This statement may suggest that research is a serious business, and it generally is, but many discoveries researchers make are somewhat silly. Research like "
Pressures produced when penguins pooh—calculations on avian defaecation" (
Meyer-Rochow 2003) or the
"Shrimp Fight Club" actually entitled "
Contests with deadly weapons: telson sparring in mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda)" (
Green 2015). Such research has come under attack from many in congress, calling it "
wasteful." In fact, Senator Jeff Flake assembled what he calls a
"wastebook" mocking the work of researchers he deemed to be a waste of time and money.