Is silly science a waste of time? As serious climate and health research faces Trump-era cuts in the USA, Ig Nobel prize winners turn odd questions into unexpected insights.
Discovered! Lizards’ favourite pizza
Cheesy: Scientists in Togo, Africa, explored how wildlife is adapting to urban life by stealing tourists' pizzas. Glossary
Nobel prize - One of a set of prizes, laid out in the will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, given each year to people who "have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
Satirical - Intended to ridicule shortcomings in society. It was once mistakenly thought to derive from the ancient Greek "satyr" plays about creatures that were half-man, half-goat.
Pesticide - A substance used for destroying insects or other organisms.
Ethanol - Often simply called alcohol, a colourless liquid created by fermenting sugars.
Echolocate - A process through which animals such as bats find their way in the dark by producing sound waves that echo off surfaces.
Posthumously - After death. It derives from two Latin words meaning after and ground.
Cacio e pepe - A pasta dish from Italy containing pecorino romano cheese and black pepper.