freelance science journalist and author
From Nature News, 29 June 2018: A group of Australian politicians has released a road map for the country to move towards legalizing mitochondrial donation. The group’s recommendations, published on 27 June, include that the government consult the public and scientific experts about permitting clinical use of the reproductive technology, which could help women avoid … Continue reading Australia moves a step closer to ‘three-person IVF’
From The Guardian, 26 June 2018: “Did you put the recycling out?” It’s a phrase regularly recited in millions of households across Australia, followed by a hollow rumble as the yellow-lidded wheelie bin is hauled to the kerb. It’s a ritual that, in one form or another, takes place in more than 90% of Australian … Continue reading Waste crisis: where’s your recycling going now?
From National Geographic Travel, 26 June 2018: Want to explore the wonders of the universe without the light-years of travel and gravity sickness? Welcome to the exciting world of astro-tourism, where terrestrial astronomers and their telescopes take you on a journey to the stars. Australia’s clear skies and vast tracts of uninhabited land make it … Continue reading The six best places to stargaze in Australia
From Nature, 10 May 2018: In 1999, an Australian federal government briefing paper on biotechnology in the country concluded that the sector “hardly rates as an economic force” because of its small size and the financial challenges that it faced in getting products to market. Now, barely two decades later, Australia has ranked in the … Continue reading Australia makes its mark in biotechnology
From the BMJ.com, 20 March 2018: Australia has recorded its sixth infant death from congenital syphilis, in a seven year long epidemic that has disproportionately impacted remote Aboriginal communities. The outbreak began in January 2011 in northwest Queensland, and over the following two years spread across to the Northern Territory, then to Western Australia, and … Continue reading Sixth child dies from congenital syphilis in northern Australia
From Nature Outlook, 22 November 2017: When a condition commonly associated with a lifetime of alcohol abuse — severe scarring of the liver, or cirrhosis — starts to show up in children as young as eight, something is very wrong. “I had a teenage patient, who wasn’t even being evaluated for liver disease but was … Continue reading Childhood obesity: A growing concern
From Fish magazine, December 2017: If the coastal marine environment was a cocktail party, Brownlip Abalone would be the guest dressed in a nondescript outfit trying desperately to blend in with the curtains. They are the archetypal shy, retiring creature, and there has been little research on the species since the 1980s. But a new … Continue reading Shy shellfish under scrutiny
From Fish magazine, September 2017: If there is a holy grail of recreational fishing, it’s the Swordfish. Anglers talk about it in almost mythical terms: the unicorn of the sea, the Mount Everest of angling, the ultimate test of man versus (marine) beast. Even its scientific name – Xiphias gladius – translates from ancient Greek … Continue reading Tagging study sheds light on the elusive Swordfish
From A*STAR Research Highlights, January 29, 2018 (not bylined): A hormone secreted by the placenta during pregnancy may play a key role in the development of pre-eclampsia; a major worldwide cause of maternal and fetal death. A*STAR researchers first discovered the hormone, called ELABELA, or ELA, in 2013 and showed, in zebrafish, that it was … Continue reading Hormone discovery opens path for new pre-eclampsia treatment
From A*STAR Research Highlights, December 19, 2017 (not bylined): The fetal immune system is fully developed and functional from as early as 16 weeks gestation, but has a mechanism to keep it suppressed until after birth, according to an A*STAR-led study. Their findings could shed light on the immunological mechanisms underlying fetal-maternal health problems such … Continue reading Fetal immune system developed, but tolerant
Bianca Nogrady 