Sedeer

Sedeer el-Showk Freelance science writer

I've always been fascinated by the world around us and deeply enamored with language in all its forms. Trained as a scientist, I embarked on a career as a science writer after realizing that I enjoy writing and talking about science more than doing research. My theater and debate experience make me an effective, engaging communicator. I've been educated as a biologist, with an MSc in evolutionary biology and a PhD in plant genetics.

I've written for Nature Outlooks, Science, Nature Middle East, Nature Asia Pacific, Smithsonian.com, Nautilus, BBC Focus, and other outlets. I'm available for writing, editing, or speaking jobs. If you'd like to know more, please get in touch.

LinkedIn logo  sedeer@SPAMBLOCK>elshowk.com
Curriculum vitae

Wooden skyscrapers point the way to sustainable cities

Nature Outlook

How much carbon could we keep out of the atmosphere if we built cities out of wood instead of steel and concrete? Why aren't we already donig that? And what can we learn from building wooden skyscrapers?

Finland’s Prison Healthcare: A House of Contradictions

Medscape

The prison systems of Finland and the Nordics are often held up as examples to learn from and emulate. But a closer investigation reveals exceptionally high suicide rates and other problems. What's the full story?

Robots demonstrate principles of collective intelligence

Nature Outlook

Roboticists have taken cues from developmental biology to create swarms of robots that coordinate their behaviour0, giving the collective an intelligence and behavioural richness greater than the sum of its parts.

Racism in Finnish Healthcare

Medscape

Despite Finland's reputation for fairness and equality, its healthcare sector is plagued by racism. It affects patient care and doctors' work, and it's driving away healthcare professionals who the country needs.

Final Resting Place

Science

Finland is building the world’s first permanent repository for high-level nuclear waste. It's designed to keep the waste safely buried for 100,000 years. How can they be sure the facility will work?

UAE aims for Mars — and payoffs on Earth

Science

The UAE is one of only a few nations that has sent a mission to Mars. The project aimed not only provide data about the Martian atmosphere but also boost the country's space industry and science capacity.

Climate change and conflict

Nature Middle East

Drought may have helped trigger the Syrian war and the subsequent refugee wave, but research on the link between climate change, conflict, and migration always reflects social assumptions and political agendas.

Saving the digital world

Nature Outlook

A growing portion of global culture exists only online, mediated by ephemeral technologies and stored by private corporations. Archiving this material presents an ongoing challenge in preserving our cultural heritage.

Shaking up salt-friendly agriculture

Nature Middle East

Freshwater resources are strained by overuse and climate change, and the Middle East is especially vulnerable. To meet the challenge, scientists are adapting & adopting ancient agricultural practices.

Popular science

Biweekly coverage of longevity research
2020 (Lifespan.io / LEAF) A panopticon of the fruit fly optic lobe
Nov 6, 2020 (Nature Middle East) Ancient Arabian arrowheads demonstrated skill
Aug 6, 2020 (Nature Middle East) With first spacecraft to Red Planet, United Arab Emirates poised to join elite Mars club
July 8, 2020 (Science) Sourdough Starter: How It Works
July 6, 2020 (Food Unfolded) A silver lining for research at a time of pandemic
April 6, 2020 (Nature Middle East)

Academic

A cellular passage to the root interior
2018, Nature Identification of factors required for m6a mRNA methylation in Arabidopsis reveals a role for the conserved E3 ubiquitin ligase HAKAI
2017, New Phytologist Theoretical approaches to understanding root vascular patterning: a consensus between recent models
2016, Journal of Experimental Botany Parsimonious model of vascular patterning links transverse hormone fluxes to lateral root initiation: Auxin leads the way, while cytokinin levels out
2015, PLoS Computational Biology Gene regulatory networks during Arabidopsis root vascular development
2013, International Journal of Plant Sciences Crossing paths: Cytokinin signalling and crosstalk
2013, Development Vascular development in Arabidopsis roots
2013, chapter in Plant Roots: The Hidden Half Phloem-transported cytokinin regulates polar auxin transport and maintains vascular pattern in the root meristem
2011, Current Biology A mutually inhibitory interaction between auxin and cytokinin specifies vascular pattern in roots
2011, Current Biology Are you my mother? Kin recognition in the ant Formica fusca
2010, Journal of Evolutionary Biology

These are a few of the videos I've worked on, serving as script writer, researcher, and scientific producer.

Life Science Prize


Physical Science Prize


Mathematics and Computer Science Prize

The Dressing Room

Daily Science Fiction

Copyright law has bothered me for some time. Envisioned as a way to reward creativity, it's turned into an asset management tool that stifles opportunities and holds our culture ransom. This story is one effort to explore and explain that. Of course, it has to rely on circumlocution to describe the very thing it aims to challenge...but that's what stories are supposed to do.

The Ones Who Made the Cage

Daily Science Fiction

I've read several sequels to Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas". It's a very difficult story to follow, and eventually I started to feel like the more interesting question would be where Omelas came from. Once I started thinking about that, I couldn't do anything except write this story. If you haven't read Le Guin's story, I certainly think you should.

In addition to reporting on science, I provide or have provided science writing services to the following research organizations:

  • King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Saudi Arabia)
  • King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (Saudi Arabia)
  • King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (Saudi Arabia)
  • Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (Kuwait)
  • Nara Institute of Science and Technology (Japan)
  • RIKEN (Japan)
  • A*STAR (Singapore)
  • Diamond Light Source (UK)
  • Life Extension Advocacy Foundation (LEAF/Lifespan.io) (USA)
  • Coiled (USA)
  • Aalto University