2013-12-20
Original: 2013-12-20 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1 (narration over a woman lecturing with a diagram of a fish eating a smaller creature):
Narration: Parasites often manipulate the behavior of their current host so that the host gets eaten by a particular other creature, thereby transmitting the parasite.
Panel 2 (narration over a large fish/predator):
Narration: This is good for the parasite, but usually bad for the current host.
Panel 3 (narration over a shark-like predator):
Narration: We can thus conclude that if an animal has a conspicuous conspicuous behavior, and it has a predator, and that predator eats the host, then the conspicuous behavior is moderated by the parasite.
Panel 4 (narration over reindeer with glowing red noses):
Narration: We therefore proposed that Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer likely contains some species of behavior-altering parasite, and that there is a north pole predator that is drawn to red light.
Panel 5 (narration over figures in winter gear holding lanterns):
Narration: We created lanterns similar in size and light wavelength to the known values of Rudolph's nose. Then we traveled north.
Panel 6 (the figures standing in a snowy/cave opening):
Narration: We are scientists. Dispassionate by nature.
Panel 7 (a man aiming a rifle, recoiling):
Narration: But even we were not prepared.
Man: NO!
Rifle: BANG!
Panel 8 (the lecturing woman at a podium, with a reindeer behind/beside her):
Woman: If someone ever asks why kitties chase the red dot...
Panel 9 (a saber-toothed cat looming over a fallen reindeer with a glowing red nose):
Woman: Tell them. Saber tooth.
Votey:
(A person with glasses reacting, hand on chin.)
Person: Jesus.
Person: It's a kitty comic!
Narration: Parasites often manipulate the behavior of their current host so that the host gets eaten by a particular other creature, thereby transmitting the parasite.
Panel 2 (narration over a large fish/predator):
Narration: This is good for the parasite, but usually bad for the current host.
Panel 3 (narration over a shark-like predator):
Narration: We can thus conclude that if an animal has a conspicuous conspicuous behavior, and it has a predator, and that predator eats the host, then the conspicuous behavior is moderated by the parasite.
Panel 4 (narration over reindeer with glowing red noses):
Narration: We therefore proposed that Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer likely contains some species of behavior-altering parasite, and that there is a north pole predator that is drawn to red light.
Panel 5 (narration over figures in winter gear holding lanterns):
Narration: We created lanterns similar in size and light wavelength to the known values of Rudolph's nose. Then we traveled north.
Panel 6 (the figures standing in a snowy/cave opening):
Narration: We are scientists. Dispassionate by nature.
Panel 7 (a man aiming a rifle, recoiling):
Narration: But even we were not prepared.
Man: NO!
Rifle: BANG!
Panel 8 (the lecturing woman at a podium, with a reindeer behind/beside her):
Woman: If someone ever asks why kitties chase the red dot...
Panel 9 (a saber-toothed cat looming over a fallen reindeer with a glowing red nose):
Woman: Tell them. Saber tooth.
Votey:
(A person with glasses reacting, hand on chin.)
Person: Jesus.
Person: It's a kitty comic!
Alt text
A tall SMBC comic styled as a deadpan scientific presentation. A woman lectures beside diagrams while narration explains that parasites manipulate a host's behavior to make it get eaten by a specific predator, transmitting the parasite. The narration reasons that any animal with a conspicuous behavior plus a predator is probably being controlled by a parasite, then concludes that Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer must carry such a parasite and that some North Pole predator is drawn to red light. Panels show menacing predators, reindeer with glowing red noses, and bundled-up scientists carrying red lanterns north to test the theory. They stand at a cave mouth: 'We are scientists. Dispassionate by nature.' Then a man fires a rifle in horror ('NO!' / 'BANG!'). Finally the woman, beside a reindeer, says: 'If someone ever asks why kitties chase the red dot... Tell them. Saber tooth.' The last panel shows a saber-toothed cat crouched over a downed reindeer whose red nose still glows. Votey: a bespectacled person reacts with hand on chin, saying 'Jesus.' then 'It's a kitty comic!'
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.