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Sat 10 Oct 2006Alternative Nobels honour excellence in quirky scienceWhy do woodpeckers not get headaches? What is it about the sound of fingernails drawn across a blackboard that makes us wince? And do the people who hand out university research grants have too much money at their disposal?These were some of the questions answered at this year's Ig Nobel Awards ceremony, held at Harvard University on Thursday night. Organised since 1991 by the Annals of Improbable Research, the "alternative Nobels" recognise excellence in quirky and/or worthless scientific research.