272 posts · 287,232 views
I am a freelance science writer based in Cambridge, England, I trained as a chemist and am a chartered member of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Currently, I write for several magazines and websites on science, technology and medicine, covering everything from astronomy to zoology, with a special focus on all things chemical, which includes materials, pharma, nano, analytical sciences.
Sciencebase Science Blog
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Sciencetext
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SciScoop Science Forum
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SpectroscopyNOW ezine
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Reactive Reports Chemistry Blog
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- November 11, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 690 views
Making the web work for academia
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
The internet has changed fundamentally the way we communicate, the way we work, even the way we live our lives. That much is obvious to anyone who has ever shopped at Amazon, looked up a reference on PubMed, or gone social via Facebook. Those of us who’ve been using email and the wider world tools [...]Making the web work for academia is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
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Lyle R. Wetsch, & Kristen Pike. (2010) Marketing in a Web 2.0 world with a Web 1.0 mentality: the challenge of social web marketing in academic institutions. Int. J. Electronic Marketing and Retailing, 3(4), 398-414. info:/
- November 9, 2010
- 07:00 AM
- 1,193 views
Location, location, location
by David Bradley in Sciencetext
Smart phones and other portable devices are increasingly hooking us into location-based systems so that we can find local services, check in at events, connect with friends and businesses and much more. But, there is a downside to allowing a third party to know your GPS co-ordinates or access your cell phone location – privacy [...]Post from: David Bradley's Sciencetext Tech TalkLocation, location, location
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Ali Khoshgozaran, & Cyrus Shahabi. (2010) A taxonomy of approaches to preserve location privacy in location-based services. Int. J. Comput. Sci. Eng., 5(2), 86-96. info:/
- October 27, 2010
- 08:46 AM
- 1,072 views
Antioxidant backlash
by David Bradley in Reactive Reports Chemistry Blog
More research is needed into antioxidants found in plants, which may actually aggravate health conditions rather than benefiting people who eat them. Specifically, quercetin and ferulic acid have been shown to aggravate kidney cancer in severely diabetic laboratory rats, according to a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Kuan-Chou Chen, Robert Peng, and [...]... Read more »
Hsieh CL, Peng CC, Cheng YM, Lin LY, Ker YB, Chang CH, Chen KC, & Peng RY. (2010) Quercetin and Ferulic Acid Aggravate Renal Carcinoma in Long-Term Diabetic Victims. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. PMID: 20669956
- October 22, 2010
- 07:00 AM
- 1,400 views
How to make a bigger periodic table
by David Bradley in Reactive Reports Chemistry Blog
A paper published this week in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics maps out 54 unknown chemical elements that could lie beyond element 118, ununoctium. Mendeleev’s original classification of the elements into groups and periods is underpinned by chemical quantum mechanics, which describes the interactions of electrons and protons and dictates the electronic structures of the elements. There are [...]... Read more »
Pekka Pyykko. (2010) A Q1 suggested periodic table up to Z r 172, based on Dirac–Fock calculations on atoms and ions. Phys Chem Chem Phys. info:/
- October 21, 2010
- 10:00 AM
- 1,233 views
Open source software pays its way
by David Bradley in Sciencetext
Open source computing was once described as an “anarchistic, caffeinated, hirsute world of hackers”. But, this cliché of beardy nerds fueling themselves on coffee and slaving over a hot desktop till the wee small hours is thoroughly outmoded, if it were ever true. Open source software products are developed and licensed under terms that allow [...]Post from: David Bradley's Sciencetext Tech TalkOpen source software pays its way
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Jon Perr, Melissa M. Appleyard, & Patrick Sullivan. (2010) Open for business: emerging business models in open source software. Int. J. Technology Management, 52(3/4), 432-456. info:/
- October 8, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 789 views
Unlocking nano secrets
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
An open or shut case for nanotechnology secrets Should nanotechnology R&D be more open to allow it to thrive in the commercial world, or should companies working in this field be more secretive? Paradoxically, the answer seems to be that keeping secrets stifles innovation and reduces patent success. According to Associate Professor of Management at [...]Unlocking nano secrets is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
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G. Steven McMillan. (2010) Openness vs. secrecy in nanotechnology. International Journal of Technology Intelligence and Planning, 6(3), 205-209. info:/
- September 29, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 1,151 views
Finding a private place on the wireless net
by David Bradley in Sciencetext
Increasingly, we live in a wireless world, hundreds of millions of people connect to the internet through Wi-Fi networks, use mobile phones, or wireless broadband and devices connect to computer systems through wireless sensors and other gadgets. Wireless – the next generation Many observers suggest that the next generation wireless networks (NGWNs) will see the [...]Post from: David Bradley's Sciencetext Tech TalkFinding a private place on the wireless net
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Chakchai So-In, Raj Jain, Subharthi Paul, & Jianli Pan. (2010) Virtual ID: ID/locator split in a mobile IP environment for mobility, multihoming and location privacy for the next generation wireless networks. Int. J. Internet Protocol Technology, 5(3), 142-153. info:/
- September 21, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 582 views
Why does asbestos cause lung cancer?
by David Bradley in SciScoop Science Forum
When we had some building working work done many years ago, there was a minor scare when one of the builders thought that a panel might be asbestos, thankfully turned out to be some reconstituted wood chip product. But, if it had been asbestos it would have meant us evacuating our home, the recruitment of [...]... Read more »
Liu, G., Beri, R., Mueller, A., & Kamp, D. (2010) Molecular mechanisms of asbestos-induced lung epithelial cell apoptosis. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 188(2), 309-318. DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2010.03.047
- September 17, 2010
- 09:06 AM
- 577 views
Glucosamine chondroitin = FAIL
by David Bradley in SciScoop Science Forum
Glucosamine and chondroitin do not work in alleviating the pain of osteoarthritis (of hip or knee), other than perhaps as an expensive placebo that sufferers who do gain some relief daren’t stop paying for. A new meta analysis of 10 trials amounting to 3803 patients has been carried out. On a 10 cm visual analogue [...]... Read more »
Wandel, S., Juni, P., Tendal, B., Nuesch, E., Villiger, P., Welton, N., Reichenbach, S., & Trelle, S. (2010) Effects of glucosamine, chondroitin, or placebo in patients with osteoarthritis of hip or knee: network meta-analysis. BMJ, 341(sep16 2). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.c4675
- September 14, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 1,423 views
7 rules for social networking
by David Bradley in Sciencetext
Technology is transforming the way we many of us communicate. From those queuing up to join the “privacy aware” social network Diaspora and the half a billion Facebook users to Africans bartering call-time on mobile phones through cellular banking and the countless Brazilian users of Google Orkut. We are all becoming connected. The Internet began [...]Post from: David Bradley's Sciencetext Tech Talk7 rules for social networking
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Tanuja Singh, & Joe Cullinane. (2010) Social networks and marketing: potential and pitfalls. Int. J. Electronic Marketing and Retailing, 3(3), 202-220. info:/
- September 8, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 795 views
Phantom radiation protection
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Ionizing radiation exists as either subatomic particles (alpha and beta particles, and neutrons) or photons (electromagnetic waves at X-ray and gamma ray wavelengths, i.e. energies of a few electron volts). The energy from such radiation can strip electrons from atoms or molecules, thus ionizing them, but it has to have an energy above a certain [...]Phantom radiation protection is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
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Mauro Valente, Francisco Malano, & Germán Tirao. (2010) A computational tool for evaluating the exposure risk in nuclear medicine treatments. Int. J. Low Radiation, 7(4), 333-346. info:/
- September 7, 2010
- 09:13 AM
- 565 views
Disease detector
by David Bradley in SciScoop Science Forum
A while back my doctor did some routine tests for some vague symptoms I reported (all came back negative thankfully) and yes, I know you can get drugs to treat hypochondria. Anyway, of those tests was an ESR (erthythrocyte sedimentation rate, also known as sed rate). A test for patients with wide-ranging symptoms that may [...]... Read more »
Brigden ML. (1999) Clinical utility of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. American family physician, 60(5), 1443-50. PMID: 10524488
- September 3, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 627 views
Six Sigma Cola
by David Bradley in SciScoop Science Forum
A management strategy developed by electronics giant Motorola in the 1980s could help Coca Cola reduce the amount of water it uses to make its products, cut overall energy demands and trim its carbon footprint, according to a study published in the International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage. Numerous companies, including Volvo, Nokia [...]... Read more »
Tarek Sadraoui, Ayadi Afef, & Jallouli Fayza. (2010) Six Sigma: a new practice for reducing water consumption within Coca Cola industry. International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage, 6(1/2), 53-76. DOI: 10.1504/IJSSCA.2010.034856
- August 25, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 1,254 views
Resolving conflicts to make finding a job easier
by David Bradley in Sciencetext
Politicians might tell you that, “the ongoing evaluation of global joblessness data can be represented by a negative slope on the current employment hysteresis”. Unemployment is on the rise, in other words. So, it’s rather timely that a powerful “meta job search” engine is being developed by Austrian and UK computer scientists. Tabbasum Naz of [...]Post from: David Bradley's Sciencetext Tech TalkResolving conflicts to make finding a job easier
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Tabbasum Naz, Jürgen Dorn, & Alexandra Poulovassilis. (2010) Configurable meta-search in the job domain. Int. J. Web Engineering and Technology, 6(1), 33-57. info:/
- August 20, 2010
- 04:26 AM
- 713 views
What’s the point of the semantic web?
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
I was scanning journal tables of contents as usual this week and it occurred to me that there must be a better way to find relevant and timely research information that would be of interest to Sciencebase readers…and, of course, out pops the following title: Technically approaching the semantic web bottleneck Sounded, perfect…kind of…but what’s [...]What’s the point of the semantic web? is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
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Nikolaos Konstantinou, Dimitrios-Emmanuel Spanos, Periklis Stavrou, & Nikolas Mitrou. (2010) Technically approaching the semantic web bottleneck. Int. J. Web Engineering and Technology, 6(1), 83-111. info:/
- August 19, 2010
- 11:30 AM
- 807 views
Cleaning up emissions
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Emissions trading is an economic workaround, a fudge if you will, to reducing one’s pollution levels by buying off the emissions credits of others who are polluting less. Emissions trading (also known as cap and trade) is a market-based approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emissions of [...]Cleaning up emissions is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
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Currie, C. (2010) The biggest hole in Australia's version of the solution to climate change – what is wrong with its carbon reduction trading scheme. Interdisciplinary Environmental Review, 11(1), 27. DOI: 10.1504/IER.2010.034604
- August 12, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 1,019 views
Who on Earth uses Flickr?
by David Bradley in Sciencetext
Flickr.com, in case you didn’t know, is an online photo repository, it’s now part of Yahoo, but nevertheless remains an incredibly popular site for sharing photos and creating galleries. It also acts as a neat resource for finding Creative Commons images for use on blogs and other sites. Flickr describes itself thus: You take photos. [...]Post from: David Bradley's Sciencetext Tech TalkWho on Earth uses Flickr?
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Amir Dotan, & Panayiotis Zaphiris. (2010) A cross-cultural analysis of Flickr users from Peru, Israel, Iran, Taiwan and the UK. Int. J. Web Based Communities, 6(3), 284-302. info:/
- August 10, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 601 views
Ultrasonic plasma bubbles implode
by David Bradley in SciScoop Science Forum
If you’re having a baby scan, rest assured there’s nothing to worry about here, this piece of research is about high-energy ultrasound. The difference is like comparing a research laser beam to the light from a cheap flashlight… Anyway, according to Ken Suslick, when high-intensity ultrasound passes through a liquid, the expansion wave of the [...]... Read more »
Flannigan, D., & Suslick, K. (2010) Inertially confined plasma in an imploding bubble. Nature Physics. DOI: 10.1038/nphys1701
- August 10, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 869 views
Social impact of science
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
The social impact of science and knowledge evolution – New research that analyses 500 years of scientific history comes to the perhaps obvious conclusion that those nations that support science and the evolution of knowledge through education, infrastructure and funding, produce stronger societies the members of which have a better standard of living and are [...]Social impact of science is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
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Luiz C.M. Miranda, & Carlos A.S. Lima. (2010) On trends and rhythms in scientific and technological knowledge evolution: a quantitative analysis. Int. J. Technology Intelligence and Planning, 6(1), 76-109. info:/
- July 26, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 613 views
Headhunting goes automatic for the people
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Very few people work alone in the so-called knowledge economy. Even a lowly freelance science writer has a network of editors, publishers and other associates on which they rely to get their words out to an audience. The point is even more apparent in the world of research where often vast teams of experts must [...]Headhunting goes automatic for the people is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
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Neil Rubens, Mikko Vilenius, Toshio Okamoto, & Dain Kaplan. (2010) CAFE: Collaboration Aimed at Finding Experts. Int. J. Knowledge and Web Intelligence, 1(3/4), 169-186. info:/
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