Author: Bianca Nogrady

Bianca Nogrady is an Australian freelance science journalist, broadcaster and author - www.biancanogrady.com - @biancanogrady

Flooding and storms wreak havoc for Australian scientists

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From The Scientist, 4 March 2022: Australia’s east coast has been drenched with record-breaking rainfall, causing floods that have submerged major cities including the Queensland state capital Brisbane, killed at least 16 people, and wreaked major devastation across both Queensland and New South Wales. Around 90 centimeters of rain fell in the space of one week on some areas … Continue reading Flooding and storms wreak havoc for Australian scientists

Australian researchers push to end politicians’ power to veto grants

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From Nature, 10 March 2022: Researchers in Australia have endorsed a proposal to remove government ministers’ power to veto grant-funding decisions made by expert science committees. They say this veto ability is just one example of Australia’s political overreach in research, and is a threat to academic freedom. Legislators in Australia are considering whether to … Continue reading Australian researchers push to end politicians’ power to veto grants

Platelet-rich plasma injections show no benefit in knee OA in placebo-controlled trial

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From Medscape, 23 November 2021: A large randomized, placebo-controlled trial of platelet-rich plasma injections for knee osteoarthritis has found almost no symptomatic or structural benefit from the treatment, giving some clarity to an evidence base that has seen both positive and negative trials for the treatment modality. Given the need for better disease-modifying treatments for … Continue reading Platelet-rich plasma injections show no benefit in knee OA in placebo-controlled trial

Delays in cancer referral, diagnosis linked with morbidities

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Family Practice News, 15 December 2021: People with multiple preexisting chronic conditions experience a longer wait to receive a diagnosis of cancer and are more likely to be referred to an emergency department for their cancer, according to new research. These findings are based on a retrospective study of data from 11,716 cancer patients from … Continue reading Delays in cancer referral, diagnosis linked with morbidities

Atmospheric rivers dust the Alps

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From Nature Middle East, 7 December 2021: Atmospheric rivers are long stretches of cloud that can carry enormous quantities of water vapour from the tropics towards the poles. They were first described in 19941 and since then have come to be understood as the major mechanism transporting moisture from lower latitude oceans to higher latitude … Continue reading Atmospheric rivers dust the Alps

Scientists say Australian plan to cull up to 10,000 wild horses doesn’t go far enough

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From Nature, 1 November 2021: Up to 10,000 feral horses might be killed or removed from Australia’s largest alpine national park under a draft plan to control the rapidly growing population of non-native animals. Scientists have welcomed the idea of removing them, but are alarmed that the plan still allows for thousands to remain, threatening … Continue reading Scientists say Australian plan to cull up to 10,000 wild horses doesn’t go far enough

Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections Show No Benefit in Knee OA in Placebo-Controlled Trial

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From Medscape, 23 November 2021: A large randomized, placebo-controlled trial of platelet-rich plasma injections for knee osteoarthritis has found almost no symptomatic or structural benefit from the treatment, giving some clarity to an evidence base that has seen both positive and negative trials for the treatment modality. Given the need for better disease-modifying treatments for … Continue reading Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections Show No Benefit in Knee OA in Placebo-Controlled Trial

‘I hope you die’: how the COVID pandemic unleashed attacks on scientists

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From Nature, 14 October 2021: Infectious-diseases physician Krutika Kuppalli had been in her new job for barely a week in September 2020, when someone phoned her at home and threatened to kill her. Kuppalli, who had just moved from California to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, had been dealing with online abuse … Continue reading ‘I hope you die’: how the COVID pandemic unleashed attacks on scientists

Direct air capture sucks carbon right out of the skies

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From Wired UK, 4 October 2021: Christoph Gebald and Jan Wurzbacher were, in the latter’s words, “young, motivated and maybe a bit naïve,” when they decided in 2009 to set up a company based on technology that could capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The two mechanical engineers, who met while studying at ETH Zürich, … Continue reading Direct air capture sucks carbon right out of the skies