Science Ink by Carl Zimmer

Tattoos by Pat Beck of Arsenal Tattoo.

Science Ink by Carl Zimmer has been popping up here and there lately for me.  I saw images from the New York Times on my Facebook feed.  A day or so later I saw it pop up again on Science Friday and got to listen to the interview once I had downloaded the podcast.

I have added the book to my wishlist and hopefully hubby will buy it for me for some random holiday.  Just what every girl wants for Valentine's Day, right?  The images shown on the New York Times slide show were phenomenal.  And while there were not any insects in the slide show, I fully expect to see insect tattoos in the book since insects make up 80% of the world's species- it would be a gross misrepresentation to not have an animal that is so prevalent in the world.

During the interview on Science Friday, Zimmer talked about how he was flooded with responses when he put out the call for science related tattoos on his blog.  He also talked about many stories that came along with the tattoos- not the often thought of "I got drunk and got a tattoo", but personal stories where the tattoos were planned to commemorate an event (such as graduation) or a person.  I eagerly await getting the book so I can read about the stories behind the beautiful art of science tattoos.