A Tel Aviv University researcher has pioneered the development of a swift, small, highly reliable sensor that is claimed to be able to detect explosives more reliably than trained sniffer dogs.

Shares in Melbourne biotech Patrys jumped by 15 per cent by late morning today after the company announced that it has completed treatment of the first patient group in the melanoma trial of its natural human antibody product PAT-SM6. [ + ]

Living Cell Technologies reported today that its NTCELL cell implant product for neurodegenerative conditions has demonstrated effectiveness in two pre-clinical models of Parkinson's disease. [ + ]

Researchers from Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research have shown that beta blockers can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporotic fracture in around 50 per cent of patients. [ + ]

Sequencing technology has advanced so far in the last few years that questions are now being asked about the value of existing research data and the techniques for acquiring it. [ + ]

It was once widely believed that life differed fundamentally from non-life; the defining characteristic of life was the existence of some insubstantial vital force – an élan vital – for which no physical process could account. [ + ]

Life Research has added the peptide portfolio of Mimotopes to its repertoire with the acquisition of the company from its parent, Commonwealth Biotechnologies, by Leadtec Systems. [ + ]

A combination of organic solvents in different proportions has been found to differentially dissolve a range of noble metals, making recycling of the metal catalysts easier.

With the effects of the GFC still being felt across industry, academia and business, now more than ever is the time to be working smarter, not harder.

By reconstructing an ancient protein and tracing how it subtly changed over vast periods of time to produce scores of modern-day descendants, scientists have shown how evolution tinkers with early forms and leaves the impression that complexity evolved many times.

Repairing damage and maintaining the integrity of its DNA is one of the cell’s highest priorities. A newly discovered mechanism has been found that detects and repairs alkylation, which can be caused by a number of environmental toxins and chemotherapy drugs.

Imagine building a car chassis without a blueprint or even a list of recommended construction materials. In a sense, that’s precisely what a team of engineers at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, in Greenbelt, Md., did when they designed a one-of-a-kind structure that is one of nine key new technology systems of the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM).

Long before geese started flying in chevron formation or cyclists learned the value of drafting, fungi discovered an aerodynamic way to reduce drag on their spores so as to spread them as high and as far as possible.

Aseptic technique is a set of principles and practices used by cell culture workers to reduce the potential of unwanted microorganisms or other cell lines from being introduced into cell cultures, sterile solutions and supplies and, most importantly, the technician and coworkers.

A research team with the University of Queensland’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology ( AIBN) has been awarded the 2010 Translational Research Excellence Commercialisation Award. [ + ]