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 »
Identification of a pre-cancerous state in the blood
US researchers have uncovered a 'pre-malignant' state in the blood that significantly increases the likelihood that an individual will develop blood cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myelodysplastic syndrome. Read more »
Overcoming the limits of optical microscopy - the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy
When scientists in the 17th century studied living organisms under an optical microscope for the first time, a new world opened up before their eyes. However, optical microscopy was limited by a physical restriction as to what size structures it was possible to resolve. Now, super-resolved fluorescence microscopy has bypassed this limitation. Read more »
Kidney-like structure regenerated from a single cell
Japanese researchers have successfully generated a kidney-like structure from just a single cell, thus making a huge leap forward in organ regeneration research. Read more »
The bioprinted liver
Bioprinted liver tissue containing both parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells in spatially controlled, user-defined geometries that reproduce compositional and architectural features of native tissue are making it possible to assess drug effects over timeframes much longer than those offered by 2D liver cell culture systems. Read more »
The gene genie: controlling genes with your thoughts
Researchers at ETH Zurich have created the first gene network to be operated via brainwaves. Depending on the user's thoughts, it can produce various amounts of a desired molecule. Read more »
Close encounters of a comet kind - Rosetta and Philae's scientific payloads
In March 2004, the spacecraft Rosetta was launched by the European Space Agency - its mission to orbit and land on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. To complete the most detailed study of a comet ever attempted, the orbiter carried 11 science experiments and its lander, Philae, carried 10 additional instruments. Read more »
A meeting of the minds
An international research collaboration has built a pathway that makes brain-to-brain communication possible - with a little help from the internet. Read more »
'Frankenstein' DNA keeps tumours alive
Australian researchers have discovered how the massive DNA molecules that appear in some tumours are stitched together from other parts of the genome, making them similar to Frankenstein's monster. Read more »
Bone drugs have anticancer properties
A study led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research has shown why calcium-binding drugs commonly used to treat people with osteoporosis, or with late-stage cancers that have spread to bone, may also benefit patients with tumours outside the skeleton. Read more »
2014 Prime Minister's Prizes for Science
The winners of the 2014 Prime Minister's Prizes for Science were announced this week at a black-tie dinner held at Parliament House. Read more »
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