It’s been a long time coming since we first had the idea to do a science-themed list. The truth is, there just aren’t that many science tattoos out there so it took us over a year of searching and collecting before we felt we had enough quality designs to put together a list worthy of TB.
As you’ll notice, the list features a strong majority of skeleton formulas, which take us all back to that dreaded chemistry class in high school, or molecule structures—whatever you want to call them. The reason? They are far and away the most popular science-themed tattoo we came across. We’d say the ratio is somewhere in the ballpark of 9:1. While those super sciency looking molecule tattoos are pretty neat, there’s also a healthy amount of other creative science related tattoos on the list.
So if you’re a self-proclaimed super nerd, a gigantic fan of The Big Bang Theory, or likely both, you definitely came to the right place.
Today, we’ll showcase 30 of the best science tattoos out there.
This Hubble Space Telescope tattoo.
This detail driven piece has a lot of interesting things going on. While the Hubble Telescope orbits in space, its monochromatic nature doesn’t take anything away from the awe-inspiring color and majesty of the earth and those beautiful pinks and purples that illustrate the cosmic section of the piece. Despite the wondrous color of this design, the Hubble Space Telescope only takes photos in black and white, the color seen in the photos is actually added later. (Photo: Bryan Gutierrez)
This watercolor ankle piece.
No matter how many different watercolor tattoos we come across, and trust us, it’s a lot, we always instantly recognize Simona’s work for its distinctive style and realistic brush strokes. This design features the serotonin and dopamine structures along with one of Simona’s signature hearts. (Photo: Simona Blanar)
This watercolor double helix.
It’s tough to avoid watercolor work these days. It seems wherever you turn, the watercolor technique is being leveraged to the fullest to compliment basic shapes and designs which, don’t get us wrong, isn’t a bad thing it’s just that it can feel a bit over used at times. This double helix is a great example of how watercolor work can spice up a simple black ink shape or design. (Photo: Resul Odabas)
This dotwork forearm piece.
Here we have a rocket ship making its way from earth to space. Separate designs all tied together are a really popular trend right now. We haven’t featured much of Niko’s work on TB before but his Instagram is definitely worth checking out. His black and grey ink realistic works are our favorite. (Photo: Niko Vaa)
This sketch style atom.
When it comes to the popularity of science tattoos, the Rutherford atom takes second place right behind the skeleton formula. The Rutherford atom illustrates the orbital paths of electrons around the central nucleus. Not to be confused with the atomic whirl which is the logo of the American Atheists group. (Photo: Rither Jr.)
This microscope tattoo.
Everything looks cooler under a microscope. Including this awesome little thigh tattoo. Definitely not something you come across everyday, or perhaps even in a lifetime, this design is guaranteed to strike up conversations anytime it’s warm enough for shorts outside. (Photo: Jonas Lima)
This abstract watercolor DNA tattoo.
Thick watercolor brush strokes define this wonderful display of color. For the casual onlooker, this design it pretty much whatever you see. Only when you’re told exactly what it is does the double helix start to emerge. (Photo: Ivan Androsov)
This watercolor serotonin tattoo.
There’s something about bold black lines and watercolor technique that just goes together. And when it comes to molecular formulas, the bulk of them seem to be of serotonin and dopamine molecules. (Photo: Adana)
This Adrenaline tattoo.
This intricate design is sort of a hybrid science/travel tattoo. A few tiny arrows can be seen in addition to a large adrenaline molecule. (Photo: Jean Alvarez)
