About Marc
Marc Abrahams is a science writer, editor, and speaker whose life’s work is dedicated to research that makes people “laugh, and then think.” He helps audiences appreciate the weird, wonderful, and genuinely insightful side of scientific study. He is the founder and Master of Ceremonies of the famous Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, an annual event that honors scientific achievements that are humorous but also thought-provoking. For example, past winners include researchers who studied what happens when you lick rocks and scientists who discovered that listening to opera helps mice recover from heart surgery. The prizes are traditionally handed out by real Nobel Laureates at Harvard University. Marc is also the co-founder and editor of the magazine Annals of Improbable Research (AIR), which features reports on unusual scientific experiments and odd facts. He shares his discoveries through books like This Is Improbable and the recent This is Improbable Too, and he hosts the Improbable Research weekly podcast. With a background in applied mathematics from Harvard, Marc uses his writing and live events to host a fun and engaging conversation about the nature of science and human curiosity, reminding everyone that great discoveries can often start with a strange idea.
