Science can be funny

Discover the art of being a science-based stand-up comedian and how humor can thrive in scientific contexts.

Written byPhil Plait
| 1 min read
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I like to think I'm something of a funny guy. I once won fourth place in a comedy contest in college, and the guy who won second place plagiarized Stephen Wright. So really I did pretty well. Don't ask how many people competed. Science is actually a pretty wealthy hunting ground for humor. The Big Bang Theory is still slaying me when I watch it, and sometimes they put in jokes you kinda have to be a scientist or a geek to get. Brian Malow not only agrees with me (I assume) but he's taken it a step farther: he's a science-based stand-up comedian. He has (of course!) a video on YouTube. Not too bad. The virus walking into a bar was pretty funny, and would've been even without the intro part. Now if he can just get regular people to understand why the spherical cow joke is so funny... Tip o' the funny bone to... my mom. Yes, my mom.

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