The Delightfully Silly Science Comics Of Rosemary Mosco

Nature cartoonist Rosemary Mosco shares her process about how she dreams up scenes from the funny side of science.

a colored comic of an owl. panel 1: "feeling small and insignificant" with another bubble that reads "meet the northern pygmy-owl. it's just 6-7 inches long" pointing down to an owl. panel 2: "but it sometimes catches prey more than twice its size!" the owl stands above a dead pheasant. panel 3: "it's a brave little creature... whoa, go easy there, buddy!" the owl is now standing atop a pile of prey. panel 4: the owl now stands atop its prey AND a moose.
Credit: © Rosemary Mosco, Bird and Moon Comics

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Have you ever wondered what a Great Blue Heron would write in a love letter to a potential mate? Or what the moons of Mars think of themselves? These are the scenes that nature cartoonist Rosemary Mosco dreams up in her comic Bird and Moon.

“Nature is really funny. It’s never not funny,” Mosco says in a SciFri SciArts video. “You can go into the woods and find 20 or 30 hilarious potential comic prompts anywhere you go.”

Viewers may come for the laughs, but they will end up learning facts, she explains. Mosco talks about her inspiration for finding the funny side of snakes, planets, and nature, and how she uses humor to communicate science. See a selection of Mosco’s comics and more of her work at Bird and Moon

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About Alexa Lim

Alexa Lim was a senior producer for Science Friday. Her favorite stories involve space, sound, and strange animal discoveries.

About D Peterschmidt

D Peterschmidt is a producer, host of the podcast Universe of Art, and composes music for Science Friday’s podcasts. Their D&D character is a clumsy bard named Chip Chap Chopman.

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