Ig Nobel Prize awarded to the team that hung rhinos upside down

As part of the experiment, led by Robin Radcliffe, senior lecturer in wildlife and conservation medicine at Cornell University, the team put 12 black rhinos in Namibia to sleep using aerial darts, their tied the legs and hung them up. They then measured their biomarkers for respiration and ventilation.

While the research method may seem bizarre, the results of the experiment have had important implications for conservation efforts.

An important discovery for conservation

Rhinos are often moved, usually by road but sometimes by air, to different parts of the African savannah to ensure that the species maintains a diverse gene pool.

Environmentalists are using helicopters to move sedated rhinos over terrain that has been inaccessible for about a decade – either by placing them on the side of a stretcher attached to the plane or hanging them upside down by the legs.

But until now, it was not clear which method of transport was best for the welfare of rhinos.

Speaking to CNN about the experiment earlier this year, lead researcher Radcliffe said the team speculated that hanging rhinos upside down during transport would be worse for their well-being and a was surprised to learn that the opposite was true.

Rhinos were found to have higher blood oxygen levels when hung upside down.

“We expected rhinos to do worse upside down,” he said at the time.

Other scientists honored this year were a group of researchers who looked at the bacteria that live on chewing gum thrown on sidewalks, and researchers who found that orgasms can clear nasal congestion in humans.

Last year, the Ig Nobel Prize was awarded to a team of scientists from Austria and Japan who put an alligator in a box filled with helium and made it make noise.

Another experience, which found that narcissists can be identified by their eyebrows, was also honored.