this post was submitted on 03 Jan 2026
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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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[–] 5714@lemmy.dbzer0.com 27 points 6 months ago (2 children)

why is the anglophone sphere calling every slightly complex phenomenon science? science is a method, AFAIK, that produces reliable knowledge over time.

for example how is the sun itself science? sure, there's knowledge to be made about composition, dynamics etc., but when this knowledge gets widely shared without the goal of expanding existing knowledge for the goal of education or entertainment, hasn't this long left the field of science?

for science, why aren't you saying you love edutainment?

[–] volvoxvsmarla@sopuli.xyz 9 points 6 months ago

I have a similar issue with the word research. Do your own research - wtf. Research is either standing in the lab and actually experimenting, or conducting (clinical) studies, or at the very least an extensive literature research that even for a paper takes days (more like weeks and months) and a lot of knowledge on the field as well as methods for literature research in this sphere to be conducted properly. I absolutely don't want you to do your own research about my field of study. You probably have a job and don't want to go to university for 6 years to understand my niche.

[–] skisnow@lemmy.ca 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

At school, topics are divided into Arts, Science and Humanities. The majority of Bachelor’s degrees are titled Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science.

Using the word “Science” colloquially to describe anything that isn’t the Arts or Humanities is entirely consistent.

[–] 5714@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 6 months ago

German has Geistes- (Spirit/Mind) Sciences and Natural Sciences.

I don't see how the imprecision of calling it simply Science is valid though, given that it's just a lukewarm repost of the age old quantitative vs qualitative research war.