Depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). [ + ]

The ACRF Detector, a device akin to a turbocharged camera, will fast-track cancer research at the Australian Synchrotron by harnessing light a million times brighter than the sun. [ + ]

Researchers at CNBP have developed a nanoscale sensor that can help detect cytokines — molecules that play a critical role in cellular response to infection, inflammation, trauma and disease. [ + ]

Scientists have found that young rabbits exposed to ultrasound during foetal development had weaker thighbones than unexposed rabbits, raising questions about the use of prenatal ultrasounds in women worldwide. [ + ]

Researchers have shown that the anti-inflammatory drug PMX205 is effective in animals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in a breakthrough which could see the drug taken to human trials as early as 2019. [ + ]

The new EN ISO 374 standard refines the required capabilities for gloves that protect workers whose hands are subject to chemical and/or microorganism exposure. [ + ]

The Australian National University (ANU) is launching a search for a new planet in our solar system, and you're invited to help make this historic discovery. [ + ]

Griffith University researchers have shown that the whole blood-stage malaria parasite vaccine PlasProtecT is safe and induces an immune response in humans. [ + ]

Innovation and Science Australia has released the 2030 Strategic Plan Issues Paper as part of its plan to drive the national conversation around the future of Australian innovation, science and research. [ + ]

US scientists have found that the brains of those who are born blind make new connections in the absence of visual information, resulting in enhanced, compensatory abilities elsewhere. [ + ]

Arthur Sinodinos has unveiled the National Science Statement, articulating the government's vision and objectives for Australian science. [ + ]

This year's World Meteorological Day has a somewhat sombre tone, with the WMO revealing that numerous climate records were broken in 2016. [ + ]

German researchers have discovered what they believe to be the underlying cause of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) — an illness which until now had no clear trigger. [ + ]

Researchers have confirmed that the evolution of bipedalism in fossil humans can be detected using a key feature of the skull — a claim that had previously been contested. [ + ]

Researchers have discovered a small protein in funnel web spider venom that could protect the brain from stroke-induced injury. [ + ]