this post was submitted on 11 Apr 2025
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Science Memes

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Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.



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If you are here asking: "Is this a science meme?"

Probably, yes. We use the Dawkins definition of meme: a replicating idea, not just an image macro with a fact on it. A good post here doesn't need to teach you something. It needs to make you ask something: who, what, where, when, and especially why or how.

Science isn't a filing cabinet of facts, it's a conversation. For example, a photo of an eel or other localized wildlife counts because most people never see one, and wonder is the first step of inquiry. A car meme counts if it makes you curious about what's under the bonnet. If you want to talk about something you noticed in the world, chances are someone else wants to talk about it too.

We moderate for vibe, not category. Pruning is light, especially where a post creates interesting discussion. Experimenting is encouraged.

See the pinned paper on Shitposting as Public Pedagogy if you want the academic case for why this works.



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[–] andros_rex@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

First photographs of humpback sex was gay sex.

By Darwinism, homosexual behavior makes sense. Competition for resources (both reproductive access and food) leads to aggression, but a species where all the males kill each other will lack biodiversity. Physically weak male cuttlefish will camouflage as female to allow stronger get males to release on them, and then go take a female after. Things like this don’t happen unless they are beneficial. Bisexuality just makes sense, animals don’t give a shit about religions or morals and sex feeling good is going to be heavily selected for in most sexual species (notable exceptions being feline and ducks - the penis like thing that comes out of a cloaca is fucked up.)

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Oh I had forgot about the whale thing. Thanks for the refresher.

Yes you make very good points. Unfortunately this is a sort of "if this kids could read, they'd be very upset" moment, as you're preaching to the quire here, and the people who can understand that usually also accept it.

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 1 year ago

also like, what's the resource expenditure of nonreproductive sex, really? a bit of exercise and some protein, whoop-de-doo don't do it in the winter 4head