A more sensitive peanut allergy test
Chemists at the University of Connecticut have developed a peanut allergy test which is said to be far more sensitive than current procedures. It is hoped that the blood test will be better able to diagnose the severity of an individual's allergic reaction. Read more »
Concern for Mars mission as mineral destroys organic compounds
As NASA's Curiosity mission searches for various minerals on Mars, in the hope of finding evidence of ancient habitable environments, British scientists have found that one such mineral (jarosite) breaks down organic compounds when it is flash-heated. Read more »
Gravity explains why cells are microscopic
The average animal cell is 10 µm across - why? Why aren't they bigger? Read more »
DIY: How to measure Planck's constant using LEGO
The kilogram is about to be redefined using Planck's constant and you can now measure this constant yourself with a little 'do-it-yourself' effort and some LEGO. Read more »
Glucose-responsive insulin to better control diabetes
Researchers from MIT have developed a new type of insulin which activates in the bloodstream only when it is needed. The development could make everyday life much easier for type 1 diabetes patients. Read more »
The mystery of the disappearing bees revealed?
It's no secret that honey bee populations have been rapidly declining of late. An international group of scientists, including Australians, thinks the cause of this collapse lies in young bees who are growing up too fast. Read more »
New structural variant of carbon made of pentagons
Researchers from the US and China have discovered a structural variant of carbon called 'penta-graphene' - a very thin sheet of pure carbon that resembles the pentagonal pattern of the tiles which pave the streets of Cairo. Read more »
A microbial portrait of the New York City Subway system
Anthrax and Bubonic plague were among the 637 known bacterial, viral, fungal and animal species identified in the New York City Subway system. Only 12% of the bacteria species sampled are known to have some association with disease, but more interestingly still, 48.3% of the DNA sampled did not match any known organism. Read more »
Shaping 2015: The challenge for Australia's new science minister
"What's in a name?" was essentially the Australian government's response when concerns were first expressed about dropping "Science" from the ministerial portfolio titles back in 2013. Read more »
Detecting dengue antibodies in saliva
The Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) at A*STAR has developed a paper-based disposable device that will allow dengue-specific antibodies to be detected easily from saliva within 20 min. Read more »
A powerful web resource for viewing proteins
Scientists have announced the release of Aquaria - a publicly available web resource that streamlines and simplifies the process of gleaning insight from 3D protein structures. Read more »
Genetically modified E. coli dependent on synthetic nutrients
While genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have imparted many benefits on society, they also have the potential to upset natural ecosystems if they were to escape. Physical containment of GMOs is not foolproof, so attention has since turned to biocontainment. Read more »
Bacterial banter: new method of chemical communication discovered
A team of German scientists, led by Dr Helge B Bode from Goethe University and Dr Ralf Heermann from Ludwig Maximilian University, has succeeded in decoding a previously unknown yet widely distributed chemical type of bacterial communication. Read more »
Cosmic radio waves caught in real time
Swinburne University of Technology PhD student Emily Petroff has become the first person to observe a 'fast radio burst' - a short, bright flash of radio waves from an unknown source - happening live. Read more »
Nanolaser biosensor for simple DNA detection
Researchers from Yokohama National University have created a photonic crystal nanolaser biosensor capable of detecting the adsorption of biomolecules based on the laser's wavelength shift. Read more »
Antibiotic with no resistance discovered
Researchers from Northeastern University have discovered an antibiotic which eliminates pathogens without encountering any detectable resistance - a promising weapon in the war against superbugs such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Read more »
Life science conference season in Lorne
Throughout February the beautiful Victorian coastal town of Lorne will host a series of conferences that will be of interest to all life scientists. Read more »
A pipette tip is a pipette tip, right? Not even close
The pipette is one of the most commonly used handheld instruments in a research laboratory and the model of the pipette is chosen based on your needs for performance, ergonomics and quality. But it doesn't end there - you may have the most advanced pipette on the market but a poor quality tip means that the reproducibility of your results may be at risk. Read more »
OK, as we suspected - men really are idiots
Males are more likely to be admitted to an emergency department after accidential injuries, more likely to be admitted with a sporting injury and more likely to be involved in a fatal road traffic collision. Put simply, men are more likely to be idiots. Read more »
I study dead people
The decomposition of dead bodies is not the most aesthetically pleasing area of science to study, but for Professor Shari Forbes, it is by far the most interesting. Read more »
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