Have you got the world’s fastest cell? Now, for the first time in history, you can race your cells in an international competition. If they win it will be by less than a hair’s breadth as the entire track length is only a hair’s breadth - 100 µm.

Paul Verma is looking towards a future where we’ll have access to banks of immunomatched stem cells at our beck and call. [ + ]

Hunting down the precancerous stem cells that might be responsible for leukaemia is no mean feat. But Matthew McCormack and his team are on the job. [ + ]

Dr Mark Shackleton has been testing three leading models of melanoma formation and propagation, on the hunt for better diagnostics and treatments. [ + ]

At the 2011 ASM Annual Scientific Meeting, Microbiology on the Edge, world-leading scientists will be presenting their current research on diverse microbiology topics. The program encompasses the latest developments in food microbiology, medical microbiology, molecular microbiology, virology, emerging zoonoses and marine microbiology.

’Point of care’ monitoring of haemoglobin levels is nearing reality in operating rooms as a spectrophotometric haemoglobin sensor is providing a new approach to non-invasive monitoring of blood haemoglobin levels during surgery.

The US spends around 2 billion dollars a year on remediation at hazardous waste sites, with a large portion of this used for groundwater monitoring. Yet according to Rolf Halden, a researcher at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute, the information gathered is often of limited value.

An intriguing example of epigenetics is evident in the size of the backside of ‘callipyge’ sheep – leading to the genuine question: do these genes make my backside look big?

A major multinational food processor purchased a subscription to Key’s PROliance Online Training program, as a way to effectively train its plant personnel on the maintenance and operation of Key Technology’s equipment.

More scientists are needed to help television shows portray accurate science as more and more people rely on TV as their major source of science and technology information and even base career and study choices on these fictional shows.

The Hunter Meeting fused cell biology and differentiation, showcasing leading research from Australia and around the world. [ + ]

The federal government’s rumoured $400 million cuts to the NHMRC budget will not only set back health and medical research, it’ll cost lives. [ + ]

Finding just the ideal molecule with just the right binding properties from countless contenders is a daunting challenge for drug design. [ + ]

Martin Scanlon and his team are using the new fragment-based drug design to combat drug resistance. [ + ]

Sigma Pharmaceuticals (ASX:SIP) end of year numbers were well received by the market today with shares rising 4.5c to close at 46c, on markedly improved results compared to prior year. [ + ]