This year's winner of the Ig Nobel Prize for Biology is C. W. Moeliker of the Netherlands' Natuurmuseum for his paper :
"The First Case of Homosexual Necrophila in the Mallard , Anas platyrhynchos ( Aves anatidae)"

The history of this research is worthy of other great research and discoveries of the past, such as penicillin, stainless steel and, of course Velcro. That is that a chance observation has led to a great mind applying itself and bringing results of significance to us all

A duck crashed into the glass facade of the Natuurmuseum and was killed . Another male duck then proceeded to copulate with it for some 75 minutes. Post mortem investigation showed the victim of the necrophiliac rape was indeed a drake ( male). It is assumed (by me at least), that the pair were not engaged prior to impact, thereby explaining the crash, but that the aeronautical failing was simply caused by the clear glass.

See www.nmr.nl/deins815.htm

for the report. This, I should warn you, shows photos of the act and the corpse pre-attack.

I think this work is even more significant than last year's winner concerning the courtship behaviour towards humans shown by farmed ostrich, but you may disagree; I know not

[Note 1: the full list of Ig Nobel winners for this and previous years, with references, is at

www.improb.com/ig/ig-pastwinners.html ]

[ Note 2 :Incidentally 'Anas' in the title of the paper is not a typo. It's the Latin for duck. ]

Now, don't say you missed it? What do you think of it?