At the 2026 Ig Nobel ceremony in Zurich, the medicine prize went to Takuji Unno's 1977 study of the aerodynamics of nose blowing. Euronews and RAC1 report an association between faster expiratory thrust and more efficient mucus removal. The reports present this as the awarded research finding, not clinical advice.
Euronews reports that the 36th Ig Nobel ceremony was held in Zurich, the first time the event took place in Europe rather than the United States. The awards highlight research that first makes people laugh and then think. This year's subjects included kissing, urinal splash and nose blowing; the medicine prize focused on Takuji Unno's older aerodynamic study.[1]
According to Euronews and RAC1, the prize went to Unno for a 1977 study on the aerodynamics of nose blowing. Euronews reports that faster expiratory thrust was linked with more efficient mucus removal. RAC1 also identifies the work as research by a Japanese group on how people blow their noses.[1], [2]
The common point in both reports is that the result belongs to award-winning research measuring an everyday behaviour. Euronews does not present it as clinical advice. RAC1's reported ear, nose and throat specialist comment discusses applying force through one nostril and then the other; that does not turn the award story into a treatment guide. The scientific interest here is that an ordinary action carries measurable fluid dynamics.[1], [2]
