Tattoos Etch Body of Science

Tattoos are a time-honored yet painful way to mark a significant moment in one’s life. They can capture the essence of who you are and permanently etch that onto your skin. Scientists are one tribe that shows their passion for their work by marking it on their bodies.

For years, science writer Carl Zimmer has been collecting the body art of scientists and science enthusiasts. Now he’s turned the collection from the Science Tattoo Emporium on his blog The Loom into a book.

It all started with an innocent question to his blog readers in 2007: are scientists hiding tattoos of their science? Zimmer found out that many of them were, and they were willing to share their ink with him and the world.

But in true Zimmer fashion, you can’t read the book without learning something. Even he admits that he learned a lot during the research phase.

Zimmer says one woman sent a picture of her tattoo, depicting a neuron in the eye that helps regulate sleep. He’d never heard of this before so he did some research.

He discovered that the neuron allows light into the eye, even when closed and even when a person is blind.

Those are the types of aha moments that Zimmer hopes his new book will inspire.

The seed of this science tattoo idea came to him at a pool party where a friend and neuroscientist had a DNA tattoo on his shoulder. Zimmer thought that was pretty neat. And then when he learned the significance — that the tattoo actually encoded the initials of the man’s wife — he saw the idea of science ink at a much deeper level.

He says he wrote the book, Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed to show how passionate scientists are about their work and about science in general.

Darwins finches and chemical structures of specific molecules seem to be the predominate tattoo of many people. But some of the tattoos in the book feature obscure yet visually striking pieces of science.

Zimmer recently told the PBS NewsHour that if he ever got a tattoo it would be the double helix of DNA encoded for his wife’s name. He says, “I think that’s the way to go.”

If you were to get a tattoo related to science what would it be and why?