Author: Bianca Nogrady

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

Australia bans under-16s from social media “to protect their development”

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From the BMJ, 5 December 2024: Children and young people aged under 16 will be banned from a range of social media platforms in Australia within a year, after the federal parliament passed a law to “deliver greater protections for young Australians during critical stages of their development.” The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum … Continue reading Australia bans under-16s from social media “to protect their development”

Covid-19 inquiry finds key failings in pandemic response

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From The Saturday Paper, 2 November 2024: In 2018, the Australian government conducted a simulated pandemic stress test of how well federal departments on the frontline of a major health crisis would cope. It found they would perform well enough for shorter or “ordinary” crises but were not equipped for a significant, near-existential crisis dragging … Continue reading Covid-19 inquiry finds key failings in pandemic response

Women in STEM NSW oral history project

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One of the great privileges of being a science journalist is getting to talk to fascinating, passionate, engaged, brilliant scientists. So when the State Library of New South Wales, Australia asked if I was interested in being the interviewer for an oral history project they were interested in establishing, focusing on women in STEM in … Continue reading Women in STEM NSW oral history project

Be kind, rewind: is backwards walking any better than walking forwards?

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From the Guardian, 27 August 2024: I call it “the hill of death”: a steep uphill section of dirt road towards the end of an otherwise pleasant and not-too-taxing walk in the scenic Blue Mountains. It’s challenging enough to get up it walking forwards but my friend and I both feel pretty cocky about our … Continue reading Be kind, rewind: is backwards walking any better than walking forwards?

How pain is misunderstood and ignored in women

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From Nature, 25 September 2024: “Women are born with pain built in. It’s our physical destiny.” With those words, Kristin Scott Thomas’s character in the TV show Fleabag nailed a truth: that to be female is to be over-represented in statistics about pain. A study of more than 27,000 people in 19 European countries found … Continue reading How pain is misunderstood and ignored in women

Dispatch from the long Covid frontline

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From The Saturday Paper, 24 August 2024: In September 2020, the United Kingdom government commissioned the British Academy – the national academy for the humanities and social sciences – to explore the long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. What they got in March 2021 was a report titled “The Covid Decade”. Even then, in the … Continue reading Dispatch from the long Covid frontline

Smallest adult human arm bone fossil so far discovered points to origins of ‘hobbit’

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From ABC Science, 7 August 2024: A 700,000-year-old fragment of arm bone has shed light on the origins of the early human species known as the “hobbit”. The tiny piece of bone is from an early hobbit (Homo floresiensis) individual, which researchers estimate was just 100 centimetres tall. This was 6cm smaller than its descendants, … Continue reading Smallest adult human arm bone fossil so far discovered points to origins of ‘hobbit’

Authorities race to combat the threat of bird flu

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From The Saturday Paper, 3 August 2024: The beaches of South America’s south-eastern and western coastlines are breeding grounds for sea lions. Every year, hundreds of thousands of these marine mammals converge in riotous crowds along the sandy and rocky beaches that stretch from Lima and Rio de Janeiro down to the southern-most tip of … Continue reading Authorities race to combat the threat of bird flu

Microbiologist wins case against university over harassment during COVID

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From Nature, 12 July 2024: A New Zealand court has ruled that the University of Auckland breached its obligations to protect high-profile microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles from the intense abuse and harassment she experienced while providing public information about the COVID-19 pandemic. But the court did not find that the university had suppressed Wiles’ academic freedom … Continue reading Microbiologist wins case against university over harassment during COVID

Fossil fuels are unreliable backstops in the energy transition

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From The Saturday Paper, 1 June 2024: Tuesday, May 7, was an ordinary, moderate autumn day in New South Wales; nothing to suggest a risk of excessive electricity use, price spikes or blackouts. Between 5.15pm and 5.20pm, however, the wholesale spot price of electricity skyrocketed from about $450 per megawatt-hour – typical for that time … Continue reading Fossil fuels are unreliable backstops in the energy transition