Physicists may seem like serious types. But not Andre Geim, newly minted Nobel Laureate, who has a goofier title to boast as well.
His Nobel Prize in physics was awarded today, for investigating the properties of thin sheets of carbon called graphene. His Ig Nobel? For using a magnetic toy to make a frog levitate.
NewsFeed last mentioned the Ig Nobels when a scientist recently won by using remote-control helicopters to collect whale snot. A previous winner created a bra that converts into two face masks. The awards typically honor projects founded in real science that tend to just sound goofy. And the scientists tend to take it in stride, often joking and wearing silly hats during acceptance speeches.
Geim is the first individual to take home both the Nobel and the Ig Nobel. Wonder which one he’s more proud of.
See video below of Geim’s levitating frog.
(via BoingBoing)
