimes by air, around different parts of the African savannah to ensure the species maintains a diverse gene pool.
Conservationists have been using helicopters to move sedated rhinos across inaccessible terrain for about a decade -- either placing them on their side a stretcher attached to the aircraft or hanging them upside down by their legs.
But until now little was known about which transportation method was better for rhino well-being.
Speaking to CNN about the experiment earlier this year, Radcliffe, the lead researcher, said the team had assumed hanging rhinos upside down in transit would be worse for their welfare and were surprised to learn the opposite was true.
The rhinos were found to have higher blood oxygen levels when suspended upside down.
"We were anticipating that the rhinos would fare worse hanging upside down," he said at the time.
The study, which was published in January in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases, began in 2015 and involved 12 rhinos weighing between 1,770 and 2,720 pounds each.
Among the other scientists honored this year were a group of researchers who looked into the bacteria that live on discarded chewing gum on sidewalks, and researchers who discovered orgasms can clear nasal congestion in humans.
Last year, the Ig Nobel Prize was given to a team of Austrian and Japanese scientists who put an alligator in a helium-filled box and made it make noises.
Another experiment, which found that narcissists can be identified by their eyebrows, was also honoured.
Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.
In an interview with CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos, airing Sunday, Cohen said that despite the failed attempt at a pause, he still believes a ceasefire is possible.
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U.S. Air Force hurricane hunters have confirmed that Milton has rapidly intensified into a hurricane as it moves toward Florida, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Ontario Provincial Police say a man has died after striking obstacles on the St. Lawrence River while driving a personal watercraft.
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As a junior at George Washington University, Ty Lindia meets new students every day. But with the shadow of the Israel-Hamas war hanging over the Washington, D.C., campus, where everyone has a political opinion, each new encounter is fraught.
New data raises questions about the drinks people consume and the potential risks associated with them, according to researchers at Galway University in Ireland, in partnership with Hamilton’s McMaster University.
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Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.
Some Manitobans are cleaning up Sunday morning, after intense winds barreled through southern parts of the province Saturday.
A gargantuan gourd – affectionately named ‘Orangina’ by the urban gardeners who grew it in the front yard of their Vancouver home – earned the massive honour of being named B.C.’s heaviest giant pumpkin Saturday.
Ontario Provincial Police say a man has died after striking obstacles on the St. Lawrence River while driving a personal watercraft.
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New data from the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) shows that even though claims for auto theft dropped in the first half of 2024 compared to their 2023 peak, the rates of reported theft remain well above those of years prior.
As a junior at George Washington University, Ty Lindia meets new students every day. But with the shadow of the Israel-Hamas war hanging over the Washington, D.C., campus, where everyone has a political opinion, each new encounter is fraught.
Donald Trump's fourth scheduled stop in eight days in Wisconsin is a sign of his increased attention as Republicans fret about the former president's ability to match the Democrats' enthusiasm and turnout machine.
It was a year ago when Jomana Siddiqui visited Lebanon, where her father was born — and is now buried. She planned to return there soon; this time, she thought, she would take her two teenage daughters.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff quit on Sunday, citing concerns that growing news reports about her role 'risked becoming a distraction to the government.'
Being an armchair detective has turned into an American obsession, fueled by an abundance of true-crime content in podcasts and television series. But some of those projects have sparked actual legal developments.
A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her decided on Friday to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes.
In an interview with CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos, airing Sunday, Cohen said that despite the failed attempt at a pause, he still believes a ceasefire is possible.
On Saturday, tensions rose again between Quebec and Ottawa at the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) political conference in Saint-Hyacinthe.
NDP House Leader Peter Julian says the Bloc Quebecois has not initiated conversations with his party to potentially bring down the minority Trudeau government, as Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has threatened.
Rwandan health authorities will begin a vaccine study against the Marburg hemorrhagic fever, officials said Sunday, as the East African country tries to stop the spread of an outbreak that has killed 12 people.
Bruzzese came down with COVID-19 in February 2023, and received her injection at the end of March. “Being able to recognize smells is something we take for granted, until you can’t.”
New data raises questions about the drinks people consume and the potential risks associated with them, according to researchers at Galway University in Ireland, in partnership with Hamilton’s McMaster University.
Scientists announced on Thursday a milestone in neurobiological research with the mapping of the entire brain of an adult fruit fly, a feat that may provide insight into brains across the animal kingdom, including people.
For humans, flashing a smile is an easy way to avoid misunderstanding. And, according to a new study, bottlenose dolphins may use a similar tactic while playing with each other.
Alphabet's Google is testing showing check marks next to certain companies on its search results, a company spokesperson said on Friday, in a move aimed at helping users identify verified sources and steer clear of fake websites.
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Hollywood star Keanu Reeves made his professional auto racing debut on Saturday in an event in which 'The Matrix' star spun out at famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Yugali Bharote starts her day in the kitchen, preparing lunch boxes for her sons bound for school – but she doesn’t stop there. She then prepares almost a dozen lunch boxes for customers who have subscribed to her homemade meals.
Dubai's Emirates airline has banned pagers and walkie-talkies from its planes, following last month's attacks on such devices carried by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
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Vanderbilt takes down AP poll No. 1 Alabama 40-35 in historic college football victory.
Avry Wortman, 13, scored two touchdowns on Sunday during her team's win in the under 14 Greater Moncton Football Association.
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Tesla is recalling more than 27,000 Cybertrucks because the rearview camera image may not activate immediately after shifting into reverse, the fifth recall for the vehicle since it went on sale late last year.
A Pickering, Ont., student going to college to be a mechanic is shocked the engine in his two-year-old car will not be repaired under warranty after the dealership claimed he had been 'over-revving' the engine.
Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.
Bubi’s Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.
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Avry Wortman, 13, scored two touchdowns on Sunday during her team's win in the under 14 Greater Moncton Football Association.
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The calculus of predicting an election and identifying its key battlegrounds is complex enough in any race, but observers of the British Columbia poll this month are facing a pair of unknown quantities that make the math even more confounding.
A gargantuan gourd – affectionately named ‘Orangina’ by the urban gardeners who grew it in the front yard of their Vancouver home – earned the massive honour of being named B.C.’s heaviest giant pumpkin Saturday.
The Archbishop of Toronto is among 21 new cardinals Pope Francis named Sunday and the lone new cardinal from North America.
There will be more subway service, bus routes and streetcar stops in Toronto, as the TTC has completed construction and increased its service.
Police are investigating after a suspicious fire broke out inside an Oshawa townhouse Sunday morning.
An investigation is underway after a collision that took place on Deerfoot Trail early Saturday evening.
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Nanton RCMP are on scene Sunday morning at a serious single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Highway 533 and Range Road 118.
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The annual RBC Race for Kids raised $830,000 in support of a historic redevelopment for eastern Ontario's largest children's hospital.
Alexandre Look, a 33-year-old Montreal native, was among the concertgoers who were murdered a year ago Monday at the Supernova music festival during a brutal assault on Israel carried out by Hamas militants. He is among at least eight people, either Canadian citizens or with ties to Canada, who died during the Oct. 7 attacks.
Police released the identities of the mother and daughter who were killed after a fire tore through a 160-year-old building in Old Montreal on Friday.
A stranger surprised a Montreal family with a plaque honouring their brother at the site where he drowned 50 years ago.
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Highway 39 near Warburg was closed Saturday after a serious crash involving a motorcycle and a van.
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RCMP in Sussex, N.B., are asking the public for help locating a missing 61-year-old woman from Wards Creek, N.B.
A broken wastewater pipe has prompted Halifax Water to ask Quinpool area residents to reduce water usage while crews make repairs Sunday.
The eight sons of Richard and Sarah Harvie from Gormanville, N.S., are believed to be the most siblings from one family, from either North America or the British Commonwealth, to serve in World War II.
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Saskatchewan's two major political parties made campaign stops in Moose Jaw Saturday with both promising to invest into the city if elected on Oct. 28.
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According to police, officers responded to reports of a stabbing in the area of Victoria Street North and St. Ledger Street around 5:30 a.m. Sunday.
The Huron Ontario Provincial Police said they responded to a “downed airplane” just after 11 a.m. Saturday.
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A permanent memorial at the site of the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash is about to be a step closer.
Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.
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Hundreds of people are gathering today in cities across Canada to remember the victims of Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the hostages that have still not yet made it home.
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OPP are seeking assistance in their search for a 30-year-old man last seen in Orillia.
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Provincial police are investigating a collision along Highway 400 in Tay Township Friday afternoon.
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The Windsor Lancers dropped their first OUA football game of the season 45-40 Saturday in Guelph.
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