freelance science journalist and author
From The Medical Republic, 30 October 2023: “Current evidence does not substantiate the claim that common cancer screening tests save lives.” As scientific mic drops go, it’s a doozy. The Australian government alone spends more than $400 million a year on screening programs for just three cancers – breast, bowel and cervical – and is … Continue reading Does cancer screening really not save lives?
From Nature, 19 November 2023: The southern hemisphere is facing a summer of extremes, say scientists, as climate change amplifies the effects of natural climate variability. This comes in the wake of a summer in the northern hemisphere that saw extreme heatwaves across Europe, China and North America, setting new records for both daytime and … Continue reading Record-breaking summer set to hit southern hemisphere
From The Saturday Paper, 4 September 2023: On May 5 this year, World Health Organization director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the pandemic emergency downgraded from an acute global disaster into a more chronic, long-term affliction. Covid-19 became another in the long line of deadly pathogens that have seared their way into history, then faded … Continue reading The science on Covid boosters
From The Guardian, 22 July 2023: A couple with a brand-new electric Lexus stand blankly at the EV charging station, walking from one charger to the other with cables in hand. Within minutes, a crowd of EV drivers gathers. The strangers offer to help the couple with charging their car, showing what plugs and apps … Continue reading A post-servo highway? How electric vehicles are changing the Australian roadscape
From WIRED, 15 August 2023: One hundred miles west of Johannesburg in South Africa, the Komati Power Station is hard to miss, looming above the flat grassland and farming landscapes like an enormous eruption of concrete, brick, and metal. When the coal-fired power station first spun up its turbines in 1961, it had twice the … Continue reading This Bold Plan to Kick the World’s Coal Habit Might Actually Work
I’ve been at this science journalism thing for nearly a couple of decades now, but I’m still – perhaps even more than ever – fascinated by how writers write; where the ideas come from, how they decide who to interview, how they research, how they structure, how it all comes together, and what they take … Continue reading How I write
From Medscape Medical News, 24 July 2023 Statins should be considered for primary prevention in people living with HIV who are at low-to-moderate risk of cardiovascular disease, according to final data from the REPRIEVE trial that show pitavastatin therapy is associated with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular events than placebo. “There was a significant 35% lower … Continue reading Daily statin cuts cardiovascular risk in HIV
From Rheumatology News, 25 May 2023: Regular testing of hydroxychloroquine levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus – especially those who are experiencing a disease flare – could help to identify patients who are not taking their treatment and are at risk of worse outcomes. Data presented at an international congress on systemic lupus erythematosus … Continue reading Severe hydroxychloroquine non-adherence linked to worse SLE outcomes
From Rheumatology News, 13 June 2023: A major challenge for clinical trials in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is how to get the placebo response rate down low enough that the effectiveness of a drug can actually be seen. Better patient selection may be the key. Speaking at an international congress on SLE, Joan Merrill, MD, … Continue reading Patient selection key to lowering placebo response rates in lupus clinical trials
Bianca Nogrady 