Ig Nobel prize goes to team who found mammals can breathe through anuses

Scientific research on pigeon missiles and dead trout also win at awards for amusing studies with serious implications

In a stark demonstration of how award-winning breakthroughs can come from the most unlikely directions, researchers have won an Ig Nobel prize for discovering that mammals can breathe through their anuses.

After a series of tests on mice, rats and pigs, Japanese scientists found the animals absorb oxygen delivered through the rectum, work that underpins a clinical trial to see whether the procedure can treat respiratory failure.