this post was submitted on 18 Sep 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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  1. Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
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  4. Infographics welcome, get schooled.

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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yeah everything is probably made of like, idk, earth water, fire and air or something idrk (mander.xyz)
submitted 9 months ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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[–] WizardofFrobozz@lemmy.ca 82 points 9 months ago (3 children)

I am most certainly not a science whiz but it's so goddamn funny to see this whole comment section full of people just... explaning and correcting each other poorly with varying degrees of correctness. Just like 50 half-true and misremembered tidbits from everyone's intro to high school physics class, blindly seeking targets in space. I promise you guys, there's a very straight answer to this like two or three clicks away, written more clearly and succinctly than anyone here is managing to do.

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 38 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Don't tell them that. You're contaminating my petri dish. ;)

[–] SorryQuick@lemmy.ca 10 points 9 months ago

Lemmy (or most social media) in a nutshell.

[–] markovs_gun@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago (3 children)

I have noticed there is a bit of a more "anti intellectual" bent on Lemmy compared to Reddit. Like there is a lot of stupidity on reddit but usually someone comes in with actual knowledge. On Lemmy I just see people arguing in circles with each other with nobody ever actually looking anything up.

[–] swelter_spark@reddthat.com 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

IMO, it's okay to have casual conversations without being an expert or researching every post. Redditors' habit of fact-checking everything is honestly tiring. Conversation has other purposes besides education. I think many people are looking more for human interaction than for correct facts.

[–] markovs_gun@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

Right but conversations about science where all parties are wrong and nobody is willing to actually look shit up are completely pointless. It's the exact same problem that caused the situation in the OP in the first place.

[–] kadup@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

Like there is a lot of stupidity on reddit but usually someone comes in with actual knowledge

Be careful with that, actually. Reddit mastered repeating an explanation or analogy they read on another thread or saw on YouTube, but being quite eloquent at explaining it. Problem is, if they misunderstood it to begin with, they'll just as confidently repeat a broken version.

I didn't notice it at first... then I started seeing explanations for things on my field and cringed at how wrong they were, and then I started noticing the pattern and the very repeated analogies on other areas too.

[–] farngis_mcgiles@sh.itjust.works 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

actually your wrong

[–] burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

You're*

~~wrong~~ right

FTFY

[–] farngis_mcgiles@sh.itjust.works 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

stop bullying me 😭

[–] burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 9 months ago

Stop

I can't, you're being intellectual on lemmy and we have an anti-intellectual bent here. I am compelled by the lemmy force to do this again.