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Title text: Phylogeneticists are working on identifying and notifying its next of kin.

Explanation

This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Created by a SLOWLY RECOVERING DINOSAUR. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.



This comic is a reference to this discovery of fossils of dinosaurs that were buried and killed by a volcanic eruption.

Megan asks if the dinosaur was okay. As living things typically don't survive being fossilized in volcano debris[citation needed], the answer to the question would obviously be "no", but Cueball replies that he is unsure. Even if the dinosaur somehow survived the initial burial, it would be very difficult for it to survive being buried for 125 million years. 2020 probably wouldn't be the best year to dig it up and potentially let it free.

Megan's response is natural and expected in many situations when hearing of a person or creature experiencing misfortune. The humour here comes from the inaptness of asking the question millions of years after the event. Rather than responding to the ridiculousness of Megan's question, Cueball takes it seriously, and deadpans that he can't tell.

The title text suggests contacting its "next of kin", which usually means a nearest living relative, e.g. a brother or a sister. The process of identifying and contacting next of kin is a standard step performed by authorities in the event of a death being discovered. In this case, dinosaurs are extinct[citation needed], so it is the job of phylogeneticists (those who study evolutionary relationships) to determine which living animal (presumably a bird of some kind) is the "nearest relative" to the deceased dinosaurs.

Transcript

This transcript is incomplete. Please help editing it! Thanks.

[Megan is standing facing right, talking to Cueball who is sitting at a computer desk and also facing right, looking at a computer screen.] Cueball: Oh cool, they just found a dinosaur that was buried by a volcanic eruption 125 million years ago. Megan: Wow.

[Pause. Megan is still facing right. Panel closes in on Megan and Cueball is not shown. This panel has no dialogue.]

[Megan has stepped closer to Cueball, who leans in and is still looking at the screen.] Megan: Was it okay? Cueball: Hmm, it doesn't say.



