Farting Fish: and 49 other weird and wonderful scientific discoveries
By (Author) Alice Harman
Illustrated by Sam Wedelich
Quarto Publishing PLC
Happy Yak
26th August 2025
21st August 2025
United Kingdom
Children
Non Fiction
Childrens / Teenage general interest: Science and technology
Hardback
80
Width 290mm, Height 235mm
500g
I'm sure you've heard of the Nobel Prize, but have you heard of the Ig Nobel Prize Every year, this prize celebrates unusual areas of research that first make people laugh, and then make them think. The founder of the awards says: "The prizes are intended to celebrate the unusual, honour the imaginative, and spur people's interest in science, medicine and technology". In this brilliantly funny, fully illustrated non-fiction book, we celebrate 50 of the funniest, silliest and most interesting winners of the Ig Nobel Prize, including:
the discovery that herrings communicate by farting (and why that almost caused a world war!)
research into the chemical compounds responsible for smelly feet
a rigorous analysis of soggy breakfast cereal
an automatic dog-to-human language translation device
the invention of fart-proof underwear
a method of collecting whale snot using remote-control helicopters.
Each entry includes a Top Trumps-style card with ratings such as "silliness factor", "usefulness", "gross factor", and more. Kids and grown-ups alike will love sharing the amazing facts they've discovered.
Alice Harman is an experienced writer and editor, specialising in children's books. She has worked on several bestselling and award-winning books and loves diving into all sorts of subjects, from art and science to history and global issues.Sam Wedelich is an author, illustrator, speaker, and cartoonist based in Nyack, NY.