Swiss biotechnologist Pia Viviani (L) and Swiss professor Marcel van der Heijden poses ahead of the 2026 Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony in Zurich on September 3, 2026. They were awarded with their team with the Ig Nobel Soil Science "for burying 1000 identical pairs of underpants in more than 25 countries, and then digging them up after two months". The Ig Nobel Prize is a parody of the Nobel Prize, which is awarded every autumn to celebrate ten unusual or trivial achievements in scientific research. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images)