Japanese researchers have achieved something that sounds like it belongs in a children’s storybook, yet their work has earned them recognition at one of science’s quirkiest award ceremonies.
At the 35th First Annual Ig Nobel ceremony held at Boston University on September 18, a team led by Tomoki Kojima from the Aichi Agricultural Research Center took home the biology prize for proving that painting cows with zebra stripes actually works to keep flies away.
The Ig Nobel Prizes, organized by the magazine Annals of Improbable Research, celebrate studies that “make people laugh, then think” – and this research certainly delivers on both fronts.
The inspiration for painting livestock like zebras came from evolutionary biology. For years, scientists have theorized that zebras developed their distinctive black and white stripes as a defense mechanism against biting insects, with the pattern somehow confusing or deterring these pests. Kojima’s team decided to test whether this natural solution could help Japanese farmers who face constant battles with flies that stress their cattle, reduce fertility rates, and spread disease.
Their experimental approach was refreshingly straightforward. The researchers took black Wagyu cows and painted some with white stripes, others with black stripes, and left control animals unpainted. They then rotated these conditions across multiple animals to ensure their results were reliable.
The outcome was striking. Cows sporting the painted stripes attracted significantly fewer flies compared to their unpainted counterparts. Even more telling, the striped cattle exhibited far less defensive behavior – they spent less time flicking their tails and shaking their heads in attempts to ward off the buzzing nuisances.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Kojima said after learning of the prize. “I thought I was dreaming.”
Beyond confirming a long-standing evolutionary theory, the research offers farmers a practical and environmentally friendly pest control method. The painting technique is inexpensive, easy to implement, and completely harmless to the animals. Some Japanese farmers have already begun adopting this zebra-inspired strategy, using specially formulated long-lasting paint to create the protective patterns.
The 2025 ceremony honored ten such studies across various fields, each demonstrating that scientific discovery can emerge from the most unexpected places.