this post was submitted on 09 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.

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



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[–] VindictiveJudge@lemmy.world 151 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think that's technically true regardless.

[–] Trollception@sh.itjust.works 24 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I wonder if that's actually factual or not. Uranium by itself isn't too terribly dangerous. It's the whole fission byproducts thing that's the buzz kill.

[–] TonyTonyChopper@mander.xyz 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

You would get heavy metal poisoning, same as if you ate a chunk of lead

[–] chaogomu@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Interestingly, no. It's not the same as if you ate a chunk of lead.

Lead binds to calcium channels, and then blocks them. This makes it a bit of a neurotoxin. It also accumulates in the bones.

Uranium on the other hand is one of the heavy metals that the body is good a filtering out of the blood. The body is not as good at expelling the uranium. It accumulates in the kidney. This can lead to kidney disease, and other related issues. And that's just the chemical toxicity of Uranium. Add in the radioactive side of things, and you have a truly distinct form of metal poisoning.

[–] KiwiHuman@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago

Also it depends on the isotope of uranium. Something you could find naturally isn't too dangerous, but something enriched too be used as fuel or for wepons is significantly more radioactive.

[–] SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Radioactivity inside your body is very bad bad

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Lies that Big Non-Irradiated food is trying to spread. Uranium is actually nummy. Why do you think it's called "Yellow Cake" anyway?