Blue jean dye kills cancer cells BBC News Online, 7 September, 2006 The dye in your blue jeans could soon be used to kill cancer cells, say scientists. UK researchers are employing tiny gold “nanoparticles”, 1/5000th the thickness of a human hair, to deliver the chemical compound directly into cancer cells, tearing them apart instantly. … More Blue jean dye kills cancer cells

Sequencing the dog genome The Science Show, ABC Radio National, 21 January, 2006 Tasha, a rusty coloured boxer with large brown eyes and a snowy white chest made history last year by being the first dog to have her genome completely sequenced. There wasn’t as much hype surrounding the publication of the dog genome as … More Sequencing the dog genome

Monkey business over BioMedNet, 5 January, 2004 Three years after applying for planning permission to build a new neuroscience center to house their non-human primates, Cambridge University’s application was finally accepted, generating an almost audible sigh of relief from many scientists across the UK. The ‘state-of-the-art’ facility at Cambridge University will benefit the animals housed … More Monkey business over

The Science Show, ABC Radio National, 22 November, 2003 Summary: On a visit to China, Branwen Morgan visited the terracotta warriors and was intrigued to find that some of the ancient weapons appeared to be chrome-plated. Excerpt: In 1974, while drilling for water a peasant farmer in the Chinese province of Shaanxi stumbled across the … More Weapons in ancient China

DNA profiles in double-quick time NewScientist, 1 November, 2003 An improved forensic technique could reduce the time taken to DNA profile a suspect. The new procedure can rapidly identify DNA within a wide range of samples left at crime scenes, such as hair, blood, skin and saliva. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18024192.300-dna-profiles-in-doublequick-time.html

A new cause of hypertension Australasian Science, October, 2002 Excerpt: Genetic hypertension in humans commonly coexists with other disorders such as insulin resistance and visceral obesity, and is sometimes referred to as “Syndrome X”. This complication, along with the knowledge that there are many contributers to the regulation of blood pressure, has made the identification … More A new cause of hypertension

Buenos Aires: Tango makes way for science Trends in Neurosciences, 1 January, 2002, p13 Branwen Morgan and Marcelo Rubinstein Research Update from The Joint International and American Neurochemistry Society Meeting, in collaboration with SAN (Sociedad Argentina de Neuroquímica), Buenos Aires, Argentina, 26–31 August 2001. http://www.cell.com/trends/neurosciences/issue?pii=S0166-2236(00)X0081-1

Are genes unfashionable? Australian Medicine, 2 July, 2001 Excerpt: Gene therapy trials have been under intense scrutiny since the death of Jesse Gelsinger in 1999. His death was the first to be directly attributed to gene therapy, and this has raised questions about monitoring, under-reporting of adverse effects, and the financial benefits to researchers involved … More Are genes unfashionable?

Journey to the centre of the brain Newton, November – December, 2000 Take a journey on a train of thought; travel across the landscapes of the mind. If we look through our skull at our brain, the physical landscape seems unremarkable: pinky-grey in  colour, the surface covered with grooves and ridges flowing with rivers and … More Landscapes of the mind