HANGZHOU: Cat tongues are more efficient than brushes, longer vacations mean a longer life and even dinosaurs suffered from neck arthritis – all this according to what is arguably the most bizarre science award in China, which once again paid its annual tribute to the spirit of curiosity.

“It’s a fantastic award because it celebrates not only science, but curiosity in particular, ” said Marcos Martinon-Torres, a professor with the University of Cambridge, who won a chemistry prize last Saturday. “Science is not always a straight path. You have to follow your curiosity. Sometimes you get lost and sometimes you discover the unexpected.”

Legend has it that ancient Chinese craftsmen had mastered advanced chromium metal coating technology so that the bronze swords unearthed from Xi’an’s Terracotta Warriors pit were almost rustless.