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Annals of Improbable Research
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p><i>AIR</i> is not the first science parody magazine. The <i><a href="/facts/Journal_of_Irreproducible_Results/zNtdTnNs">Journal of Irreproducible Results</a></i> (<i>JIR</i>) was founded by Alex Kohn and <a href="/facts/Harry_J._Lipkin/8WrCcIvC">Harry J. Lipkin</a> in 1955, but its editorial staff, including editor <a href="/facts/Marc_Abrahams/QSvbSFIb">Marc Abrahams</a>, left after the magazine was bought by publisher George Scherr in 1994. Scherr filed a number of court actions against <i>AIR</i>, alleging that it was deceptively similar to the <i>Journal</i> and that it had stolen the name "Ig Nobel Prize", but these actions were unsuccessful. </p> <h2 id="profile">Profile</h2> <p>Occasional <i>AIR</i> articles are factual and illuminating, if a bit offbeat. For example, in 2003 researcher-documentary producer <a href="/facts/Nick_T._Spark/j9XG7drd">Nick T. Spark</a> wrote about the background and history of <a href="/facts/Murphy%2527s_Law/nlMFkH9v">Murphy's Law</a> in a four-part article, "Why Everything You know About Murphy's Law is Wrong".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> It was revised, expanded and later published in June 2006 as the book <i><a href="/facts/A_History_of_Murphy%2527s_Law/nlMFkH9v">A History of Murphy's Law</a></i>. Another example: it was scientifically proved and waggishly reported that <a href="/facts/Scientific_instrument/NX2ldw1E">instruments</a> can "distinguish shit from <a href="/facts/Shinola_(shoe_polish)/kzprkPfj">Shinola</a>."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><i><a href="/facts/Journal_of_Irreproducible_Results/zNtdTnNs">Journal of Irreproducible Results</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Journal_of_Polymorphous_Perversity/t25puGTh">Journal of Polymorphous Perversity</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Worm_Runner%2527s_Digest/vDPlfJGC">Worm Runner's Digest</a></i></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://www.improbable.com/">Official website</a> </li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Winter, Lisa (September 14, 2021). "2021 Ig Nobel Prizes Honor Decongestant Orgasms, Rhino Transport". The Scientist. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021. <a href="https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/2021-ig-nobel-prizes-honor-decongestant-orgasms-rhino-transport-69183" target="_blank">https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/2021-ig-nobel-prizes-honor-decongestant-orgasms-rhino-transport-69183</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Projects. Hair". Improbable Research. September 28, 2020. <a href="http://improbable.com/projects/hair/" target="_blank">http://improbable.com/projects/hair/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"Improbable Research". Archived from the original on October 14, 2009. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20091014113936/http://www.improb.com/airchives/paperair/volume9/v9i5/murphy/murphy0.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20091014113936/http://www.improb.com/airchives/paperair/volume9/v9i5/murphy/murphy0.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Miss Cellania (February 11, 2014). "Spectroscopic Discrimination of Shit from Shinola". The Annals of Improbable Research. Retrieved December 18, 2016. <a href="http://www.neatorama.com/2014/02/11/Spectroscopic-Discrimination-of-Shit-from-Shinola/" target="_blank">http://www.neatorama.com/2014/02/11/Spectroscopic-Discrimination-of-Shit-from-Shinola/</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>