Proving old wives’ tale pays off for scientists

There is some truth to the effectiveness of old wives’ tales when it comes to serious medical issues, according to findings by a team from Detroit Medical Centre.

Dr Sonal Saraiya and her colleagues in Michigan found that packing strips of cured pork in the nose of a child who suffers from uncontrollable, life-threatening nosebleeds can stop the haemorrhaging.

The discovery won them a 2014 Ig Nobel prize, the annual award for sometimes inane, yet often surprisingly practical, discoveries.