Scientists have improved the performance of tiny lasers by adding impurities, leading to a 100-fold improvement in the amount of light emitted from the lasers. [ + ]

Curtin University alumnus Mark Zammit has led the development of a theoretical model to forecast the fundamental chemical reactions involving molecular hydrogen, which has remained largely unpredicted and unsolved by scientists for many decades. [ + ]

The Sydney Science Festival will be held for the second time from 11–21 August 2016, featuring an array of science superstars headlining events across Sydney. [ + ]

European researchers have shown that some memories can be erased when one particular gene is switched off. [ + ]

Neuroscientists at The University of Melbourne are recruiting electronic music fans for a study exploring the connection between cravings and the 'risky' sounds of dance music. [ + ]

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for marketing the Xpert Carba-R Assay, manufactured by California company Cepheid. [ + ]

The NHMRC has announced 21 new grants, handing out almost $19 million of the $850 million the council will deliver to support health and medical research in Australia this year. [ + ]

Cancer researcher Professor Doug Hilton, director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and president of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes, was the recipient of two significant awards this month. [ + ]

Application deadlines for several grant opportunities with Grand Challenges Canada, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation are closing soon. [ + ]

The University of South Australia, the SA and WA governments and Centrex Metals are funding technology that will significantly reduce the cost of mineral processing using molten salts. [ + ]

Researchers at UQ's School of Biomedical Sciences are testing a new drug that has the potential to reverse or slow the development of asthma, as opposed to current drugs which just ease the symptoms of the disease. [ + ]

The University of Melbourne and the Australian Genome Research Facility have jointly acquired the Chromium System from US biotech company 10x Genomics. [ + ]

Swedish researchers have studied mating preferences in damselflies, with assortative mating found to break down the sexual barrier between species rather than preserve it. This could lead to species becoming extinct. [ + ]

Global Kinetics Corporation and the National Parkinson Foundation have announced a clinical research collaboration to study the impact of continuous objective measurement of movement in Parkinson's disease patients using Global Kinetics' PKG Movement Recording System. [ + ]

Scientists have developed a blood test that can identify women who are at risk of having a premature birth, but are not displaying symptoms, as early as 18 weeks into their pregnancy. [ + ]