The Six Thousand

Katrina Firlik is a brain surgeon. She says: "People think of neurosurgery as something highly intellectual. They use phrases like 'it doesn't take a brain surgeon.' Of course, you have to be smart and make quick decisions, but, in part, a neurosurgeon is a kind of mechanic. We cut heads open, we use drills..... The pattern of blood vessels at the base of the brain is so weird, it's like a stange creature." Her latest book is: Another Day in the Frontal Lobe A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside. She also draws weird things.

Physicist Marta Gonzalez studies the physics of friendship. By comparing people to mobile particles randomly bouncing off one another, she develops models for social networks. One of her papers is "Model of mobile agents for sexual interactions networks." You can learn more about Marta here. Click here for a secret photo of Marta.