4-404: The Annals of Improbable Research ( AIR ) is a bimonthly magazine devoted to scientific humor, in the form of a satirical take on the standard academic journal. AIR , published six times a year since 1995, usually showcases at least one piece of scientific research being done on a strange or unexpected topic, but most of their articles concern real or fictional absurd experiments, such as
8-524: A comparison of apples and oranges using infrared spectroscopy . Other features include such things as ratings of the cafeterias at scientific institutes, fake classifieds and advertisements for a medical plan called HMO-NO, and a very odd letters page. The magazine is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts . AIR awards the annual science Ig Nobel Prizes , for ten achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think". AIR also runs
12-489: The Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists. AIR is not the first science parody magazine. The Journal of Irreproducible Results ( JIR ) was founded by Alex Kohn and Harry J. Lipkin in 1955, but its editorial staff, including editor Marc Abrahams , left after the magazine was bought by publisher George Scherr in 1994. Scherr filed a number of court actions against AIR , alleging that it
16-465: Was deceptively similar to the Journal and that it had stolen the name "Ig Nobel Prize", but these actions were unsuccessful. Occasional AIR articles are factual and illuminating, if a bit offbeat. For example, in 2003 researcher-documentary producer Nick T. Spark wrote about the background and history of Murphy's Law in a four-part article, "Why Everything You know About Murphy's Law is Wrong". It
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