freelance science journalist and author
I rarely write opinion pieces. I’m not the sort of person who is generally considered opinion-worthy in a media sense, although I have plenty of opinions and I’m pretty free and easy with them among friends and social media. I actually got to write something that amounted to an op-ed this week, and it gave … Continue reading Who comments on the commenters?
From ABC News in Science, 16 January 2014: Biodegradable microparticles could dramatically reduce the inflammatory damage that occurs during a heart attack, potentially making the difference between life and death. The study, conducted on mice, found that the microparticles significantly reduced the amount of scarring in the heart tissue and promoted repair. The serendipitous discovery … Continue reading Microparticles could reduce heart attack damage
When it rains, it pours. Poet Dorothea Mackellar wrote of Australia as a country of “droughts and flooding rains’. She might just as well have written the same about freelancing. I’ve been self-employed as a freelance science journalist for almost nine years, and it has taken me nearly that long to realise – and accept … Continue reading When it rains, it pours
You know that feeling when you’re so excited to tell someone about something that you do that little jiggle up and down on the spot – like you desperately need to pee? OK, maybe you haven’t had that since you were five years old, but that’s kind of how I feel about telling you about … Continue reading Writing excuses
This is a moment worth noting. I have the house to myself for a couple of hours. The entire house. I could moonwalk around the lounge room with my underpants on my head singing Puccini, and there’s nobody here to care … not that they’d care anyway because they’re either my husband, who loves me … Continue reading The write time
… you drop a piece of food on the floor while cooking and think, “that one’s lost to follow-up.” … you dismiss an unlikeable opinion with the line, “well, that’s just a sample size of one.” … anyone asking you whether something is good for them had better get comfortable while you give them a … Continue reading You know you’re a health journalist when …
From ABC Science, 2 December 2013: Faecal microbiota transplantation – also known as ‘faecal transplants’ – restores bacterial diversity and quickly relieves the symptoms of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, according to a new study. Researchers compared the gut bacteria of 14 individuals who had Clostriduium difficile infection as a consequence of antibiotic treatment, before and after faecal … Continue reading Poop transplants boost gut defences
From Clinical Endocrinology News, 16 December 2013: MELBOURNE – Approximately half of adults who meet the eligibility for glucose testing according to four different guidelines are not being tested for type 2 diabetes, according to data from a large survey of U.S. adults. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data from … Continue reading Only half of at-risk adults being screened for diabetes
From Clinical Endocrinology News, 17 December 2013: MELBOURNE – Secure messaging can achieve similar outcomes in terms of behavioral goal achievement, self-reported health maintenance exam completion, and hemoglobin A1c level testing, compared with telephone and in-person support, new data suggest. A study of different methods of diabetes self-management support found no significant differences in outcomes … Continue reading Secure messaging viable for diabetes support
From Clinical Endocrinology News, 23 December 2013: MELBOURNE – Corneal nerve fiber length, measured using corneal confocal microscopy, is significantly reduced in individuals with type 1 diabetes who go on to develop diabetic neuropathy at 3 years, according to data from the longitudinal LANDMark study. Researchers found that corneal nerve fibre length was significantly lower … Continue reading Corneal nerve fiber loss may predict diabetic neuropathy
Bianca Nogrady 