Rachel writes, “I recently got this tattoo as a graduation present to myself. I just graduated from Florida Tech with my BS in marine biology. I’ll be moving to New Zealand in July to study giant squid with my childhood hero, Dr. Steve O’Shea.”
Carl: That’s like a physicist saying she’s going to work with Einstein. Have fun. [O’Shea on Wikipedia]
Click here to go to the full Science Tattoo Emporium.
Originally published May 16, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.
The platypus genome, which was published for the first time last week, has proved to be a Whitman’s sampler of biological treats. In case you missed the initial reports, you can check out a good summary from PZ Myers (and also take a look at Ryan Gregory’s take-down of the bad coverage). But today I just happened to come across another treat that, to my knowledge, hadn’t yet been picked out from the box. It’s a paper that came out today in Genome Biology. It concerns a very cool side of evolution that not many people appreciate. Species can evolve when their genes are modified, or when they acquire new ones. But the platypus turns out to be a great example of how species can evolve by losing genes.
“I am a soil scientist and entomologist. My favorite insects/arthropods are praying mantises, psuedoscorpions and spiders. I am also a big time feminist. I find praying mantises to be so fascinating, and while they are extremely adept killing machines, they are also one of the oldest insects around! This tattoo is a metaphor for my independance and tribute to my mantis friends.From Wikipedia: Sexual cannibalism is common among mantids in captivity, and under some circumstances may also be observed in the field. The female may start feeding by biting off the male’s head (as with any prey), and if mating had begun, the male’s movements may become even more vigorous in its delivery of sperm.
Do you live in Brooklyn? Or a subway ride from SUNY Downstate Medical Center? Are you free Tuesday May 20 at 4 pm? Then swing over for a lecture I’ll be giving on the evolution of mind. Here’s a copy of the poster (full size here). And while I’ll certainly be talking about human minds, you can expect other species to make cameos, from smart flies to clever hyenas to mindless E. coli. They all fit together into a big picture. See you there.
(PS: Just a reminder–I’ll also be at Harvard Book Store in Cambridge on Friday and the Field Museum in Chicago on Saturday to talk about Microcosm.)
Renate writes, “As a geologist and in respect to my temperament, I though a volcano tattoo would be just adequate. I got it at a time when tattoos were not as fashionable as they are now. Someone said to me ‘Oh, with such a tattoo you will never get a permanent position.’ But I have a permanent position now, despite the tattoo (actually the second one).”
Click here to go to the full Science Tattoo Emporium.
Originally published May 15, 2008. Copyright 2008 Carl Zimmer.
