Overview

• The Ig Nobel organizers announced the Biology award on September 18, recognizing Tomoki Kojima and his team at Japan’s National Agriculture and Food Research Organization.
• The study reported that zebra-like striping on black Wagyu made the animals less attractive to blood-sucking flies such as Stomoxys.
• Researchers applied white paint in stripe patterns, and images released by the Aichi Prefectural Agricultural Research Center document the experimental setup.
• Kojima said he was very surprised and honored to receive the prize.
• Coverage notes potential livestock benefits because fly harassment reduces feeding and rest, impedes weight gain and milk production, and drives economic losses, while Japan’s Ig Nobel winning streak now stands at 19 consecutive years.