To see some of Rosemary Mosco’s science
comics, visit www.sciencenews.org/comics
Rosemary Mosco’s comic strips
feature her favorite inspirations from
nature and science.
Comic strip science
“I am so awesome.” [Smug grin.]
So goes the final frame in a humorous comic called “Birds are Gross,” in which art-
ist and field naturalist Rosemary Mosco highlights the virtues of the turkey vulture.
The bird, speaking throughout (“I am a turkey vulture. Yes indeed.”), reaches this
conclusion after announcing its proclivities for things like projectile vomiting and
poop-mediated temperature control.
“I like showing people animals that aren’t especially appealing, and then highlight-
ing what’s really neat about them,” says Mosco, 31, of her “Bird and Moon” comic
strip series. “Lately, I’m really into herpetology. I live skinks and salamanders. Sala-
manders, I think, are really, really unappreciated.”
Mosco’s interests sometimes follow her home, which is currently in Boston. “We have
a little rescued corn snake,” she says, in a nod to the resident whose diet has turned her
freezer into a scary place: “Half of it is frozen vegetables, half of it is frozen mice.”
A native of Ottawa, Mosco has been living a half-and-half life for as long as she can
remember, tugged by both art and science. As a kid, she would venture outdoors for
some quality snake-seeking, then return home and “write stories and terrible kids’
Now, though, the schism is resolved. Mosco is blending her science background —
she has a master’s degree from the University of Vermont’s field naturalist pro-
gram — with her artistic endeavors. She’s worked for nonprofit organizations, the
U.S. National Park Service and public radio, helping to explain climate change and
other issues. But explaining science through art, especially in just a few words, can
be nerve-racking. “The science can be really complicated,” she says.
Mosco says it’s worth it, though, and enjoys knowing that her projects can make a
difference. Once, a nonprofit printed her vulture comic on a T-shirt and sent Mosco
a photo of a woman wearing the shirt and holding a huge turkey vulture. “It had a
cute name, like Ed or something,” Mosco says. “I got choked up.” — Nadia Drake
A classic method for remembering
birdcalls using similar-sounding
words gets a new twist in
Rosemary Mosco’s guide to the
songs and calls of eastern North
American birds.
