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If you are the type of person who enjoyed volcano eruptions and potato battery experiments in high school, chances are you still love science even if you aren't working in the field.

But whether you read the magazine Scientific American or watch the YouTube channel Veritasium, we at Bored Panda have something else you'll probably enjoy. The “Science Memes” Facebook group. 

Brought to the internet and managed by a collective known online as LabRule, this community unites 936K members who constantly share the best science memes they find.

Interestingly, science memes can be just what the world needs right now. According to wildlife biologist Michael Barnes, much of science has lost its curiosity.

As a result, Barnes thinks that the scientific community has created an exclusive club where your entry into it is a publication, and to stay in it, you must continue to do so at the expense of integrity, new and exciting knowledge, and trust from the public.

This exclusivity, he believes, has created a rift.

“By being overly technical, esoteric, and pedantic, the scientific community has made it virtually impossible for the layperson to understand the information being presented to them, resulting in animosity and divisiveness that has led us to this current anti-science movement,” Barnes writes.

“We look down on and condescend those who don't understand the process and then act surprised when people reject the knowledge gained from hard, credible science. For example, the current environment of climate change denial is one of the larger issues of our time.”

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#8

My Blanket At 3 Am

My Blanket At 3 Am

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Mara Is… A Surgeon
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9 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

About to go suffer this, wish me luck EDIT: thank you for wishing me luck, it helped some!

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#9

Science Lab In A Movie

Science Lab In A Movie

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Therefore, Barnes thinks that it's time for a change, and that includes funny science memes. “It's not enough to throw complicated jargon at the public. There needs to be better and more meaningful communication,” he says.

“We've come to the apex of an 'us vs. them' dichotomy where it doesn't matter what is said. 'We' are right and 'they' are wrong, and that's final. Communication needs to be more open and transparent. Both for the sake of those conducting research and those it's being communicated to, i.e., the public.”

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While Barnes believes that researchers need to be more precise and transparent in their research, I'll try to argue that science memes can actually facilitate all sorts of dialogues about the sciences.

After all, as writer Helen Brown pointed out, they aren't just entertainment but also have a serious side. According to researchers looking at modern forms of communication, these funniest science memes are a language in themselves, with a capacity to transcend cultures and construct collective identities between people. Not to mention that memes can also be powerful tools for self-expression, connection, social influence, and even political subversion.

#16

They Misunderstood

They Misunderstood

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#17

Venn Diagrams

Venn Diagrams

Tiffany Williamson Report

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Tiny Turtle
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9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why is there a cat with only one ear and only roughly 2/3 of its head? A bit abnormal but 10/10 would still give pets and pspspspspspspspspss

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Paolo Gerbaudo, a reader in digital politics and director of the Centre for Digital Culture at King's College London, describes funny science memes as a “sort of a ready-made language with many kinds of stereotypes, symbols, situations. A palette that people can use, much like emojis, in a way, to convey content.”

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Very Angry

Very Angry

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similarly
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9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a theory I like to call "Schrodinger's Cancer". So long as I never get tested, although I might have cancer, technically I don't.

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Researchers at Facebook, for example, showed in a 2014 study just how widely science memes posted on the social media site can spread and evolve. In one example, they found 121,605 different variants of one particular meme posted across 1.14 million status updates.

#22

Accurate Af

Accurate Af

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Phoenix
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9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But... but... I need the stars and planets to align in a particular way so I can find true love and great wealth. I cannot do these things on my own!! /s

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#23

What Dream?

What Dream?

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bananafuntime
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9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wish you could like… see your brain’s search history but with dreams

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Holographic Meatloaf

Holographic Meatloaf

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Memes tap into our collective consciousness and have been referred to as digital folklore – or “Netlore.” “We can see not just the new ways people do things or the new ways people express themselves in public but also some of the themes, some of the anxieties or desires people have. All of these complex issues are reflected in things like memes,” says Gerbaudo. 

So if the scientific community really is stagnant in the way it communicates, isn't an intuitive and quick-spreading format of science memes exactly what could remedy the problem? 

If you agree with us, continue checking out the awesome “Science Memes” Facebook group finds we still have on this list!

#27

He Is Cheating On Potassium

He Is Cheating On Potassium

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#28

When You're A Teacher

When You're A Teacher

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#30

Uranus In Front Of A New Generation

Uranus In Front Of A New Generation

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Emperor Kitten
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9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If people would just pronounce it correctly it wouldn't be a problem! Say it with me, Yur-a-nus.

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#32

He Has Been Waiting

He Has Been Waiting

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#34

Just 50 Years

Just 50 Years

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similarly
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9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So what? You were in hypersleep. It's not like you suffered ... primitive subhuman!

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#36

Cats Are Liquid

Cats Are Liquid

Tiffany Williamson Report

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PlatinumTheCat
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9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cats are jello! They’re solids that also take the shape of whatever container they’re in! Cats are jello!

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#37

We Do It At 7am

We Do It At 7am

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#41

Writing In Heartbeats

Writing In Heartbeats

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#43

We Walk Today

We Walk Today

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Jinx
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9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i heard once that, allegedly, we hiccup because our fish brains are trying to breathe, or something like that

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#44

Talk Dirty

Talk Dirty

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CD King
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9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"There are millions of mites pooping and having sex in your eyelashes"

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#46

Detect Photoshop

Detect Photoshop

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RedMarbles
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9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

NASA is always upfront about the colorizing it does, so I'm guessing this is a "moon landing was faked" conspiracy theory reference?

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#47

So Basically I Just Passed A Science Scholarship Exam And I'm Still Single So

So Basically I Just Passed A Science Scholarship Exam And I'm Still Single So

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#48

Maybe I'm Quantum Physics

Maybe I'm Quantum Physics

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#50

Real

Real

River Villanueva Report

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Navindu Wijewardena
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9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

in our paper classes there is a specific time period where hands go up and try to remember whether it is the right hand rule or left hand rule and wondering why the f**k do we have 2 of them

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Note: this post originally had 107 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.