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I have no doubt that every one of us has seen something odd in our textbooks—a name, an illustration or a graph that looks just a bit too odd or completely bizarre for it to be in a textbook.

Of course, to us as kids that was comedy gold and we’d go around showing everyone this unique and hilarious discovery. But now… well, yeah, it’s still super funny, but now it also begs the question “what were they thinking!?”

Believe it or not, there’s an entire Facebook group dedicated to sharing with the world the most ridiculous, yet scientifically accurate and true, illustrations and diagrams that people find hard to believe that they managed to make it into a textbook.

Bored Panda has collected some of the best examples for you to enjoy below. And while you’re down there, why not vote and comment on the ones you’ve liked the most!

#1

Funny-Odd-Science-Diagrams

Javier Martínez‎ Report

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glowworm2
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Do you want to build a snowman? It doesn't have to be a snowman."

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The Facebook group in question is called Science diagrams that look like s**tposts and is dedicated to sharing proper science illustrations, figures, and graphs from textbooks and other publications whose editors obviously never bothered to check the end product before printing, thus ending in results that are reminiscent of s**tposting—internet slang for creating content of no value.

The group was created by an internaut named Luke who found these diagrams really funny, while admitting he has no idea why—it just was, and we all understand it, though can’t entirely explain it.

#5

Funny-Odd-Science-Diagrams

Tobin Hale Report

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La Petite Morte
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh dear.... ummm... seems like someone has a toddler and had a pet fish...

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It has over 448,000 members as of this article and even has its own Twitter account with over 500,000 followers. There’s an influx of hundreds of posts each month with members constantly sharing some of the most ridiculous, yet accurate, depictions of all things science.

Shared imagery often involves animals and the natural world, but it’s not just how they depict it, but also what they write. Besides disfigured animals and humans, illustrations that raise more questions than they actually answer, and crappy design in general, there’s also the occasional mislabeling (whether deliberate or not, nobody is truly sure) of illustrations that raise eyebrows at the very least.

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More often than not, these diagrams are taken out of their academic and scientific contexts, making it raise even more eyebrows, though others, even within context, would still look odd making people think how is this scientific because of how they are visually depicted.

It is interesting to think that s**tposting is, in some shape or form, present in the actual scientific community, especially in physics. There is this metaphor of the spherical cow which is a highly simplified model of a complex real-life phenomenon where a problem is reduced to its simplest form so that brainy people could make the calculations more feasible, despite it being no longer applicable in reality. So, some scientists are used to this.

#11

Funny-Odd-Science-Diagrams

Josepha Philippa‎ Report

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Troux
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"I confess! I burned the body and hid the skeleton in the police station!"

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For more hilarious scientific oddities presented in image form on the internet, you can check out the Facebook group or follow their Twitter. Or just keep scrolling! But before you go, let us know what you thought of this. Do you have any stories to share about your textbooks? Leave us a comment below!

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#15

Funny-Odd-Science-Diagrams

Eva Murphy Report

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Sergio Bicerra Descalzi
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like when influencers use photoshop to enlarge their butt, but the background gets a little bit of surgery too.

Kat Kirkpatrick
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There are two ways a scoliosis curve can go...side to side, the way it looks in the picture, and front to back (think hunchback). I had the bad luck to have both kinds at once. It was discovered when I was only 11 years old, and was so severe that sugical correction was the only option. I was too far gone for a brace, and leaving it along would have left me in a wheelchair in my 20s and dying a horrible death in my early 30s...the curvature was so severe that my lungs were being slowly crushed by my own rib cage. I had the surgery and have survived to age 53 (so far). I do have some lingering health problems, but I'm alive and have a good quality of life, thanks to one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the country.

Jennifer Ness
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wow, that sounds dreadfull but also amazing! Glad you had access to the surgeon

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Eddie Maurer
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes I have it and am in constant pain, I feel like how that drawing looks

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les
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

so all those influencers actually have scoliosis? i thought it was just bad photoshop, lol

Isabel Care
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Feels about right, though I'm wonky and twisted (not bitter, just twisted) further down. Anesthetist trying to give me an epidural said "Stop leaning to the right". I forgot the words "lumbar scoliosis" and said "wonky pelvis" instead. She hadn't read the scan report, half a page on everything that was going to be operated on and "lumbar scoliosis" hidden in the middle of it. I do a great Igor impression

Sandy J Renfroe
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't know about you, but I think the guy on the right looks like a lot of fun

Jenny Nordenborg
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As someone who has/had it, it looks very accurate in regard to what it *feels* like, incl the pain :'D

Vic D
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have Scoliosis, it's a sideways curvature of the spine, still trying to figure why his arms are deformed.

Piri Carroll
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Before I read the labels I thought this was gonna be about bad photoshopping and how to avoid it. Oops.

Emilingo
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Anyone else concerned for this ‘normal’ person’s shoulders?

Marnie
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One of the best (and most entertaining imo) dancers in the world has terrible scoliosis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP_BZpeDy6Q.

Devon W
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have scoliosis and I can confirm this is very true lol

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#16

Funny-Odd-Science-Diagrams

Clancy Xanecrest‎ Report

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Troux
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This concept can really only be taught in a hands-on lab setting. Let's investigate with a large sample size. And several jams for variables.

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#18

Funny-Odd-Science-Diagrams

Pedro Waffle Fajardo Report

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La Petite Morte
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So.... angry about being happy, disgustingly happy, inconsolably happy, afraid of his own happiness, surprised that he's happy, and happy that he feels nothing.

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#29

Funny-Odd-Science-Diagrams

Mark Ordonio‎ Report

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La Petite Morte
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The little white baby becomes a small black child who grows into a dancing teen girl who matures into 1980's yuppie man. Women spring fully formed from the ether, merge with the 80's yuppie to form a small white baby. Got it.

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#31

Funny-Odd-Science-Diagrams

Alexander Tamo‎ Report

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Darwinist
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let me explain the big chill is when all stars die and there is no more heat. The big crunch is when gravity collapses the universe into a black hole. Big rip is when the universe expands so much the fabric of spacetime unravels. Big snap is like big rip but the mini-dimesions unravel too and make a new universe. Death bubble are black holes that turn into strange matter holes that consume the whole universe.

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#37

Funny-Odd-Science-Diagrams

Ethan Smoller Report

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La Petite Morte
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You could literally say that about any mammal... and if you don't ignore the mouth and internal organs most mammals are doughnuts.

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#40

Funny-Odd-Science-Diagrams

Dylan Vogel Report

Note: this post originally had 60 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.