Advertisement

Improbable Research That Makes You Laugh, Then Think

21:57
Download Audio
Resume

Marc Abrahams has been called a "researcher of research." He seeks out interesting scientific work being done around the world, and writes about it for The Guardian, The Boston Globe, and the Cambridge-based Annals of Improbable Research — a magazine he co-founded. And it's the "improbable" part that's significant here, because Abrahams isn't writing about the latest breakthrough in stem-cell research or brain science. He's writing about why old men have big ears, and about how to teach a monkey to floss its teeth.

The Washington Post has called Marc Abrahams "the nation's guru of academic grunge," but Abrahams himself defines the basis of his work this way — it has to make you laugh, and then think. He's compiled this research into several books over the years, including "Why Chickens Prefer Beautiful Humans" and "This is Improbable." He's out now with a new compilation, "This is Improbable Too: Synchronized Cows, Speedy Brain Extractors, and More WTF Research."

Marc Abrahams will be speaking at the Harvard Book Store Friday.

Guest

Marc Abrahams, editor and co-founder of Annals of Improbable Research, creator of the Ig Nobel Prize and author of "This is Improbable Too: Synchronized Cows, Speedy Brain Extractors, and More WTF Research." He tweets @MarcAbrahams.

More

This article was originally published on September 03, 2014.

This segment aired on September 3, 2014.

Advertisement

More from Radio Boston

Listen Live
Close