We at Blighty missed the Ig Nobel prize for biology in 2002 and were therefore unaware of Chris McManus’ learned work on ’scrotal asymmetry’ that won the (un)coveted prize. We’re grateful to the Guardian for bringing it to our attention now.

If you haven’t read this treatise on all things testicular, you might be unaware of the fact that most men’s right testicle is higher, and bigger, than that of the left… Don’t worry yourself too much if you’ve got more going on on the left though!

It seems MacManus was inspired to write the book because of his observations on Greek sculpture and their lack of accuracy when it came to the male organ. The reason is that the Greeks had some funny ideas about left and right. For instance, if you and your partner are currently trying for a child, and would like a male, then they would suggest that you put an elastic band around your left bollock. Perhaps particularly vigorous love-making would be out of the question, however.

It’s good to see that British academia isn’t afraid to tackle (no pun intended) these delicate issues.