this post was submitted on 27 Dec 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).
  3. No spam.
  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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[–] blackbrook@mander.xyz 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

But it's a good definition if you are, say, putting a thing into each indentation. That's why the two definitions are different.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world -1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Right, those wouldn't be holes.

[–] blackbrook@mander.xyz 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

You seem to not be getting that words can have multiple (even if related) meanings. When some science or other discipline takes a common word and defines it really precisely for their purposes, that doesn't change the definition of the common word for all usages and mandate that all lay people use it only with that discipline's more precise definition.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Better precision leads to better communication.

[–] blackbrook@mander.xyz 1 points 6 months ago

Quite true. It is also important to know the limits of the precision you are going to be getting.