Tom Gauld’s Physics for Cats Is Smart, Funny, and Cosmic

Confession time: I read New Scientist for the same reason I read The New Yorker — the cartoons. Specifically, Tom Gauld’s cartoons. Sure, the occasional article on quantum entanglement or AI ethics piques my curiosity, but let’s be honest — I’m here for the stick figures with PhDs.

Thankfully, the fine folks at Drawn & Quarterly had the foresight (or perhaps “forescience”?) to compile Gauld’s gloriously geeky strips. With Physics for Cats, his second anthology of science-themed cartoons for New Scientist, Gauld proves once again that the laws of comedy are just as immutable as the laws of thermodynamics — and infinitely funnier.

Physics for Cats is far more than just a cartoon book — it’s a witty, cerebral escape that proves humor has a rightful place in the lab, right alongside data charts and Bunsen burners. Tom Gauld’s latest collection is a brilliant reminder that science doesn’t have to be dry or intimidating — it can be clever, quirky, and laugh-out-loud funny.

Tom Gauld has carved out a unique niche as the world’s premier science cartoonist — a Venn diagram where theoretical physics meets dry British wit. Who knew quantum mechanics, space-time paradoxes, and cranky lab assistants could be this hilarious? Tom did. We’re still running simulations on the long-term effects of repeated exposure to Gauld’s work, but early results indicate increased joy levels and a slight improvement in pun tolerance.

Every scientist worth their sodium chloride has a Tom Gauld cartoon taped to their whiteboard, fume hood, or electron microscope. If lab coats are the uniform and beakers the tools, then Gauld’s cartoons are the emotional PPE of the research world — essential for surviving grant rejections, failed experiments, and baffling peer reviews.

In Physics for Cats, you’ll finally find answers to the big questions:

• What are black holes thinking?
• Why do lab mice unionize?
• What does dark matter feel about being invisible?
• And most importantly, what happens when Schrödinger’s cat starts publishing his memoirs?

As Moby once famously sang, “We are all made of stars“—and in Tom Gauld’s wonderfully absurd universe, that cosmic sentiment takes on a delightfully literal twist. In his cartoon cosmos, you might find yourself sipping coffee with a black hole at a quiet café, or overhearing dark matter opening up to a therapist about its existential issues. Time and space aren’t just scientific concepts in Gauld’s world—they’re characters in the joke, seamlessly folded into the humor itself. His comics operate on a cosmic scale, yet feel deeply human, reminding us that everything in the universe is interconnected, and often, hilariously so.

Through his minimalist lines and deadpan delivery, Gauld invites us to reflect—not with the solemnity of a lecture, but with the warmth of a chuckle. You don’t need a PhD to appreciate the depth of his insights or the brilliance of his punchlines; the only requirement is a willingness to laugh at the beautiful, bewildering complexity of existence. In a world full of entropy and unanswered questions, Tom Gauld offers the perfect antidote: a dose of thoughtful humor that reminds us how small—and how marvelously strange—we are.

What makes this book a must-read, even for those whose last chemistry class ended in confusion and smoke? For starters, it delivers sharp, smart humor across the full spectrum of science — from the head-scratching complexities of particle physics to the mind-bending paradoxes of time travel. No subject is too obscure for Gauld’s comedic microscope.

So if you’ve ever asked, “How is dark matter?” or wondered why your grant proposal reads like dystopian sci-fi, Physics for Cats is the book for you. It’s a whimsical reminder that science can be strange, beautiful, and yes — deeply funny. Just don’t read it while calibrating sensitive lab equipment. Laughter-induced vibration is a known variable.

Physics for Cats is essential reading for anyone who loves science, humor, or both — and especially for those who believe that laughter is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. Whether you’re shopping for a professor, a grad student, or that one friend who insists on wearing a lab coat to Halloween parties, this collection is guaranteed to strike the right nerve — and probably a few neurons.

Tom Gauld is a renowned cartoonist and illustrator whose distinctive wit and minimalist style have earned him a loyal following across the literary and scientific worlds. His weekly comic strips appear in The Guardian and New Scientist, while his work has also graced the pages of The New York Times, The Believer, and even the cover of The New Yorker. Beyond his comic strips, Gauld is the author of several acclaimed graphic novels, including Baking with Kafka, Goliath, Mooncop, and You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack. He’s also lent his artistic touch to numerous book cover designs. Based in London, Gauld continues to delight readers around the globe with his clever, understated humor and unique take on everything from literature to laboratory life.