Researchers have recently uncovered intriguing findings about the lighter side of science, including some unexpected winners of the 2026 Ig Nobel prizes. From unusual studies featuring buried underpants to quirky redefinitions of kissing, these awards highlight the humor in scientific exploration.
For more information, check out the following articles:
Buried underpants and a new definition of kissing win 2026 Ig Nobel prizes Nature (Dr. Kevin)
A Brief History of Women’s Underwear JSTOR (Micael T)
Someone filmed bats upside down and it looks like a goth night club 🦇 pic.twitter.com/cOMMcQVjI1
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) September 3, 2026
Pre-Greek: The lost language hidden within Ancient Greek Daniel Hieber (Micael T)
From the Mushroom Kingdom to Haussmannian Paris Courtyard Urbanist (Micael T)
The ‘Gen Z stare’ — and the decline of saying things out loud Washington Post
Burning Man has become a wrinkled sausage fest of aging millennial men, data shows New York Post.
resilc: “I made it 3 days in 2007. Waaaay overrated.”
The difficulty of the Guardian Crossword, 1930 to 2026 Chris Wheadon (Micael T)
MIT, autumn 2011. Four years before his death, an eighty-four-year-old man explained, on camera, why the self you feel yourself to be is an illusion built out of stupid parts. Then he showed you which ones.
Marvin Minsky co-founded the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in… pic.twitter.com/bOtACI5E4K
— Onryx (@onryxxx) September 3, 2026
Climate/Environment
Just bury your trash Works in Progress (Micael T)
Sick sea lions signal rising toxin risk along California coast NBC Bay Area
🚨 ERA5 just checked in with the hottest August on record globally.
August 2026 averaged an astonishing 1.65°C above the preindustrial average—easily eclipsing the previous August record set in 2024 and blowing past the IPCC’s “safe” 1.5°C warming threshold.
Another… https://t.co/stvAZvqCKY
— The Global Warmer🔥 (@TheGlobalWarmer) September 2, 2026
<p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/02/global-heating-warming-1-8c-best-case-scenario-un-united-nations-environment-programme-report" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Global heating will hit at least 1.8°C, UN warns, and there are ‘no good outcomes’</a> Guardian </p> <p> <a href="https://geographical.co.uk/climate-change/how-wildfires-could-push-the-climate-crisis-beyond-repair" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How wildfires could push the climate crisis beyond repair</a> Geographical </p> <p> <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/1/how-wildfires-are-scorching-frances-wine-industry" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How wildfires are scorching France’s wine industry</a> Aljazeera </p> <p> <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/climate-shocks-hit-eu-maize-101557944.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Climate shocks hit EU maize heartland in Hungary and Romania</a> Yahoo </p> <p> <a href="https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/uk/news/catastrophe/july-storms-cost-european-insurers-2-2-billion-perils-says-588065.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">July storms cost European insurers €2.2 billion, PERILS says</a> Insurance Business </p> <p> <a href="https://timesofmalta.com/article/sea-temperatures-smash-record-expert-warns-fuel-violent-storms.1133514" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sea temperatures smash record, expert warns it could fuel violent storms</a> Times of Malta </p> <p> <a href="https://gulfnews.com/world/rare-train-of-pacific-cyclones-fueled-by-historic-el-nino-1.500661330" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rare ‘train’ of Pacific cyclones fueled by historic El Nino</a> Gulf News </p>
Water
Nepal flood disaster exposes cascading threats in Himalayas SciDevNet
China?
China lashes back at US over G20 row ahead of Xi-Trump summit Financial Times
China’s Real Estate System Is Failing || Peter Zeihan YouTube
The Western Narrative v. The People of Hong Kong The Escalator (Micael T)
Japan
Japan’s borrowing costs hit 30-year high: what does it mean for global markets? Financial Times
Japan splurges on submarine-launched hypersonic missiles Telegraph
India
Africa
Foreigners fueling Sudan war: UN Taipei Times
Shady surgeons and Nigeria organ harvesting France24
Senegal Begins Countdown to Africa’s First Default Since 2023 Streamline
South of the Border
Venezuela’s Debt: Who Owes What to Whom Under US Neocolonial Tutelage? CADTM (Micael T)
The Fall of Brazil’s Tyrannical Judge May Be Imminent: Moraes and His Sleaze Are Exposed Glenn Greenwald
European Disunion
Trump welcomes Russia back to the G20. Europe isn’t having it Politico
US officials protest to Germany over currency intervention criticism at heated G20 meeting Crypto Briefing
Strack-Zimmermann: “Throw the Russians out of the country” – No, out with the warmongers! Nachdenkseiten
via machine translation. Micael T: “JFC! This lady is insane but she is also a symptom. She could brainfart this only if her surrounding wouldn’t disapprove. Germany is going insane for real. And maybe go extinct too.”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">The upcoming election in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, on Sunday, is about to cause one of the biggest political earthquakes in recent German history, and the shockwaves will be heard all across Europe.</p> <p>The AfD is currently leading the polls by a huge margin, and indeed… <a href="https://t.co/ySpqJ0npu4" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/ySpqJ0npu4</a></p> <p>— Thomas Fazi (@battleforeurope) <a href="https://x.com/battleforeurope/status/2095786767655825615?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">September 4, 2026</a></p> </blockquote> <p> <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/31/why-the-2022-nord-stream-bombings-muddle-berlin-kyiv-ties" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nord Stream bombings put Ukraine’s ties with Germany under pressure</a> Aljazeera </p> <p> <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/2/thousands-protest-in-spain-as-ceutas-migrant-crisis-festers-a-month-on" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thousands protest in Spain as Ceuta’s migration crisis festers a month on</a> Aljazeera </p> <p> <a href="https://www.compactmag.com/article/why-iceland-said-no-to-europe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Why Iceland Said No to Europe</a> Thomas Fazi </p> <p> <a href="https://tvpworld.com/95214633/eu-to-unveil-200m-greenland-package-amid-arctic-race" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">EU courts Greenland with €200 million as Arctic rivalry sharpens</a> TVP World </p> <p> <a href="https://www-expressen-se.translate.goog/nyheter/politik/s-politiker-plockade-ut-vinst--hvb-boenden-kritiserades/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">S politicians took advantage – HVB housing was criticized</a> Expressen <span>via machine translation. Micael T: </span> <blockquote> <p>HVB = Homes for care or residence (HVB).</p> <p>The neoliberal rot in the Social Democrats of Sweden, the party of Olof Palme who made Sweden the most equal country on earth before being shot.</p> </blockquote> </p>
Old Blighty
Exclusive: Nigel Farage filmed undercover celebrating secret new foreign donations Channel 4
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is deeply wrong.</p> <p>George Galloway is a former elected MP who has spent decades in public life, including as an outspoken advocate for diplomacy and peace across Europe and the world.</p> <p>Whatever your opinion of his politics, a bank account should not become a tool for… <a href="https://t.co/SYcv2FT7M3" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://t.co/SYcv2FT7M3</a></p> <p>— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) <a href="https://x.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/2095823623629971624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">September 4, 2026</a></p> </blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">@metpoliceuk are bringing the evils of Zionism into the home of an octogenarian Quaker minister opposing genocide because ‘orders’. <a href="https://t.co/5PrQh8hIG9" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://t.co/5PrQh8hIG9</a></p> <p>— Kathleen Tyson (@Kathleen_Tyson_) <a href="https://x.com/Kathleen_Tyson_/status/2095786932043231576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">September 4, 2026</a></p> </blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">In 1939, the British killed 750,000 of their own cats and dogs, roughly a quarter of all pets in England.</p> <p>When WWII began, a British government agency advised people to euthanize their pets. And they did it, in huge waves! Some even bought special guns to do it at home <a href="https://t.co/THrWOzQ3Sy" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/THrWOzQ3Sy</a></p> <p>— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) <a href="https://x.com/RWApodcast/status/2095247700715262241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">September 2, 2026</a></p> </blockquote>
Israel v. The Resistance
Lebanon–Israel tensions escalate as Gaza sees major aid delivery UN
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Americans truly haven’t reckoned with the fact that about 30% of the population in our country are the moral equivalent of nazis <a href="https://t.co/1AGrlG4GFH" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://t.co/1AGrlG4GFH</a></p> <p>— Secular Talk (KyleKulinskiShow@bsky.social) (@KyleKulinski) <a href="https://x.com/KyleKulinski/status/2094939246557593658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">September 2, 2026</a></p> </blockquote> <p> <a href="https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hyhnpnrufx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Israel-Turkey backchannel dries up; Erdogan turns up heat on Greece: ‘They would hear us’</a> Ynet </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Love it or hate it, but let's at least be honest about what HR 4795 – the Orwellian-named "Protect Economic & Academic Freedom Act of 2026" [more rightly called the "Protect & Promote Israel/Settlements At the Expense of US Education & Free Speech Act"] is/does:</p> <p>4 key points 🧵</p> <p>— Lara Friedman (@LaraFriedmanDC) <a href="https://x.com/LaraFriedmanDC/status/2095514668819206481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">September 3, 2026</a></p> </blockquote>
Iran War
‘There was blood everywhere’: Survivors recount US strike on wedding in Iran Middle East Eye
* * * Trump says US may hit Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain soon Arab News
Blasts heard near Iran’s oil hub Kharg Island amid reported US strikes Times of Israel
Iran war live: Iranian oil tanker reported hit by missiles off Kharg island Aljazeera
Pentagon investigators have polygraphed 50 Joint Staff members over Iran war leaks, including about how the Iran war has created a shortage of crucial munitions, according to The New York Times.
<p> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-99nnD3Cd4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">W*T*H: The Siege of the Strait – Are Iranian Tankers the Next Front?</a> Sal Mercogliano, YouTube </p> <p> <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-prepares-hormuz-military-deployment-media-reports-say-2026-09-03/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">South Korea reviewing military options for Hormuz, no decision made, official says</a> Reuters </p> <center>* * *</center> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: New US intelligence warns that Iran can keep the US trapped in this war for months, and may be planning a significant escalation to turn the mounting economic and political costs against Trump, per NYT.</p> <p>The new intelligence states that Iran believes the US military…</p> <p>— The Hormuz Letter (@HormuzLetter) <a href="https://x.com/HormuzLetter/status/2096171157003084208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">September 5, 2026</a></p> </blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Following Iran’s pre-emptive attack on Jordan, just moments ago, Iranian channels are now sharing this video of this morning’s speech by Iran’s military spokesperson. </p> <p>He says Iran’s military doctrine has shifted since the 12-Day War toward preemptive strikes. </p> <p>Iran will from now on… <a href="https://t.co/Y9o0o5nYz0" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://t.co/Y9o0o5nYz0</a> <a href="https://t.co/EA4mNI8CPi" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/EA4mNI8CPi</a></p> <p>— Arya Yadegaar (@AryJeayBackup) <a href="https://x.com/AryJeayBackup/status/2095922842260922460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">September 4, 2026</a></p> </blockquote> <p> <a href="https://www.press.co.nz/world-news/361073549/iran-threatens-critical-cyberattacks-us-energy-and-water-supplies" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Iran threatens ‘critical’ cyberattacks on US energy and water supplies</a> The Press </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">US and European allies pressuring IAEA board to report Iran to UN Security Council for first time in two decades<br/>——<br/>According to a Reuters report citing diplomatic sources and draft resolution texts, the US, Britain, France, and Germany are spearheading a move to push the… <a href="https://t.co/EoToDHpWAh" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/EoToDHpWAh</a></p> <p>— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) <a href="https://x.com/TheCradleMedia/status/2096147158810452436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">September 5, 2026</a></p> </blockquote> <p> <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/9/4/iran-war-live-us-rules-out-iran-talks-until-ship-attacks-stop" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">US rules out Iran talks until ship attacks stop</a> Aljazeera. <span>The gaslighting, it burns.</span> </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trump sanctioned Golden Global Yatırım Bankası today. </p> <p>It is not a large institution, but it is the ideal message to the Turks.</p> <p>The message is simple: get in Israel’s way and we will dismantle your financial and economic system with sanctions and more sanctions.</p> <p>Why is there…</p> <p>— Patricia Marins (@pati_marins64) <a href="https://x.com/pati_marins64/status/2095944939674976614?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">September 4, 2026</a></p> </blockquote> <center>* * *</center> <p> <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/4/houthi-attacks-on-yemens-taiz-escalate-triggering-new-displacement-wave" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Houthi attacks on Yemen’s Taiz escalate, triggering new displacement wave</a> Aljazeera </p>
Syraqistan
The Kurds and Kurdistan: How History Left 35 Million People Without a Country Skeptic.
Micael T: “He forgets to elaborate on the infighting between corrupt clan-leaders who sell themselves and the people to any foreign power.”
New Not-So-Cold War
New Black Sea blockade fuels fears of food crisis and migration wave Euronews
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Russian embassy in Berlin has stated that from this point forward, facilities in Germany that house long-range systems will be considered legitimate targets. <a href="https://t.co/uosH86IFEc" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/uosH86IFEc</a></p> <p>— 𝕊𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕻𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤 (@SprinterPress) <a href="https://x.com/SprinterPress/status/2095946724040638677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">September 4, 2026</a></p> </blockquote> <p> <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/3/ukraine-targets-russias-space-programme-as-war-intensifies" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ukraine takes the war to Russia’s space programme in tactical shift</a> Aljazeera </p> <p> <a href="https://www-hintergrund-de.translate.goog/globales/kriege/ostfronttuechtigmachung/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Eastern Front readiness</a> Hintergrund <span>via machine translation (Micael T)</span> </p> <p> <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/news/denmark-reveals-russian-plans-for-sabotage-against-defence-companies/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Denmark reveals Russian plans for sabotage against defence companies</a> Euractiv </p> <p> <a href="https://bmanalysis.substack.com/p/the-geopolitical-trap-structural" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Geopolitical Trap: Structural Incentives Prolonging the War in Ukraine</a> Black Mountain Analysis (Micael T) </p> <p> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-special-forces-units-clashed-downtonw-shootout-gur-sbu-2026-9" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ukrainian special forces units clashed with each other in a bitter downtown Kyiv shootout</a> Business Insider </p>
Imperial Collapse Watch
Are Central Banks Moving Out of Dollar Assets? Liberty Street Economics.
Money quote: “From the perspective of the cross section of countries holding dollar assets, the dollar’s status in official portfolios is largely intact.”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Alarming State of US Missile Reserves</p> <p>The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which is closely linked to the Pentagon, refuted false claims made by Trump and Hegseth, and warned about the danger of a significant reduction in US interceptor and strategic weapon… <a href="https://t.co/oBfbVsYe3p" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/oBfbVsYe3p</a></p> <p>— 𝕊𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕻𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤 (@SprinterPress) <a href="https://x.com/SprinterPress/status/2095946863228707094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">September 4, 2026</a></p> </blockquote>
Trump 2.0
Judge raises ‘meritless re-prosecution’ in Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool hearing The Hill
Maria Bartiromo was completely iced out at Fox News in weeks before her firing, report claims, after she allegedly shared internal memo with White House Daily Mail (Li).
Shows that some Trump utterances had become too much for Fox. I am told she was paid $5 million a year, but that may not be the most current figure.
GOP Clown Car
Ken Paxton’s Financial Disclosures Appear to Violate Federal Ethics Law, Experts Say ProPublica
Democrats Suck
ICYMI: Mehdi’s No-Holds-Barred Sit-Down With Hunter Biden Zeteo
BOMBSHELL Report on Senator John Fetterman STUNS Young Turks, YouTube
Our No Longer Free Press
The Overton Window is a Really Dumb Concept Eugyppius (Micael T)
Economy
Hormuz Disruptions Could Drag Into Next Year, Japanese Tanker Giant Warns OilPrice
US diesel prices hit a record high at $5.85 on average Associated Press (resilc)
Europe’s diesel premium just broke $100 a barrel, and logistics budgets will feel it first MarketScale
Reopening Is Not Restarting: Why Gulf Oil Won’t Come Back When the Strait Does Larry Johnson.
I have to clear my throat. This statement, “There is a comforting assumption buried in nearly every oil forecast on the market right now: that the day the Strait of Hormuz reopens, the Persian Gulf’s missing barrels come flooding back, prices normalize, and the shock is over.” is false. Exxon. Chevron, and even more important Saudi Aramco (not just on its House of Saudi site but in analyst meetings) have said loudly and clearly otherwise, that it will take a long time for transits and supply to return to an approximate of status quo ante, and that may never happen, along with credible independent analysts like Arthur Berman, Chris Martenson, Rory Johnson, and Jeff Currie. I am too time-pressed to search but I am confident that OilPrice has run the occasional piece saying as much. Jeff Currie has also said the oil traders are saying their models are incredibly bullish, but they are afraid to go long due to the short-term cost of being whipsawed by Trump jawboning.Mongolia faces a fuel shortage despite its Russian exemption Energy News.
A canary in the coal mine. Acute problems tend to surface first in the periphery.FAO Food Price Index rises in August amid broad-based increases, led by sugar FAO
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">US LABOR AUG NONFARM PAYROLLS +162K; CONSENSUS +53K</p> <p>— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) <a href="https://x.com/DeItaone/status/2095851961547395244?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">September 4, 2026</a></p> </blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: The 60+ day delinquency rate on US subprime auto loans is up to ~5.2%, the highest on record.</p> <p>This figure has more than doubled over the last 4 years.</p> <p>Serious delinquency rates on subprime auto loans are now ~1.7 percentage points above their 2008 Financial Crisis… <a href="https://t.co/7T5fOEiTtr" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/7T5fOEiTtr</a></p> <p>— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) <a href="https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2095325000832082392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">September 3, 2026</a></p> </blockquote>
Mr. Market is Moody
The inflation genie could be out of the bottle — and bond markets are sounding the alarm CNBC
France sells bonds at highest rate since 2008 amid deficit worries France24
AI
Pause OpenAI, now Gary Marcus. Important.
Hyperscalers’ $1.3 Trillion ‘Shadow Debt’ — The Hidden Side of Sustained AI Investment BigGo Finance
THE GRID CANNOT SEE THE CLOUD Shanaka Anslem Perera
A humanoid sales robot turns on a customer Instagram (Micael T)
The Bezzle
Tesla’s “autonomous” era begins (with humans) Caleb Ecarna.
Car looks like an uglified Corvette.MS-Stink Never Ends Joe Costello
Guillotine Watch
Billionaire wealth reaches $15.1 trillion in 2025: Altrata report CNBC
Class Warfare
The red-greens’ multi-million-dollar welfare gains Expressen
via machine translation. Micael T: “60-80% of the Swedish population are against profits for the privatized parts of the welfare state. No political party work for it in Sweden. Here is why.”We have gone from a healthy occupation to a risk occupation Vi Lärare
via machine translation. Micael T: “The headline in the article is poorly translated by Google because he makes a pun in Swedish. A story about the hell of being a teacher in the privatized school system in Sweden.”
Antidote du jour (via):
And a bonus (Chuck L):
Simone l’ours visite cette propriété avec sa famille depuis 2017.
Au fil des années, elle est devenue un visage familier, voyant souvent le propriétaire dehors sans jamais être dérangée ou chassée.
Mais cette visite était vraiment spéciale.
Simone est arrivée avec sa toute… pic.twitter.com/icQ7LcvNLB— 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚𝒏𝒆 𝑳 🇫🇷 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 (@TKouilou) September 4, 2026
A second bonus (Robin K):
In 1989, a pelican named Katta-kun began going to a kindergarten in Japan where it played and interacted with the children as if it were one of them. pic.twitter.com/h6eqRIYQa0
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) September 3, 2026
And a third (Robin K):
Leaving empty shells on the beach.
And a bunch of hermit crabs immediately upgrade their homes.
[📹 maketheswitch4nature_] pic.twitter.com/yQJ0r9Vj26
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) September 3, 2026
To explore more on the latest events, see yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
