this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2025
935 points (99.2% liked)

Science Memes

12405 readers
2449 users here now

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.



Rules

  1. Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
  3. No spam.
  4. Infographics welcome, get schooled.

This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.



Research Committee

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] TheImpressiveX@lemm.ee 97 points 1 week ago (4 children)

There was this one video where flat-Earthers tried to prove the Earth was flat, so they recreated the experiment by Eratosthenes and accidentally proved the Earth was round. I can't find it right now but it's hilarious.

[–] frezik@midwest.social 64 points 1 week ago (2 children)

This past December, The Final Experiment went down to Antarctica to take a video of the 24 hour sun. It's causing much consternation among flat earthers.

[–] Doom@ttrpg.network 36 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I believe firmly once the Flat earthers start to lose traction so will the Qanon and all the other dumb "conspiracy theories" then we can get back to the good stuff, bigfoot, aliens, loch Ness monster

[–] frezik@midwest.social 37 points 1 week ago

Unfortunately, what's more likely is that while some will fall away, the remainder will be more extreme. That's what happens when religious prophecies fail, such as The Great Disappointment among Adventists.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You may find this video interesting. It talks about how "big tent" conspiracy theories like flat earth and qanon are related. https://youtu.be/JTfhYyTuT44 TO BE CLEAR: the video is not in support of the theories! I'm reading the first sentence of this comment back in my head and it feels like it could go either way.

[–] PoopingCough@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Love this video and have forced it on many of my friends. It's a straight up documentary and it's so interesting to me.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] magic_lobster_party@fedia.io 8 points 1 week ago

Flat earthers believe they were just inside the Las Vegas dome.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 19 points 1 week ago (1 children)

There was one guy who designed what is actually an elegant experiment, placing several vertical surfaces, signs basically, with holes in them in a straight line a distance apart at the same elevation above sea level. If the Earth is flat, one should be able to see straight through all of the holes in the signs; if the earth is round, the holes will curve down and away. He observed that they curved down and away. Then of course proceeded to make up bullshit about how his own test was invalid.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] ThatGuy46475@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

Wasn’t that the Netflix movie behind the curve

[–] atrielienz@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] EtherWhack@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

To be perfectly fair, when the guy said the test was inconclusive, he was right... To a point.

His failure was that he only did the test once and in one location, which just proves a hill/valley could be playing a factor in the results. To have true empirical results, the test would need to be done at multiple locations, each a random but sizable distance apart.

The scientific method relies on repeatability and reliability in data to provide proof to anything and he wasn't really using either.

[–] DaddleDew@lemmy.world 54 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Flat earthers: "We only believe what we can see for ourselves!"

Also flat earthers: "And then there is a great ice wall around it and then there are other earths just like ours in other pockets like that"

[–] truthfultemporarily@feddit.org 22 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It gets funnier. A millionaire flew two flat earthers to the south pole where they proceeded to live stream the 24 h sun. Its called "the final experiment". Yet one of the flat earthers still said the earth was flat.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 47 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Explanation: Not only did the ancient Greek philosopher Eratosthenes (born and raised in what-is-now Libya) know the earth was spherical, he used that knowledge to measure the circumference of the earth - with two sticks and some carefully applied mathematical thought - to an astounding accuracy!

According to Cleomedes' On the Circular Motions of the Celestial Bodies, around 240 BC, Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the Earth in Ptolemaic Egypt.[8] Using a vertical rod known as a gnomon and under the previous assumptions, he knew that at local noon on the summer solstice in Syene (modern Aswan, Egypt), the Sun was directly overhead, as the gnomon cast no shadow. Additionally, the shadow of someone looking down a deep well at that time in Syene blocked the reflection of the Sun on the water. Eratosthenes then measured the Sun's angle of elevation at noon in Alexandria by measuring the length of another gnomon's shadow on the ground.[9] Using the length of the rod and the length of the shadow as the legs of a triangle, he calculated the angle of the sun's rays.[10] This angle was about 7°, or 1/50th the circumference of a circle; assuming the Earth to be perfectly spherical, he concluded that its circumference was 50 times the known distance from Alexandria to Syene (5,000 stadia, a figure that was checked yearly), i.e. 250,000 stadia.[11] Depending on whether he used the "Olympic stade" (176.4 m) or the Italian stade (184.8 m), this would imply a circumference of 44,100 km (an error of 10%) or 46,100 km, an error of 15%.[11] A value for the stadion of 157.7 metres has even been posited by L.V. Firsov, which would give an even better precision, but is plagued by calculation errors and false assumptions.[12] In 2012, Anthony Abreu Mora repeated Eratosthenes's calculation with more accurate data; the result was 40,074 km, which is 66 km different (0.16%) from the currently accepted polar circumference.[10]

[–] Hoimo@ani.social 5 points 1 week ago

In 2021, mathematicians Matt Parker and Hannah Fry calculated the circumference of the earth by going up to a point of known altitude and measuring the angle down to the horizon, giving them a very accurate 5500 km, which is 34500 km off (86%).

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] magic_lobster_party@fedia.io 46 points 1 week ago (3 children)

The existence of the North Pole star and the Southern Cross is enough evidence that the earth is round. On a flat earth, you should see the same constellations no matter where in the earth you are.

The Southern Cross was so important for celestial navigation on the southern hemisphere it’s in multiple flags (Brazil, Australia and New Zeeland, for example).

[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 29 points 1 week ago (2 children)

My favorite proof, and really it's the reason I don't argue with flat earthers anymore. The fact that the sky appears to rotate about two points opposite each other in the sky is unassailable proof that the Earth is round. If someone is willing to just ignore that, there's literally no point talking to them about anything

[–] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Ooh good one. I wonder what the flat earth explanation for this is.

Anyhow, the persistent belief in something like a flat earth isn't really a question of evidence.

To most people the way we understand the world around us is through the scientific method. As in I have not personally observed the results of testing vaccines on thousands of people to ensure that they are safe, but others have and others have reproduced their findings, so I'm happy to accept their published assertions.

However, there's plenty of people for whom the scientific method is merely one belief system amongst many, and you can simply choose which group resonates with you.

Additionally science tells us all sorts of unpleasant things about ourselves that we don't really want to hear. Why would I want to listen to "science" telling me I need to exercise more when this nice lady on facebook tells me that this crystal can realign my chakras and restore my health.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] leftzero@lemmynsfw.com 26 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yeah, Eratosthenes already knew it was round.

What he did with the two sticks (and paying a guy to take a damn long walk) was measure it.

[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

And he was only off by like single digit percentages.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 39 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I talked to a guy that worked in one of the deepest underground mines in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. He said one of his bosses, a highly educated libertarian nut job was a flat earther and would debate his workers on a regular basis about it. I told him they should ask for more danger pay because at one point they might drill through the flat earth plain and fall into space .... or land on a turtle.

[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Then they start talking about "as above, so below" in that water is both above and below us (with no distinctive* collectively agreed upon measurements).

There's are so many weird-ass suppositions.

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 29 points 1 week ago

The Flat Earth "Theory" is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard because of the simple fact that if it turned out to be true, if NASA came out and said "Eyup, we were bullshitting everyone the whole time."

Not a damn thing about my life would change.

There's no "The Secret" level nonsense where because this one thing is true I am suddenly empowered to free myself from the chains of society or reality. There's no "Ah, but your honor I'm a Sovereign Citizen, that means actually the murder I comitteded isn't illegal and you owe me a check for 69 Billion Dollars as punishment for wasting my time"

There's not a damn thing to be gained from it.

[–] madjo@feddit.nl 28 points 1 week ago (6 children)

For a certain group of people, science and life have gotten too complicated, and they want to feel special with special knowledge (often coupled with a distorted god belief), so they fall in the conspiracy theory rabbit hole.

And flat earth is actually one of the more dangerous conspiracy theories too, according to this chart, as it is usually not the only conspiracy these people believe in.

[–] SeaUrchinHorizon@reddthat.com 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

As with many things, the underlying problem creating conspiracy theorists is the mediocre high school dropouts need to feel superior to others in a world that values you for your skills and education. American Psychological Association: "The researchers found that overall, people were motivated to believe in conspiracy theories by a need to understand and feel safe in their environment and a need to feel like the community they identify with is superior to others."

If you can't develop a sense of pride by working hard to create actual merit, why not just fake it by grouping together with a bunch of other flunkies to be like "actually, we're all better than you, because you're all just sheep who believe what the government tells you!"

Bonus points if you combine this line of thinking with some other forms of discrimination, but even traditionally marginalized groups can fall prey to this trap. I'm not sure how to solve it, perhaps a stronger social safety net would prevent people from losing their grip on reality just to feel safe from perceived threats. Then again to quite a few people "black people" and "women" and "people from other countries" and "trans people" are threats so perhaps nothing we do can make them feel safe enough to stop being annoying online

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 20 points 1 week ago (1 children)

small voice Oblate spheroid.

[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The "science"tists keep changing their story. First it's flat, then it's a sphere, then it's an obligatory spherical, then it's a pear

You know who hasn't changed their story? The ancient peoples who didn't have accurate maps. They've maintained the flatness of the earth for thousands of years, so it must be the right answer

[–] Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 5 points 1 week ago

It's turtles all the way down, young man.

[–] rekabis@lemmy.ca 19 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Technically the Earth is not spherical… it’s an oblate spheroid.

[–] amon@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Close enough

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 16 points 1 week ago (2 children)

There is literally so much evidence that anyone can perceive with their own eyes if they want to. You can easily observe the curvature of the earth anywhere with objects visible across an open plain or water.

[–] Allero@lemmy.today 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Interestingly, most of people just believe in spherical Earth without ever checking anything, because society says so.

This is not an argument in favor of flat earth, but an argument that people around you can make you firmly believe absolutely anything without you ever bothering to check it by yourself.

[–] Kitathalla@lemy.lol 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

We stand on the shoulders of giants. I don't know how many of us repeated the experiments in our chemistry textbooks to prove that what was claimed was correct. A few piddling things here and there, but when did I get to build a nuclear bomb?

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Xavienth@lemmygrad.ml 5 points 1 week ago

The whole thing about flat earthers is that they come up with more and more elaborate explanations to fit each individual observation, when Occam's razor says that the theory that explains them all should probably be the correct one.

Like, they'll argue about refraction of light due to hot air being the cause for the disappearance of ships past the horizon, and then their explanation for how time zones work is something else entirely, and why we have seasons, and why planes take the routes they do, and all this other nonsense. They all need separate, complicated explanations, and they willingly accept them and vehemently deny the simplest theory that ties everything together.

The actual explanation for this behaviour is flat earthers are a friend group, doubly so for the people who pushed "globeheads" out of their life. So to change their view is to socially isolate themselves

[–] ThrowawayPermanente@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Alright so hear me out you guys, what if the whole thing was just a long-running prank? Nobody actually believes the earth is flat, but the Flat Earth Society is like the mafia - once you're in, you're in for life. And they have a Fight Club sign right at the entrance to the clubhouse so everybody knows they have to play it cool when outsiders are around.

[–] Robust_Mirror@aussie.zone 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think it's genuinely just people trying to make money at the top. They don't believe a word they say, but they keep making money from idiots so they keep doing it.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Irelephant@lemm.ee 13 points 1 week ago (3 children)

We can't prove in a way that they would believe.

[–] TeamAssimilation@infosec.pub 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Why do we need to convince them in the first place? I see them as the equivalent of internet trolls, they know they’re wrong and half the fun is moving the goalposts.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] bilb@lem.monster 4 points 1 week ago

Well, this is a simulation. All observations and measurements can and will be falsified by the designers of the simulator. What can ya do?

100%. I watched a video on TFE where there was a minister guy saying the Earth is flat because the bible says so and that any evidence to the contrary is manufactured by (literally) Satan and the US government and that they may not be able to prove it one way or the other, but they have to have faith in the word of God.

There's literally nothing you can say to that.

[–] Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Sometimes I wonder why this flat earth stuff refuses to go away and I don't even think it lingers because the flat earthers keep bringing it up. I think really it's just rage bait trying to get you mad about a group of people who, virtually, admit they have no critical thinking skills.

[–] nerv@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 6 days ago

I remember reading this article on how this group of flat earthers had pooled together to buy this incredibly expensive device, that had been laser calibrated. I think I recall being some sort of gyroscope that, if the planet was truly a sphere, would record on its inclination the degrees it would shift in order to maintain perfectly balance . The group had also did the math and they had reached a value that would be expected to be measured if the Earth was truly a sphere but it was immediatly rendered impossible because the device would never record such deviation as the Earth was flat.

Can you guess where this is going?

The device measured the exact figure the group had calculated. With no margin of error. And repeating the experiment only returned the exact same result. They had, by their own standard, reached proof the Earth was not flat.

Their conclusion?

The device had been sabotaged.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] marcos@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Oh, let's be fair here...

He had to hire a guy to count lots and lots of steps too.

[–] Corno@lemm.ee 7 points 1 week ago

I remember figuring out on my own that the Earth is spherical when I was 6 years old and I witnessed big ships disappearing from the bottom up over the horizon.

[–] SkybreakerEngineer@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Of course it's not spherical, it's wider at the equator and lumpy

[–] marcos@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Unless you go in an advanced metrology laboratory, or look at Jupiter with a telescope, it's the most spherical object you will ever see.

[–] leftzero@lemmynsfw.com 5 points 1 week ago

Jupiter is quite more flattened than Earth due to how fast it spins and it being made mostly of gas.

If you want spherical, look at Venus... or, even better, the Sun (not directly, though, of course; use some kind of filter or reflector).

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)

TFE was a breaking point for the cult of the insane, it did some good, but they're all clearly insane.

I hold fast with my position in extremist satire that anyone who thinks this way should simply be terminated for the good of our species, call it eugenics if you want, i call it culling the catastrophe. (again, this is satire)

load more comments
view more: next ›