In the next couple of weeks the main rounds of university place offers will be made. Anecdotally I hear that the number of high school students choosing a science degree as their first preference has dropped again. Why?

For years, polymer chemistry textbooks have stated that 1,2-disubstituted ethylenes could not be transformed into polymers. However, University of Delaware (UD) polymer chemists were determined to prove the textbooks wrong

For most of us, sound chemistry or sonochemistry is about the use of ultrasound in chemistry. The science has been around for about 80 years and now mainly focuses on the effect of ultrasound on reactions

Food science is going nuclear and The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), is currently commissioning a new world-class research reactor and neutron beam instruments

It hasn't been the best year on record for the Australian biotechnology industry but things should improve somewhat next year. Kate McDonald reports that the fragility of the sector is sure to be a topic of discussion at this year's AusBiotech conference. [ + ]

Melbourne Business School's Mike Vitale completed a survey for the NSW government recently, assessing the value of a biotech seed fund it established five years ago. The results were positive all around. [ + ]

So, you're a small biotech looking to get into bed with Big Pharma. Kate McDonald spoke to Merck's head of research Ismail Kola about life on the dark side. [ + ]

The convergence of nanotechnology with biotechnology will be one of the hot topics of AusBiotech 2006. Dr John Kapeleris takes a look at recent developments in nanotechnology and how they may be put to use in the biotech world. [ + ]

South Australia doesn't bother trying to compete with larger states in volume terms in the biotech game - it just does things a little differently, writes Kate McDonald. [ + ]

Bio-Rad Laboratories' Steve Kulisch explains how synthetic 27-mer double-stranded RNAs can be designed to be processed by the Dicer endonuclease in a more predictable and efficient way. [ + ]

How did a chemistry PhD become one of the 50 most powerful women in business by hooking up the world's largest computer company with the life sciences? Kate McDonald spoke to IBM's Carol Kovac, who admits to being rather excited about the world of biology. [ + ]

The Science Engineering and Technology Skills Audit, which was released in July 2006, forecasts that Australia's supply in key science, education and technology areas will not be sufficient to meet future demand

Point-of-care testing (PoCT) by general practitioners, or even within the home, is certainly not a new concept. In fact, many PoCT tests have been used for decades, such as the ECG, dipstick urinalysis, pregnancy and blood glucose testing

A three-dimensional microscope that works in a new way is giving unprecedented insight into the internal structure and chemical composition of materials

Australia is a net importer of intellectual property rights. A question that all people who invest in intellectual property should ask is "Are you paying too much?" The answer to this question in many cases is "Yes!"