For scientists, the price of progress is specialization. When the goal of any researcher is to lay claim to a tiny niche in a crowded discipline, it’s hard for laypeople to find answers to the really important interdisciplinary questions. Questions like, "Is it possible to build a jetpack using downward-firing machine guns?”

Fortunately, such people can turn to Randall Munroe, the author of the XKCD comic strip loved by fans of internet culture.

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