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This is Improbable

Cheese String Theory, Magnetic Chickens and Other WTF Research

Published by Oneworld Publications
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

Laugh out loud and then think seriously about these outlandish scientific studies

Marc Abrahams, the mind behind the internationally renowned Ig Nobel Prizes, is on a mission: to gather the bizarre, the questionable, the brilliant, the downright funny, the profound – everything improbable – from the annals of science research.



What’s the best way to slice a ham sandwich, mathematically?

What makes Bobs look especially Bob-like?

Is the right or left ear better at discerning lies?

Could mice be outfitted with parachutes to kill tree snakes?

About The Author

Marc Abrahams writes the 'Improbable Research' column for the Guardian and is the author of This Is Improbable (978-1-85168-975-0). He is editor of the science humour magazine Annals of Improbable Research and founder of the Ig Nobel Prizes, which are presented annually at Harvard. Abrahams and the Igs have been covered by the BBC, New Scientist, Daily Mail, The Times, and numerous other outlets internationally. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Oneworld Publications (September 1, 2012)
  • Length: 320 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781780741147

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Raves and Reviews

Delightful... a pleasure to read in the bathroom and in the bedroom, and the kind of book that makes you seem smarter when you share it with friends (just make sure you wash your hands first). --Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational

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