freelance science journalist and author
From PathWay, Winter 2006:IT’S a pathologist’s worst nightmare. Somewhere in the steady parade of slides is one bearing the telltale stamp of malignancy, yet as it passes in front of tired, overworked eyes, the warning signs are missed and the sample is labelled normal. A cancer goes undiagnosed and a diagnosis that could save a … Continue reading Countdown to crunch time
From Australian Doctor, 9 August 2006:The lunch break is the ideal time for registrars to feed their appetite and sharpen their skills. FOR many Australian registrars, lunch seems to be a concoction of dubious nutritional value eaten when and where time permits.For some lucky ones it is a stroll along the beach followed by a … Continue reading Food for thought
From CSIRO’s Solve magazine, August 2006:The science of ‘advanced materials’ is fast opening up new industrial frontiers.In the high-speed, low-atmosphere conditions of space travel, even the most minuscule piece of dust or rock can cause serious damage to space vehicles – and repairs are obviously not simply a matter of taking the ship to a … Continue reading Sensory solutions
From Australian Doctor, 3 August 2006:From this month, about one million parcels will be sent to a selection of Australians aged over 55. The enclosed test kits could save their lives.AUSTRALIAN women are used to screening programs — they have undergone regular mammograms and cervical smears for decades. However, the roll-out of an FOBT-based screening … Continue reading The Big Screen
From CSIRO’s Process magazine, June 2006:In an age of rising energy costs, technology that can help to reduce power consumption is critical. For Australia’s aluminium producers, whose energy costs account for up to 15 per cent of the nation’s electricity bill, research into ‘designer solvents’ might offer one answer. Read more.
From Australian Doctor, 7 June, 2006.Professor Alan Coates ’ life has revolved around fighting cancer. Now, almost 10 years after heading the Cancer Council Australia, he is returning to his first love – clinical research.Professor Coates is softly spoken, formal and somewhat reserved — until he starts talking about research. When the subject of his … Continue reading Back to his roots: Professor Alan Coates
From Australian Doctor, 18 May, 2006.PRIMUM non nocere… First, do no harm. There is little room for ambiguity in the principle that governs all medical practitioners, but the same rule does not necessarily apply when it comes to clinical trials. Read more…
From New Scientist, 13 May, 2006.You may not see the next iPod emerge from New Zealand, but the country’s scientists have plenty of other goodies in their agricultural-biotech and materials labs, says Steve Thompson, a Canadian agricultural scientist who now heads the Royal Society of New Zealand. Read more (scroll down page).
From Australian Doctor, 3 May 2006:The launch of a heart failure drug specifically targeted at African-Americans has forced a controversial medical question into the spotlight: Does race matter? Read more.
From Australian Doctor, 7 April 2006.With just 300 visitors at any one time, Lord Howe Island offers sun, sea and solitude. Read more.
Bianca Nogrady 