35+ Dark Science Memes That Have Us Laughing Our Lab Coats Off

By Saptargha D

This article was originally published on therocketsscience

Experiments and explorations have always been a part of scientific discoveries. The never-ending hunger in our scientific community has led to some great discoveries and innovations the world will never forget. Though not every experiment is a complete success, even “failures” can push us toward progress. They offer valuable insights, and even lead to new revalations we never would’ve thought possible. With an open mind, anything and everything can be enlightening…and humorous.

Science is all about exploration, so we discovered some facts that ended up in Facebook’s online science memes group, “The Darker Side Of Science.” We have gathered the best ones for our beloved fans, which will show you the true dark side of science. So, without any further ado, let’s jump right into it.

Attitude Caterpillar

While gardening, a user found this weird-looking caterpillar in her backyard. It seems like the creature is ready to pick a fight at any moment. So, the person captured different pictures of the human-faced caterpillar from multiple angles to get the perfect shot of its expressions.

Image by Claudia Perelli Hentschel on Facebook

In some shots, the marks on the caterpillar’s forehead resemble eyes. Whereas, if you look closely at the image on the left, you’ll can spot Iron Man’s helmet. No wonder this gardener was scared. The caterpillar definitely gives off the attitude of a bully.

Scientific Plot Hole

Here comes an honest movie review with strong scientific backing. This user clearly had some pent-up frustration and was ready to let loose. Their long and elaborate answer to the momentary scene from Gravity proves not only their keen eye for detail but also their love for physics.

Image source: Richard Parker/YouTube

According to this person, the worst plot hole in this movie is the scientific misrepresentation. Although the film director got an Oscar, this guy is not a big fan of his. Nevertheless, the way he put forth his evidence describes what it’s like for science lovers to watch movies.

Pyramid Pie Chart

This is probably what professors do when they get bored. At least, that’s who we assume made this pie chart, given that it’s tacked on a wall. This image confirms that science people can also be creative with an eye for art.

Image by Sardar Usman on Facebook

Imagination has led to many remarkable scientific discoveries in the past, but now it seems it can also be used for fun and entertainment. The way creative skills were used here to turn a pie chart into the very thing it’s describing is commendable, to say the least.

Intelligent Outsiders

This image is so true and relatable. With these instruments, humans have been looking for intelligent extraterrestrial life for a long time. As the meme points out, since the satellites are pointed toward space, it implies that we probably don’t even consider ourselves intelligent.

Image source: KENNY TONG/Shutterstock

If we did, maybe we could have found one or two intellectuals among us humans. Well, the irony here lies in the fact that we instinctively accept ourselves as intelligent species while searching for others. This meme shook the core foundation of our beliefs yet brought out pure laughter.

Australian Monster

Next time you plan an Australian vacation, keep this image in mind. Who knows, you might also discover some new monster species. Some creature discoveries are not as pleasant as others, and this one is a burning example of it.

Image by My Mood Swing Just Snapped on Facebook

However, the most intriguing part of the post is the girl commenting on the image. She is either sure that the devil spawns its minions in Australian waters or simply making fun of the picture. Given her funny username, we bet it’s the latter.

Close Enough!

We can usually get a rough idea of a species’ appearance by looking at its skull, but there’s more room for error than textbooks would have you believe. The skull shown here appears to be of a scary monster, but in reality, it’s of a hippopotamus.

Image source: woaiss/Shutterstock and Raul654/CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikimedia Commons

Although hippos are dangerous animals, they do not seem so with such happy faces. But, in the effort to reconstruct the creature’s image, paleoartists make species look more dangerous and horrifying with vibrant colors and a skinny appearance. This, in turn, gives deceptive information about the species.

Super Squirrels

You’ll be amazed to know that even squirrels can do superhero landings. And the below image is a real example of it. Isn’t the pose cool? Although Iron Man is famous for landing on two feet and with one hand, these squirrels are not shabby at it either.

Image by Grumpy Animal Memes on Facebook

Scientific discoveries about animal habitats give us many insightful facts, but in the search, we often come across some less important yet cool information, like these landing squirrels. It looks like Marvel’s Squirrel Girl has found her match and potential new ally.

Bitter Truth

Scientific memes are not always light and entertaining. According to the ecological pyramid, it’s obvious that plants are feeding on us, and we are on them. After all, that’s how the ecosystem works. But still, this fact comes with a bit of a surprise.

Image by Bel Inda on Facebook

The picture is the best part of this meme. Who better to demonstrate the concept of plants cultivating humans for consumption than a screencap from Little Shop of Horrors? Seymour and Audrey II are the perfect pairing to describe the dark relationship we have with plants.

Pusheen Chemistry

Misrepresentations in cartoons might seem funny, but they can be dangerous. For instance, this post about Pusheen in a chemistry lab might seem normal. But the way it conducts itself while performing chemistry is against the fundamental rules of a laboratory.

Image by Brandon Sylvester on Facebook

Anyone mimicking Pusheen in their science class might be in serious trouble. The person in the comments knows the consequences of such wrong scientific depictions, so they don’t want any kid to follow Pusheen. It’s almost like a page from an iSpy book designed to test lab safety.

Brilliant Conversation

Now we know how bats use sound to locate their prey. They simply shout out pop song lyrics to tempt their prey. It’s almost impossible to resist belting out a John Denver song, though we didn’t know it could actually be lethal!

Image by Shawna Martinez Wyrick on Facebook

Each song probably only lasts for a few generations of moths, before they catch on and learn to hate the song. What other jams do you find irresistible? Kudos to the meme maker, who intertwined science and humor so well!

Literal Science

The online community of “The Darker Side Of Science” group does not only look for interesting scientific facts but also takes the time to do some soul-searching. Sadly, the person who commented on this post destroyed the poor ant’s life in just one sentence.

Image by Robin Travers on Facebook

This ant is responsible for closing their nest’s door with its flat-shaped head. Nature made the creature this way, but the ant doesn’t mind it. We have some serious respect for this ant. Humans can barely hold the elevator door open for another person, let alone safeguard a whole nest.

Teeth on Tongue 

The comment section of an informative post is where you will find real education. There are masters who answer every question in the weirdest ways. For instance, this post is trying to spread awareness about the danger of a toothy-tongued goose.

Image by Ivan Georg on Facebook

But the people commenting below don’t care and are always up for giving the best answers. We’re no experts, but we seriously doubt the “gooseologist” here knows any more than we do. Judging by their answer, we’d bet they’re just a frustrated parent.

Last Spray

Here is a witty tip straight from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife. The joke is dark but very true, which makes it even funnier. Their statement implies that they have too many accidents with uninformed hikers wielding bear spray. Be careful; your next spray might be your last!

Image by Andrea Doyle on Facebook

Apparently not everyone understands that bugs and bears are very different creatures. Bear sprays work from a long distance. However, the last statement is what makes the tweet a meme. God knows how many have already done such a stupid act before.

Green Energy

Why are we so hard-stuck on solar and electrical energies to fuel our vehicles? The solution has been right in front of us this whole time. Scientific memes always love to play with contradictory concepts and plot holes, but this is the imagination of an 8-year-old kid.

Image by Tracy Locke on Facebook

If magnetism was the solution to fuelless travel, we could have flown to outer space using it. Jokes aside, we would be happy to give this child a 10/10 for their naive attempt to solve the problem of environmental crises.

Hairy Dinosaurs

The statement is true, but its end rhyme representation is the best part of the post. Nevertheless, this person has found a plot hole in the dinosaur’s imagery. Yes, we all have seen dinosaurs in hundreds of movies, but not a single one has hairs on their bodies.

Image by Genesis Plac on Facebook

Now we know not to rule out the possibility of hairy dinosaurs. And we don’t just mean feathered velociraptors. How do we know that there weren’t some dinos with luscious locks walking around millions of years ago? We rest our case!

Scary Red Pandas

We understand that red pandas aren’t the only animals that try to stretch their bodies to appear bigger in front of their attackers. But then, why do these red pandas try to appear large in front of each other? Are they even scared of a same-sized member of their species?

Image by Joseph Symes on Facebook

Whatever the reason, the way they try to seem big despite being the same size is too cute. Standing on two legs with raised claws, both pandas seem to be dancing with each other more than anything else. All credit goes to the photographer for capturing such a beautiful and unique shot!

Sneak Attack

Pringles are so delicious that hands reach it faster than a b-2 bomber. Well, for those who didn’t get it, the b-2 bomber is the most advanced fighter for bombing areas. It is a silent, swift, and efficient aircraft known for its stealth.

Image by FAIL Blog on Facebook

On the other hand, the peregrine falcon is another master of surreptitious flights, easily catching its prey unawares. But a human desperate to get its hand in a Pringles can is just as compact, stealthy, and streamlined. You never know when the hand enters the pringle can, and all your chips disappear.

Two Cobras

Nature always finds a way to protect itself, but nothing can defend against humans’ ability to make fun of everything. The fact that this butterfly’s wings are colored, resembling two cobras, is impressive yet scary. With any luck, the mimicry will save them from becoming another animal’s meal

Image by Alex Jayne on Facebook

Although the trick works well to keep these tiny creatures safe from other threats, it’s useless against humans. But the moth should be glad because this user came at it with a stunning compliment. You go, girl. Work those scales!

Spherical Earth

Earth is a spherical planet, and our ancestors knew it. Hence, they named the gaseous environment the atmo-sphere. This fact is so obvious that we never bother to think about it. But it might hit the flat earth theory followers hard.

Image by Jay Irvine on Facebook

Science has proven time and time again that the Earth is a sphere. Even “flat earthers” have proven as much in their attempt to defend their beliefs. Maybe changing other lingo will make them feel better about being proven wrong.

Human Alien

It would indeed be scary to find humans on another planet. Whether we accept it or not, humans are a perilous species, so dangerous that we even threaten our existence. It’s scary but true that humans are the species on earth we fear the most.

Image by Aaron Wyrick on Facebook

Since the early days of Star Trek, when special effects weren’t very good, we’ve seen more than a few humanoid aliens. Even newer movies can’t help but depict extraterrestrial species as something resembling a human. So, yeah, finding a Xandarian would be freakier than meeting Groot.

Germs no Jutsu

This image is the result of a science lover being an anime fan. He correctly demonstrated what happens to food after falling on the ground. His visual representation is undoubtedly a better way to understand the science behind the process.

Image by Jay Irvine on Facebook

Yes, there are so many nasty germs on the flooring, waiting to devour your food. We know the 5 second rule is BS, but as kids, this is absolutely how we imagined our floor would look like under a microscope.

Turtle’s Shell

The image of turtles contracting and hiding in their shells gives the deception that the turtle and the shell are separate units. But here’s an amazing scientific fact and biological discovery. Turtles are not in their shells; they are the shells.

Image source: Inam Sawan IS/Shutterstock

Unlike hermit crabs that can switch out their shells as they grow, turtles are stuck in theirs for life. The shell is a naturally-made bony part of their body that stays with turtles until their last breaths. So, yeah, turtles have exoskeletons.

Annoying Technologies

Ever since humans began to develop digital technologies, we couldn’t help but imagine what life would be like as they advanced. However, it’s funny to see just how wrong the previous generations were. We still don’t have flying cars nor helpful androids in every home.

Image by Robert Almond on Facebook

Spam calls, daily advertising messages, and robotic auto dials from different companies, however, are ever present. Unfortunately, they’re just annoying rather than helpful or even terrifying. However, this proves that we only imagine the bright side of future technologies, ignoring the dark side of science.

Heavenly Mushrooms

If you’re too lazy to cook and just want to eat something filling, try this mushroom. However, the only fact to consider here is how long the rest of your life really is. Indeed, it’s a very subtle way of saying that the mushroom is utterly poisonous.

Image by Elijah Shane on Facebook

The person writing the caption seems to follow the principle of finding positivity and happiness in every aspect of life. He tries his best to convey the harsh reality with some good choice of words. The sugar coating makes the quote more enjoyable.

Natural Bliss

Everything we create or achieve is just a rearrangement of natural elements. We can neither control rain nor can we create soil. It’s the bliss of nature that we are provided with all the favorable environmental elements we need to sustain and grow.

Image by Unknown User on Facebook

With the technological advancements and powers to look beyond our planet we still can’t build a life. We all depend on the soil, water, sun, plants, and animals to sustain our lives on this planet. Probably, this is why great people said nothing is beyond nature.

No-Neck CPR

Yes, a person will die if CPR is given to the mouth and chest separately. These guys just separated the head from the dummy to practice CPR with some space. God knows what will happen when they give CPR to a real human.

Image by Claudia Perelli Hentschel on Facebook

However, the caption is hilarious. Karen will definitely not survive if they try to save her life this way. CPR is not supposed to work if the head is detached from the body. Probably, they would have needed super glue first!

BC = Before Calculus

No one can deny that the “invention” of mathematics is an act of utter genius. Okay, technically, math has always existed, but humans couldn’t put a name to it before 500 BC. Before then, building the Aztec temples or the pyramids relied on intuition and trial and error.

Image by Jay Irvine on Facebook

Currency didn’t exist like it does today, so it was all a matter of judgment and practicality. We’re sure there was plenty of confusion when the concept of math was first introduced, and even more so when it wasn’t just taught to the nobility.

Scuba Flips

This user conveys a life-saving hack here while ending it with a hysterical twist. Indeed, there is a scientific reason for scuba divers rolling backward to dive into the water, but it is not the one mentioned in the image below.

Image source: Merla/Shutterstock

Divers primarily dive backward to prevent dislodging their facial gear, which would make it difficult or even dangerous to breathe underwater. Also, this backward roll dive eases the entry of a human body into the water without any risk of injury. Lastly, headfirst or feetfirst diving rocks the boat excessively, disturbing other divers.

Useless Information

It’s good to know the crows are intelligent enough to comprehend the concept of zero, but how is this information helpful? It’s good to discover unknown things and explore the world, but it still doesn’t make sense if the discovery isn’t applicable to most people in their daily lives.

Image source: mdf/CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikimedia Commons

Now that you know crows can understand the concept of zero, how has your life changed? Not much, we bet. The maximum it can do is leverage your general knowledge. Thus, the bottom line is that facts are good, but many are just a waste of time for humans.

Correct Spot

If we assume that the long-necked dinosaurs work in the corporate sector and must wear a tie regularly, choosing the correct answer is a serious concern. It’s the prehistoric version of “how would this animal wear pants.” Forget the pants debate, we want to see dinos in formal wear!

Image by Johnny McPherson on Facebook

Thus, this post remains to be only a good joke. No wonder scientific memes are just going off the roof with their dinosaur jokes. However, if this had been a reality, we think the tie at the end of the neck would look better.

Ocean Threats

Indeed, we aren’t scared of the oceans as much as we should be. Many dangerous aquatic animals like poisonous octopuses and sea urchins in the open seas can annihilate our existence in no time. There are creatures of all sizes that can kill us with ease.

Image by Ray Rees on Facebook

But the confidence with which we visit beaches and oceans is crazy. The seas can be as dangerous as forests, but we never give it a second thought. The truth is, though, we’ve only explored 5% of the oceans which, we’ll remind you, covers around 71% of the earth’s surface.

Unconditional Surrender

Teaching the one who taught you to walk is a great feeling. It’s a different experience in itself to teach the elderly the use of modern technologies. However, the venture often ends up destroying the device or your patience…or both.

Image by Claudia Perelli Hentschel on Facebook

This girl explained the process step by step in detail. It starts with you helping them understand the device’s basic functionalities. But as the process goes along, that hope fades and you are left with your head in your hands.

Never Lonely Again

This post must have ruined the day of every person reading it. The best part of these memes is how science fans explain facts in a twisted way. Demodex mites are beneficial microscopic beings living on our faces. They remove dead skin cells and oils from the face, keeping all your pores clog-free and clean.

Image source: Kalcutta/Shutterstock

So, if you ever feel lonely, remember that Demodex is always with you. It might not be able to speak human, but it is guaranteed that you will never be truly alone. Well, some biological facts are just disturbing and require a bit more time to accept.

Uranus is Big

The creative minds of teenagers can never understand a simple fact in a straightforward way. They are programmed to make unwanted meaning out of everything. But the joke this guy made was one of the best we have ever seen on online science communities.

Image source: Orange-kun/Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

He is just innocent and trying to get over his accelerated imagination. He hopes that one day he will become mature enough to read scientific facts without reaching any other double-meaning conclusions. Nevertheless, the planetary fact mentioned in the post is pretty interesting.

Fast Hippopotamus

The inference of the below-stated fact comes out right in this case. Whether on land or water, hippopotamuses are way faster than humans. This tracks with the fact that hippos are one of the most deadly creatures on the planet.

Image source: Bruce Turnbull/outdoorphotographer.com

So, indeed the only chance for you to triathlon against a hippopotamus is on a bicycle. We love the clever way some of these memes share facts. You’re more likely to remember something funny or outrageous, rather than a simply stated fact.

Fight to Death

Between The Land Before Time and Jurassic Park, we’ve been surrounded by the mysteries of dinosaurs since we were little. While we’ll never really know what life looked like back then, we’re eager to learn every piece of information archeologists find.

Image source: Matt Zeher/North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

The fact of discovering a complete skeleton of a T-Rex is amazing, but the fighting part is what intrigued this user the most. The post highlights the level of perseverance T-Rex had. They never gave up; they fought till the end of their lives.

HOA Bat Roost

If you dislike your Homeowner’s Association (HOA), follow the advice given in this post. It involves only a few easy steps. First, buy a bat roost with a large capacity. Then, let it attract thousands of bats to your neighborhood. Finally, enjoy it!

Image by Andi Sjogren-Briganti on Facebook

The best part is that your HOA will be vexed at you but won’t be able to take any legal action against you because bats are protected under federal laws. We think this user must have been too frustrated with their HOA that they came up with such an annoying yet amusing solution.

Intelligent Souls

This pyramid explains the order of intellectual minds present on earth. The people who can fix their cars just by watching online DIY videos are absolute legends. They do not require a Ph.D. or other educational degree to prove their intelligence.

Image source: iQoncept/Shutterstock

No offense to DIY videos; they are helpful to some extent, but they always miss some steps in between. So, whoever can comprehend these missing steps and fix a car or complex machinery is no doubt the predator of the high intellect chain.

O-pi-nion

No one can stop a mathematician from cracking poor algebraic jokes. But this guy seems pretty irritated with his friends’ negligence toward his jokes. So, here, he came up with a creative idea to respond to their ignorance. He cut the image of an onion into two sections and inserted the famous mathematical symbol, Pi.

Image by Chetan Shah on Facebook

Thus, the complete meaning of this depiction became an O-pi-nion. Through this creativity, all this mathematician wants to say is that he doesn’t care about his friend’s opinions anymore. Although it looks more like an onion pie, he did try his best to infuse his creative and mathematical skills.

Salty Water

The online community is where all degree holders crumble before the born geniuses. For instance, here, the recipient of the message was flexing their knowledge by giving the exact explanation of why ocean waters are salty. While answering the query, they even mentioned their degree in pride.

Image by Josh Bailey on Facebook

But, on the other hand, the message’s sender simply didn’t care and gave a one-sentence answer to the question. It’s funny how the geography/geology major got confused by the reply. Probably, the person didn’t expect such a reply after giving an in-depth answer to a question.

Dirty Lobsters

Here’s another useless, yet semi-disturbing, fact. For starters, since lobsters are crustaceans, they have different biology from fish. With bladders in their heads, passing urine from their faces might be normal for them. But from the human’s perspective, it is too filthy.

Image source: Trevor Allen Weddings/Shutterstock

The image displaying a lobster’s face directly in front of us makes it more annoying than usual. Lobsters are undoubtedly unique creatures, and it’s informative to know how they communicate by urinating on each other’s faces, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is of no use to humans.

Professor X’s Question

If you can read minds, what do you think Charles Xavier is thinking? His abilities in telekinesis, mind reading and other things related to the brain are impeccable. He can communicate effectively even without speaking a word. And with Cerebro at his command, he’s an unstoppable genius.

Image by Jay Irvine on Facebook

So, if you are a mind reader, here is your strong competitor. But can you overpower him with your telepathic skills? Well, then, let’s test it now! Professor X is asking a simple question; go ahead and answer it if you can.

Science Can Explain It

Many may see the surviving pieces from the Notre Dame fire as a miracle, but the scientific community does not. Science is all about logically explaining the unknown, and this man took it to his heart. With a blunt caption, he perfectly demonstrated his scientific knowledge.

Image source: James St. John/CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons

Quite literally, he said that the golden cross and altar remained untouched because the heat of the fire didn’t reach the metal’s melting point. So, it all came down to melting points, not divine intervention. Nice try, OP, but logic has you beat.

Little Weasel

Well, this Least Weasel just lost its respect. Knowing about the smallest carnivore on earth is exciting, but these guys in the comment section are least bothered and started their commentary on the topic. Its small size is why this cute animal became a science meme.

Image by For the Greater Glory of Science on Facebook

Some people made fun of its name by wanting to look for the “most weasel,” while others compared the creature to different mythical characters. But most people are unaware that this tiny creature is a ferocious hunter. Thus, it proves that even if small, one shouldn’t underestimate their power.