freelance science journalist and author
Sent to the publisher 24 October 2010: The End – The human experience of death by Bianca Nogrady Synopsis We sat around and on the bed, laughing and joking as if this was a typical family gathering. The shrunken form of our dying grandmother lay on the bed, breathing fast and shallow, wispy hair plastered to … Continue reading The original pitch for The End
From ABC Health and Wellbeing, 7 March 2014: Toddlers are hard work. As any parent knows, they’re into everything, they have the attention span of a goldfish, the focus of a spinning disco ball, and the exploratory instincts of a spaniel puppy. That’s all well and good when they’re toddlers, but what happens when those … Continue reading Diagnosing ADHD: why is it so challenging?
From ABC News in Science, 5 March 2014: The hairy legs of water striders are artfully designed to strike a balance between the water capillary action and gravity, Chinese researchers have discovered. They found the spacing of the insect’s leg hairs fits a formula that takes into account the contact angle of the hairs and … Continue reading Leg hairs hold secret to walking on water
From Cardiology News, 27 February 2014: Use of tumor necrosis factor–alpha inhibitors was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of coronary artery disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly with longer term use of the drugs, in a retrospective cohort study. The study of 2,101 patients with incident RA diagnosed during 2001-2011 showed … Continue reading TNF inhibitors reduce coronary artery disease risk in rheumatoid arthritis
From Skin and Allergy News, 26 February 2014: A woman undergoing BRAF inhibitor targeted therapy for advanced melanoma has presented with invasive spindle cell squamous carcinoma masquerading as a secondary cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, highlighting the importance of histologic evaluation of these lesions. “Secondary cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCCs) are adverse effects of BRAF inhibitor … Continue reading Aggressive secondary squamous carcinoma appeared during BRAF inhibitor targeted therapy
From Clinical Neurology News, 24 February 2014: Drug-resistant epilepsy is associated with a significant increase in mortality that persists for decades after diagnosis, particularly among individuals with a known etiology, according to data from a retrospective, multicenter cohort study. Dr. Brian Callaghan of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and his colleagues identified 433 patients … Continue reading Increased mortality persists in drug-resistant epilepsy
From Clinical Neurology News, 24 February 2014: Withdrawing antiepileptic medication after temporal lobe epilepsy surgery may increase the risk of breakthrough seizures in the short term but does not alter long-term remission rates, a retrospective, observational cohort study found. Two years after surgery, 69% of patients whose medication was discontinued at 1 year were completely … Continue reading Postsurgical withdrawal of antiepileptic drugs raises only short-term seizure risk
From Clinical Neurology News, 27 February 2014: Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was an effective treatment option for aggressive multiple sclerosis, particularly in patients with inflammatory activity at baseline, in a study of the Swedish experience with the procedure since it was first performed there in 2004. A prospective, observational study of 41 patients with … Continue reading Stem cell transplantation effective in aggressive relapsing-remitting MS
From ABC News in Science, 26 February 2014: Once creatures of the night, cane toads are now becoming active during the day to adapt as they move into semi-arid regions of Australia. Australian researchers used acoustic tags normally used to track fish movements and discovered that cane toads were accessing a dam during daylight hours, … Continue reading Desert cane toads no longer nocturnal
I’m writing an article about diversification in farming. WAKE UP! It’s not as boring as it sounds. It’s about a farmer who started out in egg production, then in an attempt to cut down overly high costs in one area of his business, he ended up developing a separate business in that area. Then his … Continue reading Diversify or perish?
Bianca Nogrady 