Chris Madden Cartoons

A searchable archive for licensing

  • CARTOON SUBJECTS…
    • All subjects
    • ENVIRONMENT
      • Climate Change cartoons
      • Consumerism
      • Deforestation
      • Energy fuel power
      • Floods
      • Transport
      • Pollution cartoons
      • Waste
      • Trees
      • Wildlife in danger
      • Other environment cartoons
    • GARDENING
      • Spring gardening
      • Summer gardening
      • Autumn gardening
      • Winter gardening
      • Flower Gardening
      • Vegetable and fruit gardening
      • Trees and bushes
      • Garden design
    • ART
      • Modern art
    • SCIENCE
    • ANIMALS
    • DOMESTIC
    • PHILOSOPHY
    • POLITICS
    • MORE

Genetics cartoons – a big hand for genetic manipulation

August 1, 2014 by chrismadden

genetic modification cartoon

Genetics cartoon
Genetically modified humans – who can fly

A cartoon about the idea that genetic modification can be used to alter human beings

The genetically modified people in the cartoon have had their dna altered to give them gigantic hands (maybe by altering a gene that is responsible for gigantism). Their huge hands are being used as wings to give them the power of flight.
Cartoon reference:a669

How to obtain license to use cartoon

Filed Under: Genetics cartoons, SCIENCE

Chemistry cartoons – graphene

July 29, 2014 by chrismadden

chemistry cartoon - graphene

Chemistry cartoons.
A joke about graphene.

Chemistry humour – my chemistry comic strip in Chemistry World magazine.

This cartoon is about the form of carbon known as graphene – sheets of carbon that are a single atom thick. The humour lies in the fact that it isn’t possible to create a version of an element that is thinner than a single atom of the element, so the chemist in the cartoon is trying to achieve the impossible (in the pursuit of professional prestige?).

Ref: a668

How to obtain license to use cartoon

Filed Under: SCIENCE

Genetics cartoons

May 28, 2014 by chrismadden

genetics cartoons

Genetics cartoon

This is a cartoon about genetics that I designed, to illustrate the concept of life balancing on a strand of dna, like a tightrope walker.
My cartoons on genetics have been published in magazines such as Nature and Chemistry World (the magazine of the “Royal Society of Chemistry).

Click here to see more of my genetics cartoons.

Filed Under: dna, Genetics cartoons, SCIENCE

Prehistoric early bird catches the worm

April 14, 2014 by chrismadden

prehistoric bird cartoon

Cartoon about the saying “The early bird catches the worm”

The joke is that the ‘early bird’ is literally an early bird in evolutionary terms, such as an archaeopteryx.

A cartoon about evolution, prehistoric creatures.

sayings and proverbs

Ref: a620

How to obtain license to use cartoon

Filed Under: ANIMALS, Birds, Evolution

Cartoon – the medicalisation of personality disorders (and of normal personality traits)

April 4, 2014 by chrismadden

medicalisation of deviant behaviour cartoon

Medicalisation of deviant behaviour cartoon
The nature v nurture debate on human personality
Neurological origins of behavioural traits

 

A cartoon about the tendency to invoke medical reasons for deviant personality traits, for abnormal personality traits or even for normal aspects of personality.
It shows one aspect of the nature v nurture debate

An illustration about the medicalization of behaviour. This may include behavioural syndromes ranging from psychopathic tendencies and deviance to conditions such as hyperactivity, ADHD (attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder), rebelliousness or non-conformity.
In this cartoon I’ve invented a medical condition that is being used by a parent to justify her child’s aberrant or antisocial behavior

The cartoon reflects the tendency to claim, for instance, that particular parts of dna are responsible for criminal behaviour – thus removing responsibility from the person and placing it on the dna
The image is not meant to imply that there is no neurological basis for behaviour, just that it can sometimes be used as an excuse for bad behaviour
The subject of neurological origins for criminal behaviour is dealt with in the book The Anatomy of Violence by Adrian Raine

The cartoon was first published in Prospect magazine in May 2013
Cartoon reference number: a591

How to obtain license to use cartoon

Filed Under: Children, Genetics cartoons, Health, Medical, Social issues, Therapy

A quote about science: SCIENCE LIES… at the heart of our search for truth

October 18, 2013 by chrismadden

anti-science quote subverted

A science quote about the truth of the scientific purpose.
A riposte to anti-science

Quote playing with the fact that some people misrepresent science as telling lies about the nature of things.
The quote is my own
A typography-based image
This quote is a riposte to the claim by anti-scientific sections of society that science peddles lies and untruths (often at the behest of big business, drug companies, governments and other interested parties). Such critics of science are often unaware of the scientific method.

Cartoon reference number: a631

How to obtain license to use cartoon

Filed Under: Other science cartoons, Philosophy Cartoons, SCIENCE

God doesn’t play dice with the universe – cartoon

September 26, 2013 by chrismadden

God doesn't play dice with the universe

God doesn’t play dice with the universe – he prefers card games

A cartoon based on Einstein’s quote “God doesn’t play dice with the universe”. In the cartoon God is playing a game of cards instead

This image has been used on the cover of a pack of playing cards that was used as a gift for physics students

Ref a625

How to obtain license to use cartoon

Filed Under: Philosophy Cartoons, Religion/Spirituality, SCIENCE

Thinking cap – a cartoon about cognition

May 14, 2013 by chrismadden

thinking cap illustration

Cognition cartoon

A cartoon showing a person putting on a ‘thinking cap’.
The thinking cap resembles a brain.

An image about thought processes, thinking, the nature of consciousness, cognition, studying, problem solving – illustrating the saying “Put on your thinking cap”

Original version drawn: 2011

Cartoon reference number: a609

How to obtain license to use cartoon

Filed Under: Education, Other science cartoons, Philosophy Cartoons, SCIENCE

Altruism cartoon

May 14, 2013 by chrismadden

altruism cartoon 

Altruism cartoon

An illustration depicting altruistic behavior

 

The cartoon shows a person spanning a chasm or abyss, acting as a bridge with other people walking across.
The benefits of altruism are sometimes debated in evolutionary terms, sometimes arguing that altruism evolved because the good of the group is more important than the good of the individual. Altruism may also be seen as a form of display, where the altruistic individual is displaying his or her positive qualities to others, thus improving social status.
The illustration could also be interpreted as depicting exploitation, depending on context
Cartoon created: 2010
Cartoon reference number: a616

How to obtain license to use cartoon

Filed Under: MORE, Other science cartoons, Philosophy Cartoons

Neurological or genetic causes of criminality – cartoon

May 13, 2013 by chrismadden

neurological or genetic causes of criminality - cartoon

Medicalisation of deviant behaviour cartoon
Neurological origins of behavioural traits
Neurocriminology and its implications

 

A cartoon about the possibility that criminal behaviour or deviant behaviour may sometimes (or often) have its roots in a person’s biology.
The idea that personality may be determined by biology is one aspect of the nature v nurture debate, and has implications for the concept of free will

An illustration about the medicalization of behaviour. This may include behavioural syndromes ranging from psychopathic tendencies and deviance to conditions such as hyperactivity, ADHD (attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder), rebelliousness or non-conformity.

The cartoon illustrates the tendency of criminal lawyers to sometimes claim, for instance, that particular parts of dna or neurological makeup are responsible for criminal behaviour – thus removing responsibility from the person and placing it on the person’s dna or neurology.
The subject of neurological origins for criminal behaviour is dealt with in the book The Anatomy of Violence by Adrian Raine

The cartoon was first published in Philosophy Now magazine
Cartoon reference number: a607

How to obtain license to use cartoon

Filed Under: dna, Genetics cartoons, Medical, Philosophy Cartoons, SCIENCE, Sociology

Genetic modification cartoon – the wonders of science

April 24, 2013 by chrismadden

genetics cartoon

Genetics cartoons

 

A cartoon about genetic engineering or genetic manipulation

The illustration shows the results of scientists modifying the genes that are responsible for hand size.
In nature, birds evolved wings from hands – this cartoon shows humans bypassing evolution to achieve the same ends
Original version: 2000
This version: 2005
Cartoon reference number: a598

How to obtain license to use cartoon

Filed Under: Evolution, Genetics cartoons, SCIENCE

Professor Brian Cox cartoon – we are stardust

March 8, 2013 by chrismadden

professor brian cox cartoon we are stardust

Professor Brian Cox cartoon
We are made of stardust

A humorous comment about the fact that all of the elements apart from hydrogen and helium were created inside stars – so everything is made of stardust, including the less pleasant things

The joke here is that when the tv astronomer Professor Brian Cox says that everything is made of stardust he really lays it on thick in a way that many people, especially women, find very attractive. So here the woman is actually saying that she finds Brian Cox attractive, and it even affects her attitude to slugs

See my book on the nature of the universe
Cartoon drawn: 2011
Cartoon reference number: a586

How to obtain license to use cartoon

Filed Under: Animals (wild or pets), Astronomy, Insects - creepy crawlies, Other science cartoons, Philosophy Cartoons, Religion/Spirituality, SCIENCE

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck caricature as giraffe

March 4, 2013 by chrismadden

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck caricature as giraffe

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck caricature as giraffe

A caricature of Lamarck, who is associated with the theory of evolution through the inheritance of acquired characteristics or Lamarckism

Lamarck’s head has been given a giraffe’s body, in reference to the famous caricature of Charles Darwin as an ape (a version of which can be found on this site). The giraffe is based on a woodcut of a giraffe by wood engraver Thomas Bewick
Cartoon reference number: a570


How to obtain license to use cartoon
How to search for cartoons by subject
cartoon copyright matters

Filed Under: Evolution, SCIENCE

Cartoon – creatures from earth that look like aliens

March 3, 2013 by chrismadden

earth creatures that look like aliens

From my selection of science fiction cartoons
Creatures from earth that look like aliens from another planet

A cartoon showing that life on earth is as weird as extraterrestrial life

This cartoon was drawn many years ago, but is relevant today due to the BBC series Alien Nation, about the bizarre and otherworldly appearance of insects. Fish look pretty weird too don’t you think?

Cartoon reference number: a560


How to obtain license to use cartoon

Filed Under: ANIMALS, Animals (wild or pets), Evolution, Insects - creepy crawlies, Science Fiction

Science fiction cartoon – an alien planet where the aliens look almost human

March 3, 2013 by chrismadden

Cartoon - an alien planet where the inhabitants are almost human

Science fiction cartoon
Cartoon – an alien planet where the inhabitants are almost human

The justification of extraterrestrials appearing human in form is sometimes justified by the theory of parallel evolution or convergent evolution

Part of the joke in this cartoon is that in many science fiction stories the aliens look very similar to people (and even speak English). I’ve retained the humanoid appearance here, but made one small alteration – I’ve put the features of the head upside down.

The point of this cartoon is to show that even a small deviation from the norm can make a human-like form look very odd, due to our sensitivity to the human form

Cartoon reference number: a559


How to obtain license to use cartoon
How to search for cartoons by subject
cartoon copyright matters

Filed Under: Evolution, Science Fiction

Cartoon about the fact that most living things are symmetrical

March 2, 2013 by chrismadden

Symetrical life forms

Cartoon about the fact that most living things are symmetrical

Most lifeforms are symmetrical about a vertical plane that bisects them
This cartoon draws attention to the fact that we rarely even notice this fact. It does this by inventing a planet inhabited by asymmetrical aliens who find the idea of symmetry bizarre in a “strange but true” or “believe it or not” way

Cartoon reference number: a557


How to obtain license to use cartoon
How to search for cartoons by subject
cartoon copyright matters

Filed Under: ANIMALS, Evolution, SCIENCE, Science Fiction

Evolutionary arms race cartoon

March 2, 2013 by chrismadden

The evolution of superior life-forms - from bow and arrows to guns and bullets

Evolution cartoon – the evolution of superior life-forms
A cartoon strip showing weapons evolving from bows and arrows to guns and bullets

This strip is about the concept of evolution as a form of evolutionary arms race, where one thing evolves into another, slightly superior form.

Cartoon reference number: a555

How to obtain license to use cartoon
How to search for cartoons by subject
cartoon copyright matters

Filed Under: Evolution, SCIENCE

The evolution of humour – cartoon

February 28, 2013 by chrismadden

evolution of humor cartoon

Cartoon – the evolution of humor

An illustration using the classic ‘evolution of man from ape’ tableau, showing modern man developing a sense of humour.

Humour is depicted using the trope of a banana skin
Cartoon reference number: a549

How to obtain license to use cartoon
How to search for cartoons by subject
cartoon copyright matters

Filed Under: Evolution, Philosophy Cartoons, SCIENCE, Sociology

Science cartoon. Artificial life cartoon

February 23, 2013 by chrismadden

science cartoon - artificial life dna cartoon

A cartoon from my selection of science cartoons
Artificial life cartoon
Creating life in the laboratory

Dna cartoon
A cartoon showing a scientist in a science laboratory that does research into artificial life.
He has dropped a test tube on the floor. A strand of dna is wriggling away, like a snake.

An illustration about the fears that are raised about scientific experiments going wrong and unleashing problems on the world (such as epidemics of diseases and so on)

More of my science cartoons

Cartoon reference number: a540

How to obtain license to use cartoon
How to search for cartoons by subject
cartoon copyright matters

Filed Under: dna, Genetics cartoons, SCIENCE

A neurology cartoon about apophenia – seeing faces where they don’t exist

February 21, 2013 by chrismadden

apohenia cartoon

Apophenia cartoon – seeing faces where they don’t exist
A cartoon from my selection of science cartoons

A cartoon showing scientists in a neurology department canteen. One of the scientists is about to eat a pizza and is saying “Amazing – this pizza looks exactly like the brain scan of someone who’s experiencing apophenia.”

The cartoon is about visual interpretation of images, false positives, the evolution of vision, neuroimaging, brain function, functional magnetic resonance imaging, computed axial tomography
Cartoon reference number: a539

How to obtain license to use cartoon
How to search for cartoons by subject
cartoon copyright matters

Filed Under: Medical, SCIENCE

Illustration – do we live inside a hologram?

February 21, 2013 by chrismadden

hologram credit card cartoon

Do we live inside a hologram? Cartoon

A cartoon showing people climbing out of the holgram panel on a credit card.
The caption reads “Bad news. Not only are we living inside a hologram, but we’re nearing our expiry date.”

The illustration is about whether our three dimensional reality is a form of hologram like projection or illusion.
The joke is in comparing a grand theory of a hologramic universe with the mundane hologram on a credit card.
A cartoon about the nature of the universe, virtual reality
Cartoon reference number: a538

How to obtain license to use cartoon

Filed Under: Other science cartoons, Philosophy Cartoons, SCIENCE

Altruism cartoon.

February 20, 2013 by chrismadden

mindless violence and mindless altruism cartoon

Altruism cartoon. Mindless violence and mindless altruism.
The evolution of altruism

A cartoon about the emergence of altruism in nature.

The cartoon shows prehistoric men or cave men fighting. Another prehistoric man is rushing to the scene of the violence to care for the wounded. Yet another caveman is wondering about the evolution of altruism as a personality trait.
Cartoon reference number: a535

How to obtain license to use cartoon

Filed Under: Evolution, Philosophy Cartoons, Social issues, Sociology

Culturally determined world views – cartoon

February 20, 2013 by chrismadden

culturally based science cartoon

A cartoon about culturally determined world views
The idea that different cultures will use whatever methods are at their disposal to reinforce their established philosophy of how the world works.

An observation about theological determinism, cultural bias in science, cognitive dissonance, pseudoscience

The cartoon shows a nonspecific non-western culture planning to build their own large hadron collider (LHC) to obtain results that are consistent with their cultural heritage.
It is an illustration about the misrepresentation of science or the lack of use of the scientific method.

Update: The cartoon was drawn in 2010, however it is possibly more relevant now, in 2023, with the rise of anticolonialism and antiscience thinking (which is the concept that science is a white, western construct). For instance I’ve just read an article by Richard Dawkins about the fact that in New Zealand the government is currently instigating a scheme in which science in schools will have to be taught with the Maori ‘Ways of Knowing’ (Matauranga Maori) having equal standing with ‘western’ science (The Spectator, March 2023).

Cartoon first published: November 2010, BBC Knowledge magazine
Cartoon reference number: a534

How to obtain license to use cartoon
How to search for cartoons by subject
cartoon copyright matters

Filed Under: Philosophy Cartoons, Religion/Spirituality, SCIENCE Tagged With: antiscience, colonialism, woke

Science cartoons: creating mathematical order out of chaos

February 20, 2013 by chrismadden

mathematical order out of chaos cartoon

Science cartoons – mathematics
Creating mathematical order out of chaos

A cartoon showing mathematicians or scientists writing mathematical equations on a blackboard.
One scientist is saying “At last – we’ve created mathematical order in a chaotic universe!”

Part of the joke is that the maths on the blackboard look totally chaotic and incomprehensible, illustrating the common opinion that maths is a difficult subject
Cartoon reference number: a533

How to obtain license to use cartoon
How to search for cartoons by subject
cartoon copyright matters

Filed Under: Other science cartoons, SCIENCE

Science cartoons

February 20, 2013 by chrismadden

science cartoon - scientific establishment resistance to change

A cartoon from my selection of science cartoons
Scientific research cartoon

Cartoon about resistance to change in sectors of the scientific establishment
The cartoon is focused on conservatism in the scientific establishment.
The caption says “Our research proves that the scientific establishment has developed immunity to radical new ideas.’

The cartoon illustrates the fact that all organisations and disciplines can be conservative to some extent
Cartoon reference number: a531

How to obtain license to use cartoon
How to search for cartoons by subject
cartoon copyright matters

Filed Under: Medical, SCIENCE

Anti-vax cartoon

February 20, 2013 by chrismadden

vaccination cartoon anti-vax

Anti-vax cartoon

A cartoon about anti-vaxxers and anti-vax conspiracy theories.
Anti-vax conspiracy theories are common at the time of writing (2020).
This cartoon however was drawn in 2007 (I think) for a BBC science magazine for an article about vaccine scare hysteria created by media driven hysteria over health issues. I think that was traditional media in those days, not social media as it would be now.
The cartoon shows a doctor looking at a hyperdermic syringe and thinking “One of the side effects of this vaccine will be a hysterical reaction in the media.”

A joke about medicine, doctors, hypodermic syringes, vaccinations, anti-vax, anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theories.

Cartoon drawn: 2007

Cartoon reference number: a530

How to obtain license to use cartoon
How to search for cartoons by subject
cartoon copyright matters

Filed Under: Health, Medical, SCIENCE, Sociology

The law of unintended consequences – cartoon

February 20, 2013 by chrismadden

unintended consequences cartoon

A cartoon about the law of unintended consequences

The image shows an inventor worrying about the possible consequences once his invention is unleashed on the world. His invention is the paperclip.

An illustration about the dilemma faced by inventors or scientists who are developing new technologies – what use will people put them to?
Cartoon reference number: a529

How to obtain license to use cartoon
How to search for cartoons by subject
cartoon copyright matters

Filed Under: MORE, SCIENCE

Scientist breaking the laws of physics – cartoon

February 20, 2013 by chrismadden

breaking the laws of physics cartoon

A scientist breaking the laws of physics – cartoon

A cartoon showing a scientist in a science research laboratory standing on the ceiling – breaking the law of gravity.

Cartoon reference number: a528

How to obtain license to use cartoon
How to search for cartoons by subject
cartoon copyright matters

Filed Under: SCIENCE

Scientific research funding cartoon

February 20, 2013 by chrismadden

scientific research funding cartoon

Cartoon about the cost of scientific research

A cartoon showing a rocket, labelled ‘Research’ being launched and then stalling after lift off.
The trail of the rocket forms the shape of a £ sign to indicate that the research is ‘powered’ by funding. The implication is that there isn’t enough funding to keep the research in the air

A cartoon about the financing of scientific research projects
Cartoon reference number: a523

How to obtain license to use cartoon
How to search for cartoons by subject
cartoon copyright matters

Filed Under: ECONOMY, SCIENCE

Sat nav (GPS) error – car directed to the wrong destination.

February 20, 2013 by chrismadden

sat nav to Saturn's rings - cartoon

Sat nav (GPS) error cartoon – a car directed to the wrong destination by the sat-nav.
A car driving round the rings of Saturn as though they were a ring road

A cartoon about the way that people will follow their sat navs to the wrong destinations

The caption reads: I’ve got a feeling that the sat-nav’s taking us along the wrong ring road.
Cartoon reference number: a522

How to obtain license to use cartoon

Filed Under: Astronomy, Computers and phones

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Copyright © 2025 · Enterprise Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in