Senator Simon Birmingham has confirmed funding for 889 new research projects as part of the Australian Research Council's (ARC) Major Grants announcement. [ + ]

Chemists have created a star-shape molecule, previously thought to be too unstable to be made, in work which could lead to more efficient ways to make medicinal agents.

Scientists have discovered a potential new treatment for tuberculosis — a disease whose resistance to current medical therapies has enabled it to infect 30% of the globe's population.

Researchers have discovered that the humble guppy may be smarter than other fish, with strongly lateralised brains that give them the ability to count. [ + ]

Regeneus has announced that the first patient has been enrolled and treated in a clinical trial of the company's autologous tumour vaccine, RGSH4K. [ + ]

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced that Dr Alan Finkel AO will be Australia's next Chief Scientist. [ + ]

Scientists from The University of Queensland have discovered two new microorganisms which are said to play an unknown role in greenhouse gas emissions and consumption. [ + ]

TGR BioSciences has announced a European licence agreement with Prime Diagnostics — a developer of high-quality diagnostics, technologies and services for the agricultural sector. [ + ]

Minomic International will next year launch a human study of its monoclonal antibody technology as an imaging agent to detect prostate, pancreatic and bladder cancers. [ + ]

The 2015 Prime Minister's Prizes for Science were awarded on 21 October at a celebratory dinner held at Parliament House. [ + ]

Medlab Clinical has been granted ethics approval to begin two separate human trials using its nanotechnology delivery platform, NanoCelle. The platform, previously developed for cannabis research, converts pharmaceuticals into nanoparticle form. [ + ]

Oxford Nanopore Technologies has developed the MinION, a handheld device that works by detecting individual DNA bases that pass through a nanopore. [ + ]

Australian scientists have contributed to the worldwide effort of redefining the international unit of temperature: the kelvin. [ + ]

JDRF has announced a new clinical trial to slow the development of newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes in children. The trial will test a new application of an existing drug currently approved for use in children with juvenile arthritis. [ + ]

Months after the phenomenon known as 'The Dress' hit the internet, neuroscientists have demonstrated that the optical illusion is linked to specific brain activation patterns. [ + ]