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Randall Munroe

@xkcd.com

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Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 18h ago

Maze xkcd.com/3280/

Comic. [Small maze on a table. A person in a labcoat holds a mouse above it. Another person with shoulder-length hair, also in a labcoat, stands next to him behind a podium.] [caption] Research breakthrough: After over a century of trials, scientists have finally found a mouse that can solve the maze.

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 2d ago

Main Span xkcd.com/3279/

Comic. [Bridge with three peaks. The ones on the outside have pillars digging under the water. The middle one is held up by a hot air balloon, surrounded by equations.] [caption] How to get past the 3-4 km limit on suspension bridge main spans

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 6d ago

Vera Rubin Observatory xkcd.com/3278/

Comic. Vera Rubin Observatory Discoveries: Bingo Card. [5 x 5 bingo card: black hole tidally disrupting a star; Planet Nine; remnants of a former Milky Way companion galaxy, 10,000 new trans-Neptunian objects, object on interstellar trajectory, star being eclipsed by weird object, secret military satellite, Kuiper Belt object that’s a surprising color; Mars-sized TNO, local group supernova, spurious signal from observatory kitchen, glitch in alert system spams all astronomers, space (free), Earth-sized TNO, defunct spacecraft, surprising number of small galaxies, neutron star merger, new supernova constraints on dark energy, new dwarf plane bigger than Pluto/Eris, lost historical comet, 5 million asteroids and comets, 50,000 near-Earth asteroids, object likely to impact Earth, Vera Rubin herself (faked death, stole spaceship), many very small dots.

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 7d ago

Forth xkcd.com/3277/

Comic. [Back of car with bumper sticker reading “I forth [red heart emoji]”]

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · last wk.

Weird and worrying questions Watch the latest What If? video in collaboration with @minuteearth.bsky.social! www.youtube.com/shorts/SLd4h...

Weird and worrying questions

YouTube video by xkcd's What If?

youtube.com

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · last wk.

Recursive Trucker's Hitch xkcd.com/3276/

Comic. [Winch arm with labels for “fusion capsule” and “plunger,” with string underneath with labels “recursive trucker’s hitch,” “Fout,” (at start of string) “n= number of layers,” and Fin (at end of string). Equation in box below: Mechanicaladvantage=FoutFin=13(2(2n+1)+1)≈234n. Below box: MA(1)=3:1; MA(5)=683:1 ; MA(20)=733,007,751,851:1 ; MA(50)=845,100,400,152,152,934,331,135,470,251:1 [caption] The international Atomic Energy Agency regulates the recursive trucker’s hitch, since the unlimited mechanical advantage it offers is powerful enough to ignite fusion.

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 2w ago

Calibration Nobel xkcd.com/3275/

Comic. [Person 1 with short hair on stage behind podium reading off paper while addressing audience. People are shown sitting in chairs while Person 2 with ponytail and Person 3 waving are walking toward stage.] PERSON 1: This year’s Nobel Prize in “calibrating your equipment carefully and not embarrassing yourself by publishing spurious results” goes to Dr. Adams and Dr. Smith, who did *not* announce the discovery of microbes on Titan. PERSON 3: Thank you, thank you.

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 2w ago

Arthurian Connector xkcd.com/3274/

Comic. Cursed Connectors #158: The Arthurian (can only be unplugged by a rightful heir to the British throne) [one side of the cord connection is a sword; the other is a stone with a hole in the center]

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 2w ago

Latitude and Longitude xkcd.com/3273/

Comic. [Latitude and longitude lines squeezing Earth.] [caption: Bad news: NASA accidentally shrank Earth’s latitude and longitude lines in the wash.]

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 3w ago

Time Change xkcd.com/3272/

3-panel comic. (1) PERSON 1 behind podium on stage: We all hate springing forward. But we love falling back. (2) [Audience pictured listening] PERSON 1: Therefore, we are abolishing the *spring* time change *only*. We’ll gain an hour every year, but never lose one. (3) PERSON OFF-PANEL: Won’t that cause the clocks to spiral out of sync with the sun? PERSON 1 holding up a fist: *Then we will meet the chaos clear-eyed and well-rested!*

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 3w ago

The Princess and the Pea xkcd.com/3271/

Comic. [Line graph with many mattresses per pea pointing to the left, many peas per mattress pointing to the right, and 1:1 mattress-to-pea ratio in the center. Existing Hans Christian Andersen story is circled between center and left wit ha stack of mattresses and one pea with princess on top. Arrows for potential sequels/reboots point to a mountain of mattresses further left, and to the right in order a single mattress with one pea underneath, a princess sitting on a bed holding a bowl of peas, and the mattress sitting on a huge pile of peas.]

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 3w ago

Toasting Marshmallows xkcd.com/3270/

Comic. [Two people toasting marshmallows over fire.] PERSON 1: At least we finally determined the board’s actual thermal limit. PERSON 2 with shoulder-length hair: Yeah. You know, we probably shouldn’t eat these. [caption] Engineering tip: Keep sticks and marshmallows around to make failures look intentional.

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 4w ago

Airport Meeting xkcd.com/3269/

4-panel comic. (1) PERSON 1 with briefcase: I do restaurant analysis for a beverage company. PERSON 2 with ponytail and briefcase: Neat! I work in the automotive industry, developing parts for specialized vehicles. (2) PERSON 1: Oh, my flight is boarding. It was nice to meet you! PERSON 2: You too! (3) [Person 1 and Person 2 walk separate ways] (4) Years Later: [Book with cover text Michelin Tire Company ⭐ Star Restaurant Guide, above a car that says on the side Red Bull Supercar]

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 4w ago

Offside xkcd.com/3268/

Comic. [chessboard with red dotted line and flag at second line. Highlighted rook is positioned next to King behind the red line.] [caption] I thought I had checkmate, but I didn’t realize my rook was offside.

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 4w ago

What would a rainbow look like on Tatooine? Watch the latest What If? video in collaboration with @minuteearth.bsky.social! www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO8r...

What would a rainbow be like on Tatooine?

YouTube video by xkcd's What If?

youtube.com

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 4w ago

Types of Tornado Alert xkcd.com/3267/

8-panel Comic. (1) Tornado Warning [tornado in the distance of a house] A tornado has been detected; take shelter (2) Tornado Watch [Person with bun talking to another person pointing at diagrams on screen] Conditions are favorable for tornadoes to form (3) Tornado precaution [person] Tornadoes happen sometimes, so be ready (4) Tornado Inkling [Person with hand on face] No tornadoes yet, but we have a feeling (5) Tornado Suspicion [Person looking up at clouds] Weird clouds have been observed (6) Tornado Premonition [Person looking at birds flying in tornado shape and two birds sitting on scythe-like structure with skull beneath] Tornado portents and omens have been observed (7) Tornado Recollection [Person with thought bubble containing tornado] Tornadoes have occurred in the past (8) Tornado Contemplation [Person sitting and saying, “Wow.”] Tornadoes are very big and powerful

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · last mo.

Holes xkcd.com/3266/

Comic: Holes. Elevation is to scale relative to sea level and ground level. Land shapes and horizontal distances are not to scale. [Lines for every 1k meters starting from -12k up to +4k: Bingham Canyon Mine (US), Veryovkina Cave (Georgia), MPONENG Gold Mine (South Africa), Sanford Laboratory (US), Giant Crystal Cave (Mexico), Derinkugo Underground City (Turkey), WIPP (US), Restof Salt Mine, with an arrow pointing at the bottom that reads “oops” (US), San Andreas Fault Observatory Borehole (US) CFB North Bay (Canada), Woodingdean Water Well (dug by hand) (United Kingdom), Diefen-Bunker (Canada), Deep Underground Command Center (Canceled in 1965) (US), Lake Peigneu, with another oops arrow next to it (US), Sydney Opera House Parking (Australia), Onkalo Spent Nuclear Fuel Repository (Finland), Hudson River, Delaware Aqueduct (US), Raven Rock (US), Wieliczka and Bochina Salt Mines (Poland), Atchison Storage Facility (US), Snolab (Canada), Detroit Salt Mine (US), Hongyancun Subway Station (China), Nuclear Test Shafts (North Korea), Super Kamiokande Neutrino Detector (Japan), Gran Sasso Laboratory (Italy), Peak above Gran Sasso, Modane Laboratory (France), Peak above Modane Laboratory, Gotthard Tunnel (Switzerland), Peak above Cheyenne Bunker and Gotthard Tunnel, Cheyenne Mountain Bunker (US), Kola Superdeep Borehole (Russia) - deepest artificial point below surface at -11917m, Lake Baikal (Russia), sediments under Lake Baikal, IDDP-2 Borehole (Iceland), Dead Sea (multiple countries), Ryfylke Tunnel (Norway), Pantal Remis Mine with another oops arrow (Malaysia), Great Blue Hole (Belize), Joides Resolution Expedition 307 (Atlantic Ocean), Deepwater Horizon Borehole (Gulf of Mexico) - deepest artificial point below sea level at -11944m, Glomar Challenger Hole 504B (Pacific Ocean), Mohole (Pacific Ocean), Joides Resolution Expedition 329 (Pacific Ocean), Mariana Trench (Pacific Ocean)]

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · last mo.

Asteroid Threat xkcd.com/3265/

Comic. [Two images of Earth, one centered on Africa, with a dotted line behind, and the other in the foreground with a target marked in the Indian Ocean.] [caption] Dire news: An asteroid is on course to hit the Earth exactly *opposite* the Yucatán Peninsula, bringing *back* the dinosaurs.

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · last mo.

720 Ollie xkcd.com/3264/

Comic. [Person with short hair and a skateboard talking to another person, with an image of Person 1 on a skateboard going over a bump with a line with two swirls behind him.] PERSON 1: Something weird I’ve noticed is that if I do a 360 ollie, I land backward. I have to do a 720 to land going forward. [caption] Tony Hawk discovers that he’s a spin-½ fermion.

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · last mo.

Baryon Asymmetry xkcd.com/3263/

4-panel comic. (1) [Person floating near glowing black ball] PERSON: So you’re the creator of the universe? CREATOR: That’s me! So, got any questions? (2) PERSON: Oh man, so many. What’s the reason for baryon asymmetry? Why is most of the universe matter and not antimatter? (3) CREATOR: Crap. Did I forget the antimatter? One sec, let me just... (4) [explosions everywhere with “BOOM” sound effect]

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · last mo.

Sports Commentary xkcd.com/3262/

Comic. [A person and a second person with a ponytail sitting at a table with a screen showing a soccer game behind them.] PERSON 1: They could be in trouble. Over the last 36 years, they’ve gone 0 for 2 when they’ve scored in the 37th minute to lead 2-1 against a team whose country comes before theirs alphabetically. [caption] I wish sports commentators hadn’t discovered p-hacking.

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · last mo.

Side Effect xkcd.com/3261/

5-panel comic. (1) Two people standing, one with a ponytail and the second with white beret] PERSON 2: This new topical medication makes me extra sensitive to sun exposure and gravitational waves. (2) PERSON 1: Oh yeah, that’s a common... wait, what was that last part? PERSON 2: Here comes one now! (3) [Person 2 stretched taller] (4) [Person 2 squished shorter] (5) [Person 2 stretched taller again] PERSON 2: *Wheee!*

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 2mo ago

Tethys xkcd.com/3259/

Comic. [Saturn near smaller moon with craters. A long line of flat rockets carrying parcels is on its way to the moon.] [caption] After learning that Tethys is exactly 1/12th the size of Earth, the miniature art model builders launched a fleet of ships to begin their final, greatest project.

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 2mo ago

Messi xkcd.com/3260/

Comic. Lionel Messi: World Cup Goals per game. [Graph with x axis as year and y axis as number of goals per game, ranging from 0 to 3. Data points: 2006 (~1/3), 2010 (0), 2014 (~1/2), 2018 (~1/4), 2022 (1), 2026 (3) with parenthetical (so far). Behind the line connecting the points is a grayed out curve showing the trajectory.] [caption] At this rate, by 2040 Messi will be scoring hundreds of goals per game.

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 2mo ago

What if everything was antimatter EXCEPT Earth? Watch the latest What If? video in collaboration with @minuteearth.bsky.social! youtu.be/TFhrRrRdUbA

What if everything was antimatter EXCEPT Earth?

YouTube video by xkcd's What If?

youtu.be

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 2mo ago

Plate Flip xkcd.com/3258/

4-panel comic. (1) PERSON 1 with ponytail: These tectonic plates look pretty eroded. When did you last flip them? PERSON 2: Flip them? (2) PERSON 1: Yeah, to use the underside of the continent. PERSON 2: ...Never? PERSON 1: Wow. Explains the eons of weathering, debris basins, and... is this isostatic depression? PERSON 2: It’s rebounding! (3) PERSON 1: You really should flip it. You’ll get a whole new landscape! PERSON 2: But I like *this* landscape! (4) PERSON 1: Just think how warm and fresh the other side will feel. PERSON 2: A sea of molten rock? PERSON 1: Good for the feet. Helps exfoliate.

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 2mo ago

Beam Pipe xkcd.com/3257/

Comic. [Person with shoulder-length hair standing on ladder next to large machine with her hand on it. Another person watches from the ground.] [caption] This year’s physics Nobel will go to the scientists who figured out that you could make the large Hadron Collider more powerful by covering part of the beam pipe with your thumb.

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 2mo ago

Nostalgia Content xkcd.com/3256/

Comic. [Person in front of images of pogs, a Tamagotchi, and huge fungal tower over mossy ground.] PERSON: Who else remembers pogs? Tamagotchis? Vast forests of prototaxites towering over the mossy landscape as armored fish stir in the deep? [caption] Due to a database error, millennial nostalgia now includes a portion of the Early Devonian.

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 2mo ago

Planetary Science xkcd.com/3255/

Comic. [Article titled “Evidence for liquid water on the surface of a terrestrial planet in the habitable zone,” with unreadable text but including pictures of a beach and of people playing on a beach.] [caption] Planetary science journals have asked astronomers to please stop submitting their vacation photos.

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 2mo ago

Detector xkcd.com/3254/

4-panel comic. (1) [Person 1 with ponytail walking in with a second person. A third person with short hair stands behind a machine labeled “Detector” with a glowing green light for “detected” and a blank circle for “not detected.”] PERSON 1: Over there are our electron microscope, XRF scanner, and mass spectrometer. And this is our most sensitive detector. PERSON 2: What does it detect? (2) PERSON 1: Lots of stuff. Gas, dust, particles, light, radio waves, gamma rays, protons, neutrons, electrons, fields, forces, events, potentials, or states. (3) PERSON 2: I don’t understand. Aren’t most of those *always* present? PERSON 3: Yeah, it’s been saying “detected” continuously since we turned it on. (4) PERSON 2: What happens if it says “not detected”? PERSON 1: Oh gosh. PERSON 3: That would be pretty bad, I think.