Why do onions make us cry? When are cows more likely to lie down?

These kinds of deep questions require extensive research, and the scientists who answered them are among the recipients of the Ig Nobel prizes handed out last week.

The awards are of course a spoof of the prestigious Nobel prize and are given out each year to the funniest and most bizarre achievements in scientific research.

Here to tell us more about this year's winners is Marc Abrahams, editor and co-founder of the magazine, the Annals of Improbable Research, which administers the awards.