Research on beards, wads of gum, wins 2021 Ig Nobel prizes

In this file photo, the 2019 Ig Nobel award is displayed at the 29th annual Ig Nobel awards ceremony at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. Photos: AP

Beards aren't just cool and trendy – they might also be an evolutionary development to help protect a man's delicate facial bones from a punch to the face.

That's the conclusion of a trio of scientists from the University of Utah who are among the winners of this year's Ig Nobel prizes, the Nobel Prize spoofs that honour - or maybe dishonour, depending on your point of view – strange scientific discoveries.