C'est de la recherche, ça ??? - quickie 23 - e-penser

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The video provides a valuable overview of the Ig Nobel Prizes, offering both entertainment and educational insight. Benamran’s argumentation is solid: he clearly distinguishes between prizes awarded ironically (e.g., Pepsi, Benveniste) and those honoring genuine research (e.g., Dunning-Kruger, dung beetles). He supports his points with specific examples and links to primary sources, enhancing credibility. The narrative is well-structured, moving from the history of the prizes to a curated selection of winners, and finally to a discussion of the scientific value of such research. The humor is effective in engaging the audience, but it never undermines the underlying scientific content.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The video demonstrates strong scientific rigor by providing links to the actual publications for many of the discussed studies, allowing viewers to verify the claims. The sources are diverse, including peer-reviewed journals, news articles, and Wikipedia pages, which are appropriate for the context. The title ‘Is that research???’ is perfectly aligned with the content, as it challenges viewers to question the nature of scientific inquiry. The video does not shy away from acknowledging the absurdity of some studies while also highlighting their potential value, showing a balanced perspective. The inclusion of the Dunning-Kruger effect and the dung beetle navigation study exemplifies how seemingly trivial research can have significant implications.

The title 'Is that research???' perfectly matches the content, which humorously questions the scientific value of various Ig Nobel-winning studies.

8/10

The video is a well-researched overview of Ig Nobel Prize winners, with links to primary sources in the description. The presenter clearly distinguishes between ironic awards and genuine scientific studies, and provides context for each example. The information is accurate and well-sourced, though the presentation is humorous and not exhaustive.

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

• 00:00Introduction and announcement of crowdfunding success
• 02:10Introduction to the Ig Nobel Prizes and their history
• 05:001991 winners: Jacques Benveniste (water memory) and Dan Quayle (education)
• 10:001992 winners: foot odor study and crop circle creators
• 13:001993 winners: Pepsi Number Fever and Corentin Louis Kervran
• 18:001994 winners: Scientology founder and snake bite electroshock
• 25:002000 winners: Dunning-Kruger effect and Royal Navy 'bang' exercise
• 30:002003 winners: Murphy's Law, pigeon-repelling bronze, and duck necrophilia
• 35:002012-2013 winners: left-tilt Eiffel Tower, running on moon water, dung beetles and Milky Way

• Ig Nobel Prize winners list — List of all Ig Nobel Prize winners, used as reference for the video.
• 1992 Ig Nobel Medicine: Foot odor study — Publication on the chemical components of foot odor, cited for the 1992 Medicine prize.
• Pepsi Number Fever — Wikipedia article on the Pepsi promotion that led to the 1993 Peace Prize.
• Corentin Louis Kervran — French Wikipedia article on Corentin Louis Kervran, 1993 Physics Prize winner.
• 1994 Ig Nobel Medicine: Snake bite electroshock — Medical report on the ineffectiveness of electroshock for snake bites, cited for the 1994 Medicine prize.
• Unskilled and Unaware of It — Original paper on the Dunning-Kruger effect, cited for the 2000 Psychology prize.
• Royal Navy 'bang' exercise — BBC article about the Royal Navy's use of the word 'bang' instead of firing cannons, cited for the 2000 Peace Prize.
• Scrotal asymmetry in ancient statues — Study on scrotal symmetry in ancient Greek statues, cited for the 2002 Medicine prize.
• Edward A. Murphy Jr. — French Wikipedia article on Edward A. Murphy Jr., cited for the 2003 Engineering prize.
• Homosexual necrophilia in the mallard — Study on homosexual necrophilia in mallards, cited for the 2003 Biology prize.
• Brain of London taxi drivers — Study on the brains of London taxi drivers, cited for the 2003 Medicine prize.
• Chickens prefer beautiful humans — Study on chickens' preference for attractive humans, cited for the 2003 Multidisciplinary prize.
• Forces to drag sheep — Study on the forces required to drag sheep, cited for the 2003 Physics prize.
• Left tilt makes Eiffel Tower look smaller — Study on the effect of head tilt on perceived size, cited for the 2012 Psychology prize.
• Running on water on the Moon — Study on the possibility of running on water on the Moon, cited for the 2013 Physics prize.
• Dung beetles navigate by the Milky Way — Study on dung beetles using the Milky Way for orientation, cited for the 2013 Biology and Astronomy prize.
• Belarus one-armed man arrested for clapping — Article about the arrest of a one-armed man for clapping in Belarus, cited for the 2013 Peace prize.
• Chicken with stick on rear — Study on chicken gait with a stick attached, cited for the 2015 Biology prize.
• Diagnosing appendicitis with speed bumps — Study on diagnosing appendicitis by driving over speed bumps, cited for the 2015 Medical Diagnosis prize.
• Scrotal temperature symmetry in postmen — Study on scrotal temperature symmetry in postmen, cited for the 2019 Anatomy prize.
• Why scientists lick rocks — Article on why scientists lick rocks, cited for the 2023 Geology prize.
• Jamais vu study — Study on the jamais vu phenomenon, cited for the 2023 Literature prize.
• Medical study on cadavers — Study on cadavers, cited for the 2023 Medicine prize.
• Earth science study — Study on Earth science, cited for the 2023 Physics prize.

• Ig Nobel Prizes official website — Official source for the Ig Nobel Prizes, confirming the existence and details of the awards.
• Dunning-Kruger effect — Wikipedia article on the Dunning-Kruger effect, which aligns with the 2000 Psychology prize.

• Water memory — The concept of water memory, associated with Jacques Benveniste, is widely discredited by the scientific community, and the video acknowledges this by presenting it as an ironic award.

• twitch.tv