Industry News
A tall order: 83 new gene variants associated with height
The Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium has uncovered 83 new DNA changes that affect human height. [ + ]
Smart sensing network launched in Sydney
The $950,000 NSW Smart Sensing Network brings together smart sensing expertise in academia, industry and government to develop a collaborative and innovative network that is expected to deliver economic and social benefits for NSW. [ + ]
The ancient star that faked its age
German scientists have been investigating the true age of 49 Lib, a relatively bright star in the southern sky, which was until recently believed to be 2.3 billion years old. [ + ]
AI and genetic medicine in health care: Australians have their say
HCF has conducted a survey investigating the future of medicine, revealing that the Australian population is mostly comfortable with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care but less sure about genetic medicine. [ + ]
ProteomeTools Peptide Library now open to scientists
Researchers led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have synthesised a library of more than 330,000 reference peptides, representing essentially all canonical proteins of the human proteome. [ + ]
Fibrosis drug inspired by a shark antibody
Scientists from La Trobe University and biotechnology company AdAlta have created a humanised version of an antibody found in Wobbegong sharks. [ + ]
Safer production of polio vaccines
British researchers have found a way to produce a stable fragment of poliovirus, which could enable safer production of vaccines. [ + ]
CSIRO to open US office
The Australian Government has announced plans to open an office for CSIRO in the United States. [ + ]
The growth factor that may slow Parkinson's disease
Australian researchers have found that a naturally occurring molecule in the brain may hold the key to stopping the progression of Parkinson's disease. [ + ]
Grant to improve sorghum breeding programs
The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center has announced a three-year, $6.1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to expand and accelerate the development of advanced sorghum phenotyping and breeding technologies. [ + ]
2017 Australian of the Year regenerates interest in biomedical science
Emeritus Professor Alan Mackay-Sim has been announced as 2017 Australian of the Year, bringing his work in stem cell research and regenerative medicine to the forefront of Australian science. [ + ]
How ants get their bearings
Their brains may be smaller than the head of a pin, but ants are excellent navigators that use celestial and terrestrial cues to memorise their paths. [ + ]
The (low) impact of maternal BMI on childhood fatness
There is little evidence to support any long-term impact of maternal body mass index (BMI) in pregnancy on a child's risk of fatness in childhood and adolescence, according to a study led by the University of Bristol. [ + ]
There and back again — the metamaterial that can switch from hard to soft
Scientists from the University of Michigan have discovered how to compose a metamaterial that can be easily manipulated to increase the stiffness of its surface by orders of magnitude — the difference between rubber and steel. [ + ]
High-quality holograms achieved
Physicists from ANU have invented a tiny device that creates the highest quality holographic images ever achieved. [ + ]
