Sheila Prakash Staffwriter

Class of 2007

Articles

  • Findings: Ugly Fish

    I like ugly fish. In a marine world supposedly inhabited by the sleek and beautiful, ugly fish bring something new and perverse to the table. They are not endearing to children, like Marcus Pfister’s Rainbow Fish. They don’t mesmerize with their regalia, like the lionfish. They don’t make dazzling aquarium pets. They are not lavish, and they don’t want to be. Their lethargic attitude toward appear...

    SciTech | October 6, 2008
  • Findings: The 'Simple Theory of Everything'

    “Surfer Dude Stuns Physicists with a Theory of Everything,” writes The Daily Telegraph. Further down, a caption below physicist Garrett Lisi’s picture reads “Dude, where’s my theory?” — a likely reference to the Ashton Kutcher comedy about two stoners called Dude, Where’s My Car?

    SciTech | April 28, 2008
  • Findings: Phobos — a closer look

    On March 28, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured two stunning images of Mars’ moon, Phobos.

    Phobos (pronounced FOH-bus) is an interesting, if somewhat unfortunate, object. It is small, weighing only 1.07 x 1016 kilograms, or 1.8 billionths of Earth. In addition, Phobos has less than one-thousandth the gravitational force of Earth.

    SciTech | April 21, 2008
  • Findings: Understanding cancer

    Two years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing professor Randy Pausch for an alumni article about the Entertainment Technology Center. In the recent wake of his exuberant and downright remarkable approach to his pancreatic cancer diagnosis, I wanted to explain, to the best of my ability, what cancer is, and why it is so difficult to target.

    SciTech | April 14, 2008
  • Findings: The mighty cadherin

    Cells are interesting. There are hundreds of cell types, including cardiac cells, epithelial cells, red blood cells, and neural cells. Cells of a particular kind tend to grow together. Cardiac precursor cells proliferate into the heart. Neural crest cells in the spinal cord give rise to the neurons and cerebral cortex. Muscle fibers are formed by the fusion of myoblast cells.

    SciTech | April 7, 2008