Margot, a zoo veterinary technician writes, “In reading Carl Charles Seife’s fabulous book Zero, he presents a graph of complex numbers which plot a changing exponent for the basic formula (X+iY)ⁿ in which X represents real numbers and Y represents imaginary numbers. If Y=1, the result is a circle. Y<1 creates a spiral inside the circle and Y>1 creates a spiral outside the circle. The logarithmic spiral is a very natural and fractal form, and being in the biology field and a fractal freak, I was captivated by this figure. Then the philosopher in me started seeing all the symbolism one could glean from this and it was all over. The other side of the story is that after 3 years of cortisone shots, physical therapy, surgery, more therapy and acupuncture to treat tendonitis in my right elbow, my arm is finally back to “as good as it’s going to get.” Unfortunately, my lifestyle as a zoo veterinary technician, musician, and mother all conspire to cause re-injury unless I am extremely careful. This tattoo is a colorful and metaphorical reminder to be mindful yet still live my life to the fullest extent possible.”

Click here to go to the full Science Tattoo Emporium.

Originally published July 24, 2009. Copyright 2009 Carl Zimmer.

Scientists tinker with my favorite bug  so that it can solve mathematical puzzles.

Originally published July 24, 2009. Copyright 2009 Carl Zimmer.

Sweet! Richard Dawkins paid a visit to the Explore Evolution museum exhibit I helped put together. Here’s the first of a series of videos he filmed while he was there, on the evolution of whales. You can watch the others here.

Originally published July 23, 2009. Copyright 2009 Carl Zimmer.

In my June brain column for Discover, I wrote about the bizarre idea that there are single neurons in your head that can respond to individual people. The so-called “grandmother cell” started out 40 years ago as a thought experiment riffing on Philip Roth’s novel Portnoy’s Complaint. By the 1970s, most neuroscientists considered it more of a joke than a valid concept, but in the years since it hasn’t quite gone away. Continue reading “The Legend of Grandmother Cells Continues” →

There is no way to keep up with all the bad reporting on science these days, but I cannot resist certain egregious cases. As Loom readers know, George Will writing about global warming is one. This morning brings fresh evidence of his trouble with the facts–and, more importantly–the empty claims of the Washington Post‘s editorial page that they respect the time-honored art of fact-checking.

Continue reading “George Will’s Crack Fact-Checkers Continue Their Nap” →