1904: Research Risks

2017-10-18T16:38:01Z

Mousetail: Added explanations for some fields

{{comic
| number = 1904
| date = October 18, 2017
| title = Research Risks
| image = research_risks.png
| titletext = The 1919 Great Boston Molasses Flood remained the deadliest confectionery containment accident until the Canadian Space Agency's 2031 orbital maple syrup delivery disaster.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is a comparison of the possibility of the subjects of various sciences being a threat to humanity. It can either be an autonomous threat to the local population (i.e. by escape from a lab), or as part of a supervillain's scheme to rule the world. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBkT19uH2RQ]

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Risk of Breaking Free !! Risk of Supervillain !! Research field !! Comments
|-
| 1 very low || very high || Prosthetics || Cyborgs
|-
| 2 low || high || Neuroscience || Mind Control
|-
| 1 very low || high || Laser Optics || Sharks with Frickin' Laser Beams
|-
| 3 medium low || high || Pharmacology || Poisons
|-
| 2 low || high || Materials Science ||
|-
| 2 low || medium high || Sociology ||
|-
| 1 very low || medium high || History ||
|-
| 3 medium low || medium high || Psychology ||
|-
| high || very high || Robotics ||
|-
| high || very high || Genetic Engineering ||
|-
| medium high || high || Chemistry ||
|-
| very high || high || Microbiology ||
|-
| 1 very low || medium low || Geology || Study of rocks
|-
| 1 very low || medium low || Linguistics ||
|-
| 2 low || low || Paleontology || Study of pre-history, aka archeology
|-
| 1 very low || very low || Astronomy ||
|-
| 3 medium low || very low || Molasses Storage ||
|-
| 1 very low || very low || Dentistry ||
|-
| medium high || medium low || Botany || Study of plants
|-
| high || medium low || Entomology || Study of development of words
|-
| medium high || low || Mycology || Mycology is the study of fungi, fungi cannot move and therefore not easily escape
|-
| very high || low || Marine Biology || Sharknado
|-
| medium high || very low || Ornithology || Study of birds, flying is a useful escape mechanism
|-
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A chart with two crossing lines with double arrows. Each arrow is labeled:]
:X axis left: Low
:X axis right: High
:Y axis top: High
:Y axis bottom: Low

:[To the side of each of the axes, they are labeled:}
:X axis: Risk of the thing you're studying breaking free from your facility and threatening the local population
:Y axis: Risk of your research being used by a supervillian for world domination

{{comic discussion}}

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1904: Research Risks