A brassiere that converts into a pair of gas masks has picked up an IgNobel prize for Public Health, awarded by Harvard's Annals of Improbable Research as a counterpoint to the more prestigious Nobel prizes.

Dr. Elena Bodnar, an engineer from Illinois, designed and patented the bra that can separate into two face masks for the bra-wearer and a bystander in case of an emergency. The only downside is that it's nearly impossible for men to remove the mask afterward with one hand.

Another IgNobel prize went to Stephan Bolliger, a pathologist from Switzerland, who published a groundbreaking study about whether a full or empty beer bottle causes more damage in a bar fight.

"Both suffice in breaking the human skull," Bolliger said. "However, the empty ones are more sturdy," Bolliger said, noting that a full beer bottle explodes quicker because of the beer and carbonation.

Other prizes were awarded to farmers who proved that naming cows makes them produce more milk, a scientist who showed why pregnant women don't fall over, and a man who conducted a lifelong experiment to prove that cracking your knuckles doesn't cause arthritis.

IgNobel prizes, we salute you for promoting science that matters. Please keep us abreast of all the latest breakthroughs in bra technology.

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