Matt Zielinski writes, “I recently learned that you collect images of science tattoos. Attached is a photo of a tattoo I recently had done. I wanted a biomechanical theme to the piece with a special focus on the material chemistry that could potentially be used if this piece of sci-fi comes to life. The tattoo starts on the left with simple atoms and molecules (water, NO3) and evolves into the organic chains. Those macromolecules are PEEK, PEI, and polysulfone, all of which are engineered polymers commonly used in the medical device industry today. They can also withstand incredibly high temperatures and are very strong materials. The ball-and-stick macromolecule is intended to be ADP to demonstrate a synthesis of engineered and natural chemistry in the final product, the half-machine, half-woman face at the top right.

“I am a chemical engineer by education who works in the specialty polymer industry. A lot of the projects I work on were the inspiration for this tattoo and I believe that the technology to produce the biomechanical woman is not so far fetched as many would think.”

You can see the rest of the Science Tattoo Emporium here or in my book, Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed.

“My twin brother died from suicide in 2011,” writes Zach Poynter. He chose to memorialize his brother with two tattoos on his arm. One is of the constellation Gemini. The other is of DNA. “We were identical twins, thus sharing the same DNA (although not expressing it the same way!)” Poynter writes.

You can read about the science of that paradox here and here. And you can see the rest of the Science Tattoo Emporium here or in my book, Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed.

Jason Affourtit writes, “The encircling equation represents biological nitrogen fixation, which was at the core of my undergrad/graduate labwork. Working in that research lab (which was originally just part of requirements for med school!–my intended goal) totally changed my focus…So it’s an homage to that period of time, my wonderful advisor, and that lab. DNA has been central to my work life in genomics and has run through as a common theme. So to me, a G-C basepair seemed a natural symbol of that.”

You can see the rest of the Science Tattoo Emporium here and in my book, Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed.

(Tattoo by Nick Bergin from Godspeed Tattoo in San Mateo, CA.)

You can see the rest of the Science Tattoo Emporium You can see the rest of the Science Tattoo Emporium here and in Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed.

And if you live in Connecticut, you’re invited to hear me speak at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University on Thursday at 5:30. Admission is free. (Poster here.)

It’s hard for me to resist a tattoo of a shark tapeworm.

You can see the rest of the Science Tattoo Emporium here and in Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed.

Close-up of tapeworm:

“My project developed into defining how infections are combated in different anatomical locations and the host/microbial factors dictate these responses. I am scheduled to do my post-graduate studies with a collaborator of ours, so that I may stay in the Salmonella field, studying what is now a lifetime love/interest/career.

“There are few things in my life that have had greater impact in my life than Salmonella. Therefore, I thought it’d only be appropriate to have a permanent reminder. I quickly decided I wanted it placed on my inside ankle. The problem was finding the right person for the job. Once I found an artist willing to tattoo it (Scott Barbier at Electric Ladyland in New Orleans), we went back and forth about an accurate versus an artistic representation of Salmonella. Scott decided to freehand the tattoo on my ankle.

“While nervous at first, I was very pleased with his conturing of the peritrichous flagella around the natural curves of my ankle. As any good artist, Scott wanted to add more details and begun tattooing what to him were dots, but to me were outer membrane porins or pili. He also decided to shade the cell wall core.

“I could not have been happier with the results. Throughout the process, I discovered that this tattoo was the oddest one that he–or the store, for that matter–had ever tattooed before. This of course led to many artists popping their heads in the room with eager eyes to witness my developing tattoo. I certainly felt like I was a unique spectacle, so I shared a few different fun facts about Salmonella with them as they watched. The whole experience added to my personal love of Salmonella and my tattoo. Now what to get tattooed next!”

You can see the rest of the Science Tattoo Emporium here and in Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed.

Brandon Klug writes, “I got this tattoo in January 2009 during the first year of my MSc research and it encompasses a lot of my scientific interests. My background is in zoology and I have a fascination with anatomy, specifically anything to do with the musculoskeletal system. When I got the tattoo, I was studying adaptations of reproductive and newborn tree-bats in Canada and very quickly became hooked on these amazing animals. One of the biggest puzzles in bat evolution was the question of whether they echolocated or flew first, and this fossil (Onychonycteris finneyi), the oldest bat fossil (52 million years old) yet discovered, led to the conclusion that bats evolved the ability to fly before they developed echolocation. In general, this tattoo represents my love for anatomy, evolution, and bats in general.”

By pure coincidence, I wrote about Onychonycteris finneyi when it was first unveiled in 2008. Here’s my Loom post.

You can see the rest of the Science Tattoo Emporium here and in Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed.

Valentene Peinhardt writes, “I wanted a tattoo that would embrace my love for astronomy and consciousness of being. I remember years ago realizing the fact that we were made of star stuff when I was watching an episode of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series. Since then, my entire outlook on life has changed. Our ability to experience is so cherishable. I am not one of religion, but the feelings that I experience when I think about our origins, are not unlike spirituality.”

You can see the rest of the Science Tattoo Emporium here and in Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed.

(Tattoo done by Steve Lemak of Quillian Tattoo in Allentown, PA.)

Trilobite tattoo

Meredith Palmer writes, “I am currently working on Guam studying the invasive Brown Tree Snake. I graduated with my B.A. in Zoology in 2011 and have spent the last year or so in Africa studying large mammals, in the Caribbean examining guppy evolution, and in Canada digging up dinosaurs. And now I find myself in the Pacific! The plan, however, is to attend graduate school next fall. Although I majored in zoology, I always had an interested in paleontology born out of cold, rainy childhood summers spent cracking shale in New England with my geologist parents. Dicranurus is one of my favorite trilobite species, and the design is modeled after scientific plates in the publications of Barrande, a Boehmian paleontologist from the 1800s.”

Barrande’s beautiful illustrations are posted on the Smithsonian’s web site. For more on the glorious vanished trilobites, visit A Guide to the Order of the Trilobites.

You can see the rest of the Science Tattoo Emporium here and in Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed.

New Scientist

You can see the rest of the Science Tattoo Emporium here and in Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed.