The satirical Ig Nobel ceremony was held on Thursday in Zurich, Switzerland, and it was presented by the digital magazine, the Annals of Improbable Research.

Founded in 1991, the Ig Nobel awards were staged outside the United States for the first time this year because organizers feared some honorees would be unable to obtain visas.

This year’s winners were celebrated for a range of unconventional studies, including extracting milk from cockroaches, tracing the evolutionary history of kissing, testing soil health with used underwear, and even gently stepping on snakes to learn what triggers a bite.

Every laureate receives a quirky trophy that resembles a cross between a mushroom and a human foot, while the audience tosses paper airplanes at the stage.

The oddball nature of these projects draws headlines and public curiosity, showing that humor and weirdness can highlight genuine scientific inquiry and broaden interest in research.