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Originally published June 19, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.

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.”

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

Hey Angelenos! I hope you can come out to catch my next talk about Microcosm. It’s part of the Zocalo lecture series. I’ll be talking next Wednesday, June 25, at 7:30 pm at the Skirball Cultural Center. Here are the details. 

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

Jordan writes: “My tattoo is of the ‘glider’ formation from John Conway’s Game of Life. As a History of Science student I love this geometric arrangement and its promise of self-contained (not viral) reproduction, and travel.”Carl: For more on Conway’s primordial artificial life, see here.

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Originally published June 17, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.

Carrie writes:

“I am an immunologist, and a second-generation biologist; my mother was a cell biologist (she passed away from brain cancer, which influenced my choice of career). I find DNA to be elegant; the code is so simple, and yet capable of enormous complexity. So I had my artist make a stylized DNA double-helix for me. The two double-stranded breaks don’t bother me; adaptive immune cells have those as part of normal development. 😉 “

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Originally published June 16, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.