2012-09-21
Explanation
In this comic, a red-haired woman marvels at the idea that every person is part of an unbroken chain of reproduction going back to the dawn of life. A bespectacled woman (the scientist character) immediately deflates this romantic notion by pointing out that while there is indeed an unbroken reproductive chain, all of your genes were also present in countless individuals who had no offspring at all. She further notes that many of your ancestors likely only got to reproduce through violence or treachery, while the ancestors you would have admired had some of their genes drop out of the gene pool.
The scientist then rephrases the original observation in a much less inspiring way: "Isn't it amazing that you have a small percentage of the genes that have ever existed, many of which were transmitted to your body by means you would find repulsive." This is a classic SMBC move -- taking a feel-good statement about the wonder of life and ruthlessly deconstructing it with accurate but uncomfortable biological and historical reality.
In the final panel, the red-haired woman persists: "Yeah, but isn't it amazing!" while the scientist protests: "Stop it! I'm trying to stick my science in your beauty!" This is a double entendre -- on the surface, she means she is trying to inject scientific realism into the other woman's beautiful sentiment, but the phrasing also has a suggestive quality. The votey panel leans into this with the scientist saying "My science is THIS big," gesturing with her hands, further playing on the innuendo.