freelance science journalist and author
From The Australian, 21 June 2008:THE brain is an incredibly fragile organ. Evolution certainly thinks so — it has surrounded this mass of nerves and cells with a solid case of bone to guard against physical trauma, and lined its blood vessels with an almost impermeable membrane to guard against chemical and biological threats.As long … Continue reading Implant infection answer a winner
From Australian Doctor, 13 June 2008:Patients considering genetic testing should be advised to take out life insurance beforehand, an expert says, after an Australian study found one in 10 patients diagnosed with an asymptomatic genetic condition experienced some form of discrimination.Data from the Australian Genetic Discrimination Project, which surveyed clients of clinical genetics services, showed … Continue reading Want a genetic test? Get insured first
From The Australian, 31 May 2008:ONE in two Australian men and one in three Australian women will be diagnosed with cancer by age 85.If they happen to be living in Denmark at the time, around half of them could expect to still be alive and kicking within five years. Luckily though, they’re in Australia, which … Continue reading Cancer success one to boast about
From The Australian, 10 May 2008: THEY were just ordinary pork spare ribs, properly cooked and harmless. But they were enough to land Peter Moore in hospital with a severe allergic reaction. “It wasn’t instantaneous,” says Moore, 32. “Maybe a couple of hours later I went to bed and woke up with hives, really big … Continue reading One tick red meat can do without
From G Magazine, May 2008:My mother wants to be composted when she dies. Not just in a figurative “give my body to the Earth” way, but in a way that befits someone whose passion for gardening knows no bounds.Her final act will be to produce the lushest crop of tomatoes and zucchini her garden and … Continue reading Dying to be green
From The Australian, 12 April 2008:SUPERMAN was one of the relatively lucky ones. The fall from a horse that crushed actor Christopher Reeve’s spinal cord may have robbed him of his ability to walk, move or even breathe without help, but he still had money, and he had support.Unlike so many people incapacitated by spinal … Continue reading Spinal research steps ahead for cure
From Heckler column, Sydney Morning Herald, 21 March 2006:“Hello, madam, my name is Rashid. How may I help you today?”And there, the soft voice with a pleasant lilt to it, full of willingness and unfailingly polite, is my demon. On the other side of the world, stuck in a room full of others like him, … Continue reading So friendly, but practically useless
From Swinburne Magazine, March 2008:It took a Hong Kong fortune cookie to help web entrepreneur Domenic Carosa understand the path to business success. “It said ‘a jack of all trades and a master of none’,” recalls Domenic, 33, one of Australia’s top young entrepreneurs.“I was insulted,” he quips lightly, but adds that a couple of … Continue reading ‘Jack of all trades’ becomes media master
From Australian Doctor, 29 February 2008:Dodgy music, out-of-date information and unanswered phones are all ways to aggravate your patients when they call — but it doesn’t have to be like that.HELL is hold music that is a tinny, expressionless facsimile of a once-beloved tune, mangled beyond belief and painful to listen to. Unfortunately, this musical … Continue reading Hanging on the telephone
From The Australian, 23 February 2008:Awareness that Australia has a drinking problem has reached the highest levels of government, writes Bianca Nogrady.ANDREW didn’t think his friends had a drinking problem. That is, until a few drink-driving offences landed him in the Odyssey House drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. Now Andrew sees alcohol a little differently.“I … Continue reading Alcohol abuse eclipsing heroin
Bianca Nogrady 