No Ig Ceremony would be complete without Jim Bredt, a materials scientist who for the past 20 years has served as Ig Nobel’s human spotlight, which entails painting his entire body silver while sporting aluminum-colored bikini bottoms and shining a flashlight on people.

In addition to premiering “Chemists in a Coffee Shop,” a mini-opera that celebrated the chemistry of the caffeinated beverages, The Ig Nobel Ceremony also featured a series of “24/7 lectures.” Researchers described their studies in technical terms in 24 seconds and in simple colloquialisms in seven words.

Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois Kathryn B. H. Clancy condensed her study on vaginal pH into universal language.

“Leave your acidic vagina alone—don’t douche,” Clancy said.

Improbable Research will host the “Ig Informal Lectures” Saturday at MIT.

—Staff writer Melanie A. Guzman can be reached at melanieguzman@college.harvard.edu.