this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 101 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] cobysev@lemmy.world 63 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Yup, because of his comic about it, paleontologists have officially named it the Thagomizer.

[–] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 17 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I like when stuff like this happens.

[–] spinne@sh.itjust.works 12 points 9 months ago

Me too. It feels like some piece of the Universe slipping into just the right place.

[–] lividweasel@lemmy.world 86 points 9 months ago

“Mom, I want a thagomizer!”

“We have a thagomizer at home.”

The thagomizer at home:

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 68 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

This meme and the Far Side comic it references always makes me think of this meme:

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 9 months ago

there are other Edges of Annihilation, but this one is mine

[–] psx_crab@lemmy.zip 66 points 9 months ago (1 children)

From wikipedia

Cartoonist Gary Larson invented the name "thagomizer" in 1982 as a joke in his comic strip The Far Side, and it was gradually adopted as an informal term sometimes used within scientific circles, research, and education.

Also wikipedia

The term was picked up initially by Kenneth Carpenter, then a paleontologist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, who used the term when describing a fossil at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting in 1993. Thagomizer has since been adopted as an informal anatomical term and is used by the Smithsonian Institution, the Dinosaur National Monument, the book The Complete Dinosaur and the BBC documentary series Planet Dinosaur. The term has also appeared in some technical papers describing stegosaurs and related dinosaurs.

How is this still "informal" when all the big guy using that? You can't just anthagomize someone because they aren't from the same community!

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 31 points 9 months ago (1 children)

This comment is great just for "anthagomize," a word autocorrect really didn't want to grant me.

[–] psx_crab@lemmy.zip 13 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Honestly i just wanna make that pun.

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

That was clear!

[–] GheeButtersnaps@lemmy.world 29 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I have the Thagomizer comic hanging at my desk because I was raised on Larson and to always remind me that silliness can make a profound impact.

[–] Godric@lemmy.world 25 points 9 months ago

Named after the late Thag Simmons...

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

What crazy timing. I've been cooking the past couple hours and randomly thought about the thagomizer.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

let's be honest, we all think about the thagomizer every few hours

[–] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It's better than constantly thinking about the Roman Empire

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

ooo, can you imagine if hannibal attached thagomizers to the elephants noses

[–] racemaniac@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I'm not supposed to tell you this, but this is not random. you're basically in the truman show, and you're the central character. They noticed you thinking about it, so made sure it became relevant again!

[–] UrPartnerInCrime@sh.itjust.works 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Sorry for such a lackluster show if it comes down to making sure I'm looking at the correct memes

[–] racemaniac@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 9 months ago

meh, it's not as if there's anything better on TV