The Ig Nobel Awards, an American parody of the prestigious Nobel Prizes, have been around since 1991 and recognise annually research and studies that on the surface seem humorous and perhaps trivial, but contain the essence of real discovery.

FORBES: Controlling The Urge

This in essence is the real meaning of transformative literacy.

UNESCO: OFFICE IN KATHMANDU

If their prediction is correct, it will confirm that the phenomenon is real and that their formula is capturing its essence.

ECONOMIST: Physics

The essence of the proposals was to tax real income.

FORBES: I Grew Up With The Internal Revenue Code of 1986 - Will We Retire Together ?

Instead of paying investors with real profits, he redistributed cash, which is the essence of how these plans work.

NPR: Ponzi Schemes Have Colorful History

In essence, each duck represents an idea that someone had and made real.

FORBES: Stretching The 'Rubber Duck' Concept