freelance science journalist and author
From ABC Health and Wellbeing, October 2008:Osteoporosis may seem like a disease of the old, but prevention starts young. Are you doing the right things to keep your kids’ bones – and your own – in top condition?KILO for kilo, bone is stronger than concrete. Unlike concrete, however, it is alive and kicking; forever reshaping … Continue reading Boost your bone bank
From The Australian, 11 October 2008:ONE profoundly heartbreaking moment stands out for Jan Kuczerawy, in the anguished year since his wife Anne was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.“There was a moment in the early stages where she realised something was wrong,” says Jan. “She was frightened and she broke down in tears.”Thankfully, that moment of lucidity … Continue reading Dementia of young slowly unravels
From ABC Science, 2 October 2008:A preserved specimen of lymph node nearly half a century old has revealed how rapidly the HIV virus has diversified, according to international research.A team of researchers from around the world has been trawling through decades-old tissue samples from African hospital archives in the hope of finding samples containing the … Continue reading ‘Fossil’ HIV reveals virus history
From Radio Wammo, Kiwi FM New Zealand, 2 October 2008:Why do the most gifted and talented brains stand out from the crowd? Is there anything physical or psychological that sets them apart? A study of Einstein’s brain in 1998 showed it was 15 per cent wider than average, making it more spherical. And Controversial research … Continue reading Talking brain power with Wammo on Kiwi FM
For the first time, one of my articles has been reviewed by Media Doctor, a website dedicated to improving the accuracy of media reports about new medical treatments.And I’m very relieved to have scored 4.5 stars (out of a possible five) for my recent story in The Australian about research on a potential disease-modifying drug … Continue reading Four and a half stars on Media Doctor!
I’ve found myself giving this advice to quite a few people over the past year or two, and while I don’t by any means claim to be an expert in this, or have all the answers, I’ve learned a few things in my freelance career thus far.So, here are my suggestions for wannabe freelancers trying … Continue reading Guide for pitching stories
From ABC Health and Wellbeing, 25 September 2008:Much can be said about the pleasures of coconut. Certainly the cuisines of a large number of countries, from India to Indonesia, would be much the poorer without it. But would they be healthier?Coconut is one of those foods that seems to ping-pong between the ‘good food’ and … Continue reading Coconut: good fat or bad?
From The Australian, 20 September 2008:BETA-amyloid protein isn’t really much to look at. A tangle of amino acids, for much of our lives it exists harmlessly in our brains.But occasionally, something goes wrong. As we age, beta-amyloid can start to accumulate, building into deposits or plaques that somehow interfere with normal brain function in a … Continue reading Drug closing in on Alzheimer’s
From ABC Science Online, 15 September 2008:A vaccine against the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia could wipe out the disease even if the vaccine is not perfect at protecting against infection, according to Australian researchers.According to a paper presented today at the Australasian Sexual Health Conference in Perth, the researchers predict that a 100% effective chlamydia … Continue reading Chlamydia vaccine ‘needn’t be perfect’
From Swinburne Magazine, September 2008:How do you look for a health effect when there is no scientific precedent, no obvious physiological or physical mechanism to explain it, and the effect is likely to be so small that you will need extremely sensitive testing processes? This is the challenge facing researchers at the Australian Centre for … Continue reading Phone health an elusive call
Bianca Nogrady 