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A nanoengineer teamed up with Rihanna’s tattoo artist to make smarter ink

Aug 21, 2023
Tattoos are more popular than ever. About a third of Americans have at least one. The creators of this new vanishing ink hope it's a first step toward smart tattoos that provide intel about our bodies.
Scientist Carson Bruns’ laboratory at the University of Colorado Boulder makes tattoo inks by mixing, stirring, evaporating and spinning a series of liquids until they end up with particles of dye encased in beads of plexiglass.
Rae Ellen Bichell/KFF Health News

'She persisted': Women pack tattoo shop for solidarity in ink

Feb 24, 2017
Soon after Sen. Elizabeth Warren was silenced on the Senate floor Minneapolis women took words from Sen. Mitch McConnell and turned them on their head, using 'nevertheless, she persisted' as a rallying cry for proponents of women's rights.
Kyle Mack tattoos the phrase "she persisted" on to the arm of Lindsay Wenner inside the Brass Knuckle Tattoo Shop in Minneapolis Tuesday, Feb. 21.
Evan Frost, MPR News

Tattoo flash days show industry's growing popularity

Apr 1, 2016
The popularity of tattoo flash days
A flash sheet by Rachel Hauer, tattoo artist at East River Tattoo in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Rachel Hauer/ East River Tattoo

Tattoos in the workplace: Still taboo?

Oct 19, 2012
Tattoos might traditionally send negative signals to employer: that you are a rebel, or that you don't think about the future. But as they become more and more common, do tattoos still matter as much around the workplace?
These days, does having a tattoo make a difference in getting a job and how much you can potentially earn? One career adviser says absolutely yes.
Allison Joyce/Getty Images

The costs and benefits of one teen's tattoo

Oct 19, 2012
One teen's neck tattoo offers protection -- and may hurt his chances of getting ahead at work.

Brand ink: Companies explore tattoo marketing

Jul 5, 2012
Tattoo giveaways are cropping up as the latest trend in brand marketing. Unlike free T-shirts or hats with brand images, in this case the logo stays -- forever.

Some Idiot gets big Facebook tattoo

Jun 8, 2011
I think I'm starting a new category on the blog and on the memo. It's called "Some Idiot". It's where we'll report something that Some Idiot did...

For public good, not for profit.