Lindsay Patterson

Wondering what to get the science enthusiasts on your list? Wonder no longer. For in my own enthusiasm for science, I have cruised the internet, searching far and wide for only the most excellent science gifts, which I have brought to you, in this handy guide with a specific gift for each and every science nerd on your list.

For the scientist lady you love: Dopamine earrings
Tell her you have a pleasurable chemical reaction in your brain whenever you see her, with these earrings in the shape of a dopamine neurotransmitter molecule.

For the baby you hope to make into a scientist by sheer willpower: Nerdy baby ABC cards
With clever sayings like “K is for Kepler’s Third Law” and “O is for Oscillating Current”, your baby is sure to outpace all other babies in early development. Or more likely, you’ll just spend time marveling at the darling illustrations and wondering what the Mandelbrot Fractal Set is.

For the kid who likes to make things go “boom”: Mighty Blaster Toroidal Emitter
Shoot huge vortex fog rings up to 20 feet away! It’s like the H2O condensed version of a Super-Soaker, with four power settings. It goes for $30, but if you don’t like spending the cash, hand a kid an empty soup can or garbage can and tell him he can make it himself. Builds character.

For the hypochondriac: Malaria scarf
Keep warm with this scarf featuring the malaria virus. Also available: Dust mites, herpes, and “My Doom CyberVirus”. Infectious Awareables also sells BioBoxers and InfecTees with a whole slew of diseases.

For that one person who has a sick fascination with owls and/or feces: Owl pellet dissection kit
What’s better than seeing someone you care about dig a mouse skeleton out of some owl poop they found outside? I can count few things - on just my fingers and toes.

For the book-loving paleo-nerd:
Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway: An Epoch Tale of a Scientist and an Artist on the Ultimate 5,000-Mile Paleo Road Trip
With lots of colorful pictures from a guy who is best known for his “twisted yet accurate fish-oriented imagery” and surprisingly funny tales from a natural history museum curator, this book is going to make you want to start carrying a rock hammer and organizing your own backyard digs. Or you could just follow the route set out in the book: The authors have published a companion map.

For the future robotics engineers: Exo-Force LEGOs
LEGOs have gotten a lot more techy since I spent my days plugging plastic bricks onto a sheet of green plastic grass. Now you can build your hyper-customizable robots and share your designs with other 13 year olds through the power of the internet.

For the architect in your life: Lincoln Logs
Did you know: Lincoln Logs were invented by John Lloyd Wright, son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright? It’s true. Since 1916, it’s been easy to build your model rustic log cabin or quaint general store. And who doesn’t want to escape today’s complicated urban development and return to a simpler time, architecturally speaking?

For the tech geek with sleek digs: DNA portrait
For only $390, turn someone’s DNA into art! Just quickly sneak a DNA sample out of the inside of your friend’s cheek, and send it in to a company called dna11. Before you know it, an artistic version of her DNA is framed and waiting underneath the tree, in your choice of colors. It’s kind of like giving someone a silver necklace with their Social Security Number, but safer.

For more holiday nerd resources: Click here or here.