A Japanese research team that painted cows with zebra-like stripes to protect them from biting flies has received this year’s Ig Nobel Prize in Biology, marking the country’s 19th consecutive win at the tongue-in-cheek science awards.
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The prize, awarded in a ceremony at Boston University on Thursday, honours research that “first makes people laugh, then makes them think”.
While painting cows like zebras may sound absurd, the research points to a serious application in chemical-free pest control, with evidence that the technique could reduce stress in livestock and improve their health.
Lead researcher Tomoki Kojima, now affiliated with Japan’s National Agriculture and Food Research Organisation, first trialled the method on six Japanese Black cattle, a Wagyu-producing breed prized for its marbled beef.
In the study, two cows were painted with white zebra-like stripes using water-based pigment, two were painted with black stripes that blended with their natural coat and two were left unpainted. All were then observed for how often flies landed on them and how frequently they exhibited irritation behaviours, such as tail flicking and head shaking.
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The findings were striking: the zebra-striped cows had about half the number of fly landings compared with both control groups. They also performed fewer avoidance movements, suggesting reduced stress.