The Nobel Prize is for people who have done great work, but have you heard of the Ig Nobel Prize? It is not a serious prize like the Nobel Prize. It is given to people who have done research that makes you laugh and think. This year, a group of Japanese researchers in Aichi Prefecture won the Ig Nobel prize for biology. They knew that flies don’t bother zebras as much as they bother cows. Was it because of the stripes on zebras? They wanted to find out, so they painted white stripes on some cows but not on others. They waited and watched. Flies didn’t bite the cows with stripes as much as they bit the regular cows. Stripes are the reason that flies don’t bother zebras so much.   (130 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

My wife and I sometimes go to a supermarket that is known for its fresh fish. At the end of last month, they were selling a red fish that we didn’t know anything about. The Japanese name was “hachibiki.” When I looked up the English name, I found out that it is called “Japanese rubyfish.” That makes sense. Rubies are red, and so is this fish. My wife wasn’t sure how to cook it, but the sign said that it was good grilled with salt. She made it that way, and it was delicious. We enjoy exploring fish markets. There are so many different kinds of fish. And if we don’t know how to cook them, we can ask the people who sell them! (124 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

There was even more drama on Monday at the World Athletics Championships. It was the last event of the evening: the men’s pole vault final. Armand Duplantis of Sweden was the world record holder. Emmanouil Karalis of Greece kept up with him to the 6-meter mark, but Duplantis jumped higher and won the gold medal. But it wasn’t over. Duplantis raised the bar to 6.30 meters. He was going for a new world record! There were 50,000 people in the stadium, and they all stayed to watch one man. He missed the first jump. He missed the second jump. Then, on his third try, he flew over the bar and set a new world record! Everyone was cheering.   (117 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com