eyespy

This year's winner in the medicine category at the annual Ig Nobel awards was, quite literally, the dog's bollocks. Gregg Miller of Oak Grove, Missouri, won the spoof science prize for inventing “neuticles””prosthetic dog testicles, which are available in three sizes and three degrees of firmness and are intended to help dogs who might feel disgraced after being neutered. The Ig Nobel awards were founded in 1991 by science magazine editor Marc Abrahams to reward inventions that “first make people laugh and then make people think.” Other winners this year included a cure for narcolepsy called Clocky, an alarm clock with wheels that runs away and hides after it goes off, ensuring that people have to get out of bed. (www.improb.com/ig/ig-top.htm).

Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist and explainer of science, is concerned about the mind altering and addictive properties of Gerin oil (geriniol). He believes that, although low doses are mostly harmless (even serving as a social lubricant on occasions such as marriages, funerals, and ceremonies of state), larger amounts can distort perceptions of reality, cause hallucinations, and lead to delusional states. He is particularly worried by its easy availability. But those without an eye for anagrams may miss his …