Courtney writes:

So, φ, the golden ratio (an honest to goodness irrational number that’s equal to 1.618…) appears all over the place and is considered to be the particular ratio associated with beauty. It comes up in discussions about architecture, the spiral on seashells, and the path a hawk in flight takes as it swoops to catch its prey (the vegan in me doesn’t like to contemplate that last one).

Continue reading “Endless Additions”

Alan writes:

“After much consideration, I decided to get an atom tattoo. But what atom? Given that I’m a graduate student in organic chemistry at the University of Michigan, carbon seemed like the obvious choice. It also has the advantage of being small enough not to look too crowded. I went for a retro 50’s Jetsons sort of look. Believe it or not, the general shape (though not the coloring) is based on a piece of Microsoft Office clip-art.”

Click here to go to the full Science Tattoo Emporium. 

Originally published June 18, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.