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Good Scientist Cartoon explores the boundaries between Genius and Stupidity. It is sometimes hilarious, sometimes serious, always absurd. It is sometimes cynical. It is sometimes inventive. It is sometimes provocative. It is always informative. I've placed all 800 cartoons in 44 collections on YouTube. Use the “pause” button to get more time to view an individual cartoon. Use “print screen” to keep a permanent copy for yourself.
Below is one cartoon from each collection. Good Scientist Cartoon was originally meant to be a hybrid of three of my very favourite cartoons: Far Side by Gary Larsen, xkcd by Randall Munroe, and Frontiers of Science 1961 to 1987. "Frontiers of Science" was a serious cartoon that introduced the world to the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs, and to plate tectonics.
On top of that, it contains factoids of the "Ripley's Believe it or Not" style, and elements similar to topics on QI.
Why draw a cartoon? I've found that in order to get respect, a scientist has to dumb things down. And a cartoon REALLY dumbs things down. When reading these, keep in mind that each cartoon is meant to be absurd, like Far Side, and you may get pleasure from keeping a tally of which cartoon is Genius and which is Stupidity.
More info: youtu.be
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#1
Final score:
9points
RELATED:
#3
Final score:
6points
David Paterson (Submission author) 2 years ago (edited)
Occam's razor says "don't multiply entities unnecessarily". A rule that taxonomists are challenging.
#4
Final score:
6points
Feathered Dinosaur 2 years ago
Who would like to write a novel for me about Tholin-based life on an alien planet? No one? Oh, come on
David Paterson (Submission author) 2 years ago
I'd read it. I can direct you to a Sci-Fi novel using liquid crystals as a replacement for RNA/DNA.
Load More Replies... #5
Final score:
6points
#6
Final score:
5points
#7
Final score:
5points
#8
Final score:
5points
Feathered Dinosaur 2 years ago
They always forget to draw the feathers on my brethren and... sistren(?)!
#9
Final score:
4points
#10
Final score:
4points
David Paterson (Submission author) 2 years ago
But it's the solar system with the smallest extant liquid water ocean. Pluto has a liquid water ocean the same size as Earth's, but it's a bit difficult to get to.
Load More Replies... #11
Final score:
4points
David Paterson (Submission author) 2 years ago
Glad you said "great-aunt" rather than "grandmother" :-) we're not directly descended from Goofy here. More like great-uncle? The males are those that tend to have the sagittal crest.
Load More Replies... #12
Final score:
4points
#13
Final score:
3points
David Paterson (Submission author) 2 years ago
Ford even tried to design a car powered by a nuclear reactor. The Nissan Leaf is 110 kW, so we're in the right ballpark. Shielding, though, is a problem. I personally like the idea of dropping a small nuclear power source inside a home hot water service - your pipes would never freeze.
Load More Replies... #14
Final score:
3points
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 2 years ago
Chocolate is good. I also like alleve (naproxen) and acetaminophen
Feathered Dinosaur 2 years ago
Yes, naproxen is the best! And acetaminophen is the same as paracetamol
Load More Replies... David Paterson (Submission author) 2 years ago (edited)
Ta for info on naproxen. But why are steroidal painkillers like morphine, codeine, and prednisolone so much more effective for severe pain than non-steroidal medicines?
#15
Final score:
3points
#17
Final score:
2points
David Paterson (Submission author) 2 years ago
The reason that most of these antidotes work (if applied VERY carefully) is that most of these act through to neurotransmitter acetylcholine. So a poison that overproduces acetylcholine can be cored by a poison that blocks receptors. The action of cyanide / thallium /cadmium / radiation poisoning is through substitution of one metallic element for another.
#19
Final score:
2points
David Paterson (Submission author) 2 years ago
This is called a "covering problem". What is the smallest square that can completely cover a unit square with n copies of itself?
#22
Final score:
2points
#23
Final score:
2points
David Paterson (Submission author) 2 years ago
I need to clarify that 32 standard deviations. SETI was searching for narrowband wow! type signals. And found thousands of them, enough to fill out a continuum over all radio wavelengths. But there are about half a dozen others that are much more powerful even than that. The probability that these are from a known natural source is vanishingly small.
#25
Final score:
1point
#27
Final score:
1point
Hannah M 2 years ago
I realise this is meant to be a joke, but most large-scale vocal works in classical music, such as operas and oratorio (which is the genre of the Messiah) have a librettist - someone who writes the lyrics separate to the one who composes the music. The lyrics were actually written by a guy named Charles Jennens
David Paterson (Submission author) 2 years ago
Thanks, I didn't know that!
Load More Replies... #28
Final score:
1point
David Paterson (Submission author) 2 years ago
It was pointed out to me that the biomass of ants is still greater than the biomass of humans. I don't mind that, ants are important.
#33
Final score:
1point
David Paterson (Submission author) 2 years ago
So what is the optimum rate of fossil fuel burning?
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