Tattoos are a way to identify yourself.
They can show dedication to a loved one like the cliched “Mom” inside a heart on a bulging bicep or, in a more extreme case, the mom who used her dead son’s ashes mixed into ink for a memorial tattoo.
Tats can get you in trouble like the cases where a tattooed goatee led to the arrest of a criminal in a home invasion or the iPhone thief who was nabbed because he was recognized due to the words “I’m Me” inked onto his forehead.
For a surprisingly large number of people working in scientific fields, their choice of body art displays a symbol of their dedication to their profession and their inspirations.
Discover Magazine has more than 250 images submitted by people sharing their job-related ink. The tattoos cover a broad range from a double helix to a medicinal plant to mathematical equations to the Galapagos Islands and portraits of Charles Darwin. Botany, biology, mathematics, geometry and medicine are all on display in often highly personalized depictions.