2011-05-10
Explanation
This comic explores the "gene'''s-eye view" of evolution, popularized by Richard Dawkins in "The Selfish Gene." The comic opens with the narration: "The gene perspective of evolution says you'''re basically a mule for genetic code," showing a personified DNA strand riding on a person'''s back like a jockey, shouting "Hya!" The second panel explains that this perspective accounts for behaviors that benefit your genes while being detrimental to you personally, illustrated by a woman thinking: "I don'''t like this guy. He'''s too aggressive. Maybe I'''ll just have a little sex with him" -- showing how genes can push organisms toward reproductively advantageous but personally irrational decisions.
The third panel offers a mathematical calculation about how far your personal genetic sequence can travel, using sperm lifespan (~1 hour) multiplied by jetliner max speed (~600 mi/hr) to get 600 miles, with the footnote "*Roughly the distance to your mom'''s house" -- a classic "your mom" joke embedded in pseudo-scientific calculation. The fourth panel then zooms out to a cosmic perspective, noting that many sequences in your genome will eventually arrive on faraway planets in distant galaxies, carried by the long chain of reproduction over millennia, showing the DNA strand riding an astronaut through space.
The final panel introduces a twist: "Or you could just get sterilized," showing a person with their DNA strand panicking: "Hey! Stop that! It'''s meaningless now!" This personifies the genes as having their own agenda that is thwarted by the conscious choice not to reproduce, humorously suggesting that sterilization is the ultimate act of rebellion against your own genetic programming. The votey bonus panel shows the DNA strand breaking the fourth wall, telling the reader: "Less reading cartoons, more duplicating me!" -- as if the reader'''s genes are frustrated that they are wasting reproductive time reading webcomics.