I think the meme is funny too, but it seems like it’s becoming so divorced from its original context that some people actually believe that carcinisation is some kind of ideal endpoint of evolution. Just to clarify: this isn’t true given how few actual examples there are and the tradeoffs involved.
Radio transmissions
Submitted 1 day ago by threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works to science_memes@mander.xyz
https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/614e33d4-257c-49b2-b504-63a45d63ef7a.jpeg
Comments
TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Ephera@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
“Ideal endpoint of evolution” is itself a funny joke to those who participate in knowing things…
victorz@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Well, evolution simply means adaptation, right? If there’s nothing new to which you need to adapt, ever again, you will have reached the end of your branch. 🤷♂️
Photuris@lemmy.ml 23 hours ago
I unironically love Latinisation (and Greekification).
“Crabification” would have worked just fine to express this idea, but “carcinisation” sounds so scientific and erudite.
People dog on English, but I think it’s really cool how we have other ancient source languages to pull from to coin “smart” words when needed. And when you dig into the etymology of the “fancy” word, it adds texture, layers, history, and extra context to the whole thing.
Ok, that was a tangent. Carry on.
TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
A few additional fun points about this:
- “Crab” is Germanic.
- “-ification” itself has its roots in Latin, so even your proposal would be “Latinised”.
- "carcino- comes from Ancient Greek.
- True crabs’ scientific name, “Brachyura”, is Neo-Latin derived from Ancient Greek.
Lupus@feddit.org 21 hours ago
I mean most of the European languages do the same with mostly ancient Greek and Latin.
aeronmelon@lemmy.world 1 day ago
All the crabs on Earth: “Wait, we’re here!”
MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 21 hours ago
Meanwhile, the dolphins decided to sneak out the back.
… At least they thanked us for the fish.
Kolanaki@pawb.social 1 day ago
We may not actually be crabs, but we sure do act like a bunch of them in a bucket.
slaacaa@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
“They’re made out of meat“
judgyweevil@feddit.it 1 day ago
We always tend to portray aliens in science fiction as humanoids. It’s time to change that
bleistift2@sopuli.xyz 23 hours ago
Isaac Asimov, “Hostess” (1951):
There were four fingers but no thumb. Each finger had five independent ball-and-socket joints. In this way, the flexibility lost with the absence of the thumb was made up for by the almost tentacular properties of the fingers. What was even more interesting to her biologist’s eyes was the fact that each Hawkinsite finger ended in a vestigial hoof, very small and, to the layman, unidentifiable as such, but clearly adapted at one time to running, just as man’s had been to climbing.
[…]
“[…] Look, there are five intelligent races in the Galaxy. These have all developed independently, yet have managed to converge in remarkable fashion. It is as though, in the long run, intelligence requires a certain physical makeup to flourish. […]”
[…]
“Now when the differences among the intelligences are closely investigated, it is found over and over again that it is you Earthmen, more than any of the others, who are unique. For instance, it is only on Earth that life depends upon metal enzymes for respiration. Your people are the only ones which find hydrogen cyanide poisonous. Yours is the only form of intelligent life which is carnivorous. Yours is the only form of life which has not developed from a grazing animal. And, most interesting of all, yours is the only form of intelligent life known which stops growing upon reaching maturity.”
brrt@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Adrian Tchaikovsky would like a word.
victorz@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Can you recommend some of his work to start?
leftzero@lemmynsfw.com 1 day ago
Rocky from Hail Mary is sort of crab-like, and I think they’re making a film adaptation…
bdonvr@thelemmy.club 23 hours ago
Yep. Very non-human or earth like at all in anatomy.
SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de 1 day ago
Coming out in March
Very excited
Ephera@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
Yeah, I hate that so much. Often times, it’s clearly just easier/cheaper to put makeup on a human actor, or at least for the aliens to be able to use the same equipment. But it’s so boring. If I want to see a humanoid with different skin color, I’ll visit my neighbor.
BuboScandiacus@mander.xyz 1 day ago
Aaaaand there is the Mass Effect reason
FrChazzz@lemmus.org 1 day ago
iirc, in Star Trek the Klingons descend from a crab-like ancestor. I mean, yes, I understand what you’re getting at but I still think it’s kinda cool that Klingons are sort of humanoid crabs
mosiacmango@lemm.ee 1 day ago
Which canon? In TNG, humans/klingons/romulans/etc all share the same progenitor race that seeded the stars based on their DNA.
FinalRemix@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
Prador Moon literally has giant space crabs as the antagonists.
frigidaphelion@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
The Prador in Neal Asher’s “Polity” books are literally giant spacefaring crabs. And they are not very nice people.
kalpol@lemm.ee 23 hours ago
This is sort of the plot of Children of Time
ArtemisimetrA@lemm.ee 19 hours ago
Heavy emphasis on “sort of”
don@lemm.ee 1 day ago
We will never crab fast enough. We are doomed.
Silic0n_Alph4@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I’ve been walking sideways instead of forwards for weeks now. My eyes feel stalkier and my pincers are the envy of all.
Take the crab pill and crabmaxx like me.
victorz@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Badminton players are way ahead of you all.
Bonus@piefed.social 21 hours ago
Fooking Proons!
SPelot@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
Thanks for making me laugh!
Naz@sh.itjust.works 17 hours ago
MadMadBunny@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
HA!!! Great one!
LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
Ray, when someone asks if you’re a crab, you say YES!!!