freelance science journalist and author
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?
When I first heard the term ‘pantsing’ I thought it was cutesy Gollum-speak (“yessssss, we is pantsing, my precioussssss”). But no. Turns out it’s writer-speak for ‘flying by the seat of your pants’, also known as discovery writing, also known as driving without TomTom, also known as writing without an outline. What is an outline? … Continue reading Plotting or pantsing?
