Science Imitates (Comic Book) Art

Discover ^ | June 20, 2007 | unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Gary Larson, creator of The Far Side, crossed over into anatomical nomenclature with a 1982 comic in which a caveman teaches a class this faux-scientific word. (Larson later joked, "Father, I have sinned -- I have drawn dinosaurs and hominids together in the same cartoon.") But when fossil evidence suggested that the dinosaur used its stego-tail as a weapon, scientists co-opted the moniker. Ken Carpenter, a paleontologist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, was the first to use the term professionally, quipping, "And now, on to the thagomizer," when describing a specimen with broken tail spikes at a 1993 meeting. These days, the word appears in reference books and museum exhibits. It's no surprise that scientists adopted Larson's terminology, says Carpenter. "He has a completely warped mind, which we absolutely love."

"Now this end is called the thagomizer, after the late Thag Simmons."

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

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[shuckmaster]

Gary Larson is at the top of my favorite cartoonist list!

[blam]

"He has a completely warped mind, which we absolutely love."

Why did SunkenCiv come to mind when I read that?

[Lady Jag]

It’s brilliant, I love it!

[SunkenCiv]

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"Mrs. Swanson's Elm Tree -- Of all the dogs I've known, Scooter, in particular has had to deal with his share of daily effronteries. However, birds who use language to pick at a sore spot... well, that would be too much for any dog."

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[SunkenCiv]

Hey, why did Blam come to mind when...

;')

[escapefromboston]

I am hoping Scientist rename the “big bang” the “Horrendous Space Kablooie”

[SunkenCiv]

Or, if they’re into the whole brevity thing, “splat”.

[colorado tanker]

Larson bump!

[fishtank]

behemoth bump.......

[SunkenCiv]