Like Mr. Zimmer himself, I don’t have any tattoos. He joked about not being fond of needles. For me it’s more about how distracted I get by bright shiny ideas. I don’t know that I could come up with something I’d always want or I’d have to keep adding and end up with a mishmash of stuff. But I find great beauty in many tattoos, so science plus tattoos, I was there.
Mr. Zimmer gave a presentation about his latest book at the New York Academy of Science earlier this week. The NYAS often has lectures that make a nice bridge between “serious” scientists and the general public of nerdery who dabble and wonder about science stuff. I am in the latter category but think that whatever field of work or inquiry you are a part of it’s a great idea to mix it up and check out things in other areas. This is often where great ideas come from, the melding of ideas from seemingly unrelated things.
What began as a revelation between Zimmer and a friend who is a doctor has grown into a book. The secret was a tattoo on the doctor’s shoulder. And over time Zimmer heard from countless other scientists after an article on his blog The Loom in which he showed a picture of his friend’s tattoo. Photos and stories showed up in his email and eventually it was suggested that a collection of the images and complementary stories and explanations be published.
And so Science Ink came into being. It is arranged by discipline and with subset tributes to some specific topics that show up with high frequency, like Darwin or DNA. His presentation was relaxed and informal and included, not only slides but appearances by several people who had sent him images of their tattoos who shared their stories. His writing chops showed with references to someone receiving a “verbel scowling and crossing of the arms” and tattoos representing a “social barcode.”
There were brief touches on things like the history of the word tattoo, and how tattoos have been found on many ancient bodies that have been preserved in ways that the skin is still visible. We may never learn all the meanings of those tattoos but they certainly reflect an awareness of being. Here is a marking that shows who I am or my place in society, or perhaps that I carry a physical amulet of protection. Just as there are numerous reasons that people get tattoos today, there could be numerous reasons historically.
While this book focuses on science and scientists, it is the stories that make it special. People got tattoos to reflect their field of study, or something that inspired them to become scientists or in some cases as rights of passage. Completion of doctorates seemed to be a common theme. One told Zimmer essentiall that they wanted to remind themselves by going through the process of getting the tattoo that there are things in life more painful that getting a Ph.D.
Sadly, there is still some stigma attached to tattoos. A few people asked to remain anonymous until they received tenure. And one audience member commented that he was instructed to keep his tats hidden at work if he wanted to advance. But whether we can see them or not, the bearers know they are there and each have its own special story.
So whether you have tattoos or not, if you like science, this book provides a unique peek at some of the people who are pushing our understanding of life, the universe and more, forward.
