Author: Lori Jia
Brandon writes, “Got this at a biker rally in Hines, Oregon. I like to get tattoos of the major professions I have had in my life. But with the trowel everyone thinks I’m a mason. I have to tell them I am an archaeologist.”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xortch/2128682523/
Click here to go to the full Science Tattoo Emporium.
Originally published July 7, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.
Mike writes:
“The earth and brain are the nucleus of a neuron, whose apical dendrite is a double helix. Reversing the scales reminded me of universal principles that operate across different levels of organization–like diversity is important.”
Click here to go to the full Science Tattoo Emporium.
Originally published July 7, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.
Vicki writes, “This coelacanth is on my abdomen. I’ve been fond of these rare, distant relatives for a while, and got this inked a couple of years ago.”
Click here to go to the full Science Tattoo Emporium.
Originally published July 5, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.
Laura writes:
“This is a tattoo of the prairie grass Andropogon gerardii, or big blue stem. My masters research involved land disturbance, mycorrhizae and soil properties associated with this & two other common prairie plants.
Also notice that this tattoo is over a wicked scar from a car accident where I shattered my calcaneus. More than half of a prairie plant is below ground, keeping the plant alive during regular disturbances (such as fire or grazing). The extensive root system over my repaired heal symbolizes stability, strength and recovery. I had the obscure idea, but the artist (Kit) made my botanical mumblings a reality.”
I have a fondness for graphs, especially ones that let you survey the sweep of life’s history in one glance. Here’s a new one, out today in the journal Science. It’s the latest look at the levels of biodiversity over the past half billion years. Scientists crunched the numbers on about 3.5 million fossils of ocean-dwelling invertebrates, using more detailed data than in previous surveys. (Some marine invertebrates leave fabulous heaps of fossils. Other species, like our own, are more delicate.) The horizontal axis marks time, and the vertical one marks the number of genera alive at any particular interval of about 10 million years. (Genera are groups of species. The genus Homo includes us, Neanderthals, and a few other extinct hominids, for example.)