A post by Carl Zimmer on The Loom asks science bloggers to show some skin for science. But not just any skin, he's looking for those of us so inclined to indulge in a little body modification.
The other day I was pondering how scientists tattoo themselves with their science. I was at a pool party where a friend, Bob Datta, had jumped into the water with his kids. Datta is a post-doc at Columbia, where he studies genes in Drosophila flies. I noticed that Bob had a tattoo of DNA on his shoulder.I noticed Craig McClain had thrown down already for the marine biologists, but I wanted to toss some of my own marine bio flesh out there for consideration. So I give you Honu, the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle and symbol of longevity. Man, all that black hurt like hell!
So I'm wondering now--have I bumped into the tip of a vast hidden iceberg, or do I just happen to know the few scientists with tattoos of their science? If anyone wants to send me a jpg, I'll post it. If you're worried about tenure, just let me know how the tattoo represents the object of your study. The more personal the link, the better (i.e., not a generic tattoo of pi).
PS: That's not me on the right.
9 comments:
So it's just a coincidence that it looks like a biohazard symbol is mixed in there too?
Great tat! Are you the Rick that taught the Berkeley high school students at BML in the summer? I talked about sea urchins and sea stars with the class once or twice. Lovely blog, by the way!
ti, troy...
yup, that's me... those were great summers at bml... ahh, injecting urchins with kcl to collect gametes while summering in beautiful bodega bay... does life get any better?
Nope, it doesn't. I sorely miss BML and the ocean view, the fog, the tide pools and everything else. I am currently in Portland, OR, as a 3rd yr post-doc at OHSU studying neuroendocrinology. I completely miss the ocean and marine biology and I fully intend to return to marine studies if and when I get a faculty job. I saw your tat on Carl Zimmer's scienceblog (mine is the sea urchin developmental tat) and your name sounded familiar. I also always wondered if you were "family". I grew tired of being the only 'mo out at BML for many a year.
tell me 'bout it...
the bml scientists in residence have a sweet gig in an equally sweet locale...
i almost started a blog called "Qweird Science" dedicated to capturing all the queer voices out there engaged in the scientific enterprise... but i feared i'd get tired of hearing myself talk...
and this blog is about all i can handle already...
http://jetapplicant.blogspot.com/2006/09/let-me-explain-my-tattoos.html
Jason,
It is no coincidence I have a biohazard tatoo!
From back in punk rock days, meant to stand against conformity. Perhaps it was a foreboding of me becoming a biologist. Or perhaps it was a foreboding of years of breathing in and spilling formalin and ethanol...
jason...
good eye! its a cover-up on top of my original biohazard that, like kevin's comment, was my comment on conformity (and political expression during the early aids decades)...
i must be less anarchic (or just an old fart) that i now find my expression more aligned to turtles...
Age certainly mellows one out. I went from metal and punk to folk and bluegrass. The music may be different but the message is the same... just in a nicer way, sometimes
i.e.-Bob Dylan's Masters of War is more punk rock than anything that has came out since 1990.click here for my rendition on my file dump site.
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