Cockroaches’ milk wins this year’s Ig Nobel Chemistry prize:Scientists from India and other nations found the secretion has 3 times cow’s milk’s energy

What do you get when scientists put cockroach milk under a microscope? A bizarre discovery that, a decade later, has earned one of science’s most unusual awards. Researchers from India, France, Japan and the US have won the 2026 Ig Nobel Prize in Chemistry for studying protein crystals found in the milk-like secretion of a cockroach species. The research dates back to 2016, when scientists discovered that these tiny crystals can pack more than three times the energy of cow’s milk by mass. While the finding sounds strange, the research involved advanced techniques to understand how the cockroach stores nutrients for its young. The cockroach that produces ‘milk’
The species studied is commonly known as the ‘Pacific beetle cockroach.’ Unlike most cockroaches, it gives birth to live young instead of laying eggs. The mother produces a milk-like secretion that is consumed by developing embryos. Inside the embryos, the secretion turns into tiny protein crystals that act as a highly concentrated source of nutrition. Researchers found that these crystals can store a large amount of energy in a very small space. Their 2016 study estimated: A single crystal is estimated to contain more than three times the energy of an equivalent mass of dairy milk. What did scientists actually discover? The international team used X-ray crystallography to study the crystals at a very detailed level. They determined their structure at a resolution of 1.2 angstroms. The study found that the crystals contain special proteins that bind to fats and are packed closely together. This arrangement allows the cockroach to store a large amount of nutritional material in a small volume. So, while the idea of drinking cockroach milk may sound unusual, the real scientific interest lies in how efficiently these insects store and deliver nutrients to their young. Why did cockroach milk win an Ig Nobel? The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate research that may first make people laugh, but can also make them think. Cockroach milk fits that description perfectly. The subject is unusual, but the science behind it involves structural biology, protein chemistry and crystallography. The award also highlights how even strange questions about nature can lead to serious scientific discoveries. Researchers have previously received Chemistry Ig Nobels for equally unusual ideas, including studies involving rocks, cinema smells and worms exposed to alcohol. Researchers from four countries recognised The award went to an international team of researchers from India, France, Japan and the US. Researchers including Ramaswamy Subramanian, Leonard “Leo” Chavas and Nathan Coussens attended the 2026 ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland, to accept the Chemistry prize. The recognition comes almost 10 years after their original 2016 study, showing how a seemingly bizarre discovery can continue to attract scientific interest long after it is published. Ig Nobel ceremony moves to Switzerland The 2026 ceremony was also notable for another reason. It marked the 36th edition of the Ig Nobel Prizes and was held in Zurich, Switzerland, instead of the US. This was the first time the awards had been presented outside the United States since they began in 1991. The organisers announced the change earlier this year amid concerns over holding the event in the US. The decision came after four of last year’s 10 winners decided not to attend, citing visa concerns and discomfort about travelling to the country. So, a decade after scientists first found that cockroach milk crystals can store an unusually high amount of energy, the discovery has finally received an award that seems almost perfectly suited to it, strange enough to make you laugh, but serious enough to make you think.