Then What Is It? The Catenary Catastrophe

Every physics department has that one overzealous fanboy who corners random scientists at conferences. "You built a particle accelerator in your BASEMENT?!" they gush, while the poor confused researcher just wants to get to the coffee table. The true mark of scientific celebrity isn't publication count—it's having strangers mistake random bald men for you in public. Meanwhile, Michio Kaku is probably somewhere explaining string theory to a barista who just asked if he wanted room for cream.

This meme brilliantly roasts the "alpha male" concept using nuclear physics! It shows different types of radiation and their penetrating abilities through various materials: Alpha particles (α) - stopped by a sheet of paper Beta particles (β) - penetrate paper but stopped by aluminum X-rays and gamma rays - penetrate deeper through multiple materials Neutrons - the most penetrating, going through almost everything The joke demolishes guys who boast about being "alpha males" by pointing out that in radiation physics, alpha particles are actually the weakest and least penetrating form of radiation. They're literally stopped by paper! So much for that alpha energy. Next time someone claims alpha status, just hand them this physics lesson and watch them question their entire personality.

The agony of holiday science conversations captured in four painful panels! The relative confidently questions why space photos lack stars (a common conspiracy talking point), while the exhausted scientist tries explaining light pollution. When the relative doubles down with "light isn't a physical thing, it can't cause pollution," you can practically feel the scientist's soul leaving their body. Light pollution is actually the excessive artificial light that drowns out celestial objects in our night sky. But the real issue here is the space photos conspiracy theory - NASA images often use exposure settings optimized for their main subject (like the Moon or spacewalking astronauts), making stars too dim to capture. The same reason you can't see stars in daylight photos! The desperate "Auntie please" is the universal cry of scientists everywhere who just wanted to enjoy their turkey in peace.

Someone finally cracked the code! Birds defy gravity through the elusive "mysterious bird force" - a concept so groundbreaking it deserves those question marks. This scientific diagram perfectly captures what Newton missed in his laws of motion. Birds clearly operate on a different physics engine than the rest of us, existing in that sweet spot where aerodynamics meets "I have no idea how lift works." The crude red arrows make this a peer-reviewed publication worthy of Nature's rejection pile. Next breakthrough: why fish don't drown.

The eternal funding disparity in academia, illustrated perfectly through SpongeBob! Chemistry gets the Krusty Krab—colorful flags, proper structure, even a fancy jellyfish lamp out front. Meanwhile, physics is stuck with... a literal bucket. The department that studies quantum mechanics and black holes gets housed in what looks like a janitor's leftover supplies. This hits way too close to home for anyone who's ever wandered between science buildings on campus. Chemistry departments swimming in industry grants while theoretical physicists calculate string theory in what might as well be a broom closet. Funding committees be like "You can explain the fundamental forces of the universe in THIS."

The perfect physics wordplay doesn't exi-- This brilliant triple-pun plays on the dual meaning of "conductor" - both a person waving a baton at musicians and a material that allows electricity to flow freely. The semiconductor (half the height) only partially conducts electricity, while the superconductor (with flowing cape) exhibits zero electrical resistance and apparently superhero-like properties. Next up: the insulator, which is just an empty podium because it refused to show up for work. That's what we call a resistance movement.