Dung beetles orient themselves - with the stars - Expressen

They have discovered that dung beetles can orient using galaxy light.

Now they have three Lund researchers awarded the Alternative Nobel Prize IG – for research that “first make people laugh and then think.”

? We are very proud and pleased with the price, says researcher Marie Dacke.

Lund researchers Marie Dacke, Eric Warrant and Emily Baird took on Thursday received the award at the prestigious Harvard University in Boston, USA.

– a fantastic event, says Marie. The ceremony took place in a beautiful old wooden eater at the university. It gave a very academic feel, mixed with a lot of pranks.

Although IG Nobel Prize is a kind of parody of the real Nobel Prize, it is not without seriously.

– The research that is rewarded is such that at first glance may seem odd and funny, but that is essentially good and important, says Marie. So we did not think it was the least strange, or chipped, to receive this award.

The three Lund researchers are studying how small animal biological compass system works.

– And dyngbaggen is the ideal model animal. It is the only animal in the world that can orient using the Milky Way light. For the first time we have been able to show that an insect can make use of the stars. Dyngbaggen movements relate to the Milky Way’s light strand.

What can this knowledge lead to?

– First, it’s about basic research that gives us a greater understanding of our world. But the fact that animals with small sensors can extract information from the outside world might eventually help solve complex problems with very little computing power.

After resting after party in Boston returns Lund researchers home and continue studying their dung beetles.

– There is much left to explore, says Marie Dacke. We get home a batch of dung beetles twice a year as we work with.

Some other of IG Nobel Prize was psychology prize, which went to a team of researchers who ruled that drunk people really think they are sexier and more beautiful than they actually are.

Another award goes to a team that proved that “the longer a cow is lying down, the more likely that it will soon rise.”