AIR 14-4

Annals of Improbable Research

The journal of record for inflated research and personalities

JULY|AUGUST 2008 (volume 14, number 4)
Special Colorful Research Issue

The features marked with a star (*) are based entirely on material taken straight from standard research (and other Official and Therefore Always Correct) literature. Many of the other articles are genuine, too, but we don’t know which ones.

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Contents

The features marked with a star (*) are based entirely on material taken straight from standard research (and other Official and Therefore Always Correct) literature. Many of the other articles are genuine, too, but we don’t know which ones.

Special Section: Colorful Research

6 Color Preference in the Insane* — Alice Shirrell Kaswell
8 Alchemy’s Shower of Gold* — Neil Gussman
10 Colorful Research Review* — Dirk Manley
12 Red: Bull* — Alice Shirrell Kaswell

Improbable Research

14 An Impartial Price Survey of Various Household Liquids as Compared to a Gallon of Gasoline* — B.P. Petrol
15 What’s Cooking at the Museum of Burnt Food* — Nan Swift
18 Burnt Food Research Review* — Stephen Drew
20 Forensic Adventures: Birthday Boy* — Alice Shirrell Kaswell

Improbable Research Reviews*

4 Improbable Research Review* — Dirk Manley
5 Improbable Medical Review* — Bertha Vanatian
22 Soft Is Hard* — Alice Shirrell Kaswell and Bissell Mango
24 Peer Review: Revealed Mealiness* — Siegfried Peer
27 May We Recommend* — Stephen Drew
28 Boys Will Be Boys* — Katherine Lee

News & Notes

IFC Introducing Improbable TV
2 AIR Vents (letters from our readers)
3 Improbable Research Editorial Board
13 HMO-NO News: Eye Contact!
18 Teachers’ Guide
21 AIR books
22 Ig Nobel Invitation
26 Nomenclature Quiz: Lure or Band? — Dany Adams
30 Puzzling Solutions — Emil Filterbag
30 Answers to the Quiz “Lure or Band?”
32 CARTOON: “New Neighbors” — Nick Kim
32 Back Issues
IBC Unclassified Ads

On the Front Cover

Trouble comes to the Alchemist, 17-18th century, 17th century Netherlandish. (FA 2000.001.269. Oil on canvas. Fisher Collection Chemical Heritage Foundation Collections.) Photo by Will Brown.

On the Back Cover

Ig Nobel Prize winner Jim Gundlach, co-author of the study “The Effects of Country Music on Suicide,” in Upper Oddington, England, during the 2008 Ig Nobel Tour of the UK. The tour is part of the UK’s National Science Week. Photo: Carol Gundlach.