The president of the Australian Society for Microbiology, ASN Conference Organisers and the Local Organising Committee of the 43rd Annual Scientific Meeting and Trade Exhibition would like to invite you to Canberra in July 2015 to immerse yourself in the microbial world. It will be cold. You have been warned. But it will be festive. [ + ]

A US research collaboration has used statistical analysis of DNA from natural microbial communities to accurately identify environmental contaminants and serve as quantitative geochemical biosensors. [ + ]

Research led by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has found that changing just a single letter of the DNA of human red blood cells in the laboratory increases their production of oxygen-carrying haemoglobin. [ + ]

Scientists from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research claim to have discovered a group of cells that trigger autoimmune disease, as well as the molecular 'trigger guard' that normally holds them in check. [ + ]

The 2015 Federal Budget will invest around $9 billion in Australian science, research and innovation, according to Minister for Industry and Science Ian Macfarlane. [ + ]

An enzyme in the common sunflower plant has unexpectedly been found to cleave proteins as well as bind them together. [ + ]

The Australian-invented painkiller Penthrox - commonly known as the 'green whistle' - has received initial regulatory approval for sale in the UK and Europe. [ + ]

Occasionally wearing glove products can cause issues with the health of our skin. This predominantly manifests itself in the form of skin allergies of a variety of different types and severity. This paper reviews these various allergies, their causes and what glove solutions are available to help prevent these reactions from occurring. Skin allergies from adverse reactions to glove products are generally classified into three distinct types, immediate hypersensitivity or Type I, delayed hypersensitivity or Type IV, and irritant contact dermatitis. [ + ]

Cancer Council NSW has announced almost $7 million in donations for 19 groundbreaking cancer research projects. The organisation received 143 applications for grants this year. [ + ]

For those in the business of innovating, ensuring sufficient funding is available has always been a concern. [ + ]

Describing the universe requires fewer dimensions than we might think. New calculations show that this may not just be a mathematical trick, but a fundamental feature of space itself. [ + ]

A new treatment that successfully eliminates the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in preclinical mouse models holds promise as a potential cure for the infection in humans. [ + ]

UTS's Faculty of Science and Graduate School of Health Building - the third major development in the university's billion-dollar City Campus Master Plan - was officially opened on 27 April by NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner. [ + ]

In a controversial case of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, Chinese scientists are claiming to have genetically modified human embryos for the very first time. [ + ]

Targeted treatments based on whole genome sequencing and the time taken for conventional trials in the face of emergencies like the current Ebola outbreak are presenting new challenges to clinical trial designers. [ + ]