Bras, Beer and Pandas 文胸, 啤酒和熊猫

Wacky Science with a Purpose 稀奇古怪但又有目的的科研项目

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The simple bra: something worn discreetly by women around the world, or a powerful, life-saving device?

Well, maybe both. A team in Chicago has invented a bra that can be quickly turned into a pair of gas masks – one for the wearer and one for a needy bystander.

For their troubles they’ve received one of this year’s Ig Nobel awards.

The wacky awards honour achievements that "first make people laugh and then make them think", and are handed out at Harvard University for the year’s most eccentric research.

Prizes are awarded in categories that mirror the better-known Nobel Prize, such as physics, literature and peace.

So cute... and good for the environment?

This year’s peace prize went to a Swiss research team who made a brave breakthrough in the field of bar-room brawling. The question was whether it was better to be hit on the head by an empty beer bottle or a full one. Their answer? A full one.

Winning the biology prize was a piece of unusual research involving giant pandas.

Chinese and Japanese scientists working together discovered that bacteria taken from the mammal’s faeces could be used to break downkitchen refuse. In fact it was so effective it could reduce the mass of the refuse by 90%.

Other prizes went to an American team who conducted a study into why pregnant women don’t fall over, and a British couple who found that cows with names gave more milk than cows that are nameless.

And spare a thought for the man who has been diligently cracking the knuckles on his left hand for 60 years in a quest to determine whether this contributes to arthritis.

Luckily for Donald L Unger, it didn’t, at least for him, which will hopefully make carrying home his medicine prize a little bit easier.

So, if you have an idea that sounds crazy, why not send it to us? If bras can win prizes, maybe somewhere in your wardrobe is the key to world peace.

Glossary 词汇表 (收听发音, 请单击英语单词)

• discreetly 不引人注意的不引人注意的
• life-saving device 救生器材
• gas masks防毒面罩
• needy bystander站在旁边需要帮助的人
• for their troubles看在他们努力的份上
• wacky古怪的，怪癖的
• eccentric（人，行为）古怪的，不合常规的
• mirror相对应
• breakthrough突破性发展
• bar-room brawling酒吧斗殴

• bacteria细菌
• faeces粪便
• break down分解，瓦解
• kitchen refuse厨房废物
• conducted a study做了一个研究
• mass质量
• diligently勤奋刻苦的
• cracking the knuckles扳手指关节
• determine决定，裁决
• arthritis关节炎