British researchers have proposed that the WHO's planned mass treatment campaign to eradicate the tropical disease yaws from the planet by 2020 should be integrated with a WHO-led project to eliminate another common disease of the world's poor — trachoma — with the same deadline. [ + ]

In a study led by The Australian National University, scientists have identified a network of nine genes that play a key role in the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers from the University at Albany are taking crime scene investigation to a new level with the discovery that our fingerprints can be used to identify whether the print belongs to a male or a female. [ + ]

The appendix might not be as redundant as we originally thought, with new research showing a network of immune cells that help the organ play a pivotal role in maintaining the health of the digestive system. [ + ]

The Australian Academy of Science has announced the winners of its 2016 honorific awards — an annual program to recognise scientific excellence in researchers in the early stage of their careers right through to those who have made lifelong achievements. [ + ]

Western Australia announced this week that it will trial a novel GM sterile-insect technology that could rid the state of the Mediterranean fruit fly...

Scientists have long speculated about the nature of the dark proteome — the regions of proteins where molecular conformation is completely unknown. [ + ]

CSIRO has used molecules from primordial goo to develop a coating that could be used to improve medical devices and implants. [ + ]

Leukaemia researchers have used the Australian Synchrotron to solve the 3D structure of a key protein involved in the development leukaemias and certain other cancers. [ + ]

Is the Indian myna waging biological warfare to gain a competitive advantage over Australia's native birds as they spread through eastern Australia? [ + ]

Invion claims that the results from its Phase 2 clinical trial of INV102 (nadolol) in patients trying to quit smoking warrant progression to a Phase 3 trial. [ + ]

What's the secret behind taking the winning image in a prestigious photomicrography competition? According to Queensland high school teacher Ralph Grimm, "It takes tons of patience, more than anything else." [ + ]

A three-year-old patient, and a crucial discovery by Professor Carola Vinuesa's ANU research team, will transform diagnosis and treatment of lupus. [ + ]

ANU biomedical engineer Dr Steve Lee has plans to turn your smartphone's camera into a portable, high-resolution, imaging microscope — and that's just one exciting application for his tiny, inexpensive polymer lenses.

Scientists have identified a critical molecular 'feedback loop' that helps initiate and drive neuroblastoma — as well as a drug that has the potential to stop it. [ + ]