The Ig Nobel prizes have been handed out by the Annals of Improbable Research, and I must admit, the winners' work is much more interesting than helping to slow nuclear weapons proliferation. The Ig Nobel for fluid dynamics went to some scientists who studied how far and how fast a penguin can poop.
When nature calls, brooding chinstrap and Adélie penguins are reluctant to leave their nests and expose their eggs to the cold. Instead, they simply point their rear outward, lift their tail, and fire. The departing excreta typically reaches distances of about 40 centimetres.
A worthy pursuit to be sure. Other prizes were awarded to the Nigerian 419 email scam artists (for literature), and the MIT student who invented an alarm clock that runs away from you after you snooze.
Read the (short) article in full at the New Scientist. They use the phrase "poopal velocity" twice.
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