Author: Lisa Mungovan

The Journal of Improbable Research awards Ig Nobel Prizes.  A team of Japanese researchers won the Biology Prize, for investigating whether cows painted with zebra-stripes, attracted less flies. Rotem Naftalovich, Daniel Naftalovich, and Frank Greenway received the Chemistry Prize, for researching the idea of adding Teflon, to increase food volume without adding calories.

It’s International Red Panda Day. Over 100 zoos worldwide will be celebrating, by creating Red Panda Rangers: children who spread the word about endangered red pandas. They are more like raccoons than pandas. Since it’s also Gymnastics Day and Dance Day, tumble and dance like a red panda. Don’t forget to shake your tail!

Today is Punch Day. No, you don’t get to punch somebody! It’s a sweet, fruity drink. Mix your own fruit punch! Make some fried rice to go with it, because it’s also Fried Rice Day. Take day-old rice, and fry it in a pan combined with diced vegetables, ginger, and soy sauce. It’s delicious!

Today is Pepperoni Pizza Day. If you want to look fancy for your pizza feast, use the Glamlite Pizza Palette. It’s a pizza-shaped makeup kit, but the pepperonis are different colored powders! You can have hot sauce and red onion eyes, or use black olive, green pepper, and mushroom for a camouflage look!

Today is Love and Friendship Day. Take the day to spend time with the special people in your life! Maybe you guys can go apple-picking, since it’s also Eat An Apple Day. Crispy Honeycrisp, tart Granny Smith, and sweet Golden Delicious, are a few of over 7500 apple varieties. What’s your favorite?

A Mishap on a New Jersey highway, resulted in a delicious mess. After two trucks collided, one spilled its load of M&M’s all over the road. No one was injured, but the road was closed for 2 hours while the candy was cleaned up. I wish they would have called me to help!

Last year, NASA did an experiment on Mars, that showed breathable oxygen can be pulled from the Martian atmosphere. The Mars Perseverance rover is still at work, and recently found mineral nodules, that may have been created with the help of microorganisms. It could be a sign, of previous life on Mars.

The Journal of Improbable Research held their 35th annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony.  Daniele Dendi, Gabriel Segniagbeto, Roger Meek, and Luca Luiselli, won the Nutrition Prize, for investigating what kind of pizza rainbow lizards prefer. A group of Italian physicists won the Physics Prize, for their quest to prevent clumping in pasta sauce.

State Parks in Virginia have special viewfinders, that help more people see the spectacular beauty of autumn leaves. The scopes allow people who have red-green Color Vision Deficiency, to see a full range of color. Around 13,000,000 Americans are red-green colorblind, so Virginia leaf-peeping season could get very busy!

R, r, r! It’s me favorite day matey! It’s Talk Like A Pirate Day! Exclaim your favorite pirate phrases, using a gruff, sea-weathered voice all day long! Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum! Except make that a bottle of butterscotch pudding, since it’s also Butterscotch Pudding Day. Now whar’s me pudding!