2010-08-04
Explanation
This comic uses the "monkey's paw" wish-gone-wrong format. A man finds a mysterious item with a note reading, "You may have anything you wish, but beware... all actions have consequences." He wishes that science terminology were more precise. This summons a magical genie-like entity (depicted as a monkey's paw or claw emerging in a flash of light) that grants the wish. Another person then hands him a book titled "Science," and when he opens it, he finds a news segment called "Science Bites" listing revised facts: "Pluto not a planet," "Brontosaurus not a dinosaur," and "G-spot not a distinct anatomical feature." The man screams "NOOOOOOO!!" in horror.
The humor lies in the ironic consequences of wishing for more precise scientific terminology. The man presumably wanted science to be clearer and more rigorous, but the monkey's paw grants this by taking away beloved concepts. Pluto being reclassified as a dwarf planet (which actually happened in 2006) and Brontosaurus being reclassified as Apatosaurus are real examples of scientific precision overriding popular terminology. The G-spot entry adds an escalating personal stakes element to the list of losses.
The votey panel adds one more item to the list of devastating scientific corrections: "Wil Wheaton not actually able to breathe in space" -- a humorous jab referencing the actor's role in Star Trek, suggesting that even our geek-culture heroes are diminished by rigorous scientific precision.