Be entirely serious about science if you like. But recognize that, perhaps, your seriousness is not entirely sensible. Dudley Herschbach, recipient of a 1986 Nobel Chemistry Prize, often delights in explaining that a sense of humor can be core to a career in science. Every scientist, he says, knows that most of the things they try will fail. Having a sense of humor about that fact can help a person better enjoy (and when necessary endure) their career. In 1991, with help from Dudley and other scientists, I created the annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, which honors research so surprising that it makes people first laugh, then think. The prizes a...