The CRC Association's annual conference, to be held from 25-27 May in Canberra, will be celebrating 25 years of innovation through the Cooperative Research Centres Program. [ + ]

Australian researchers have found that neutrophils - innate immune cells that swarm to sites of injury within minutes to undertake damage control and kill invaders - can in some cases enlist reinforcements in their fight against pathogens. [ + ]

Chinese and Australians scientists have published research experimentally exploring how quantum matter changes when it makes a 'quantum phase transition'. [ + ]

Researchers from KU Leuven have discovered a method to separate the rare-earth elements europium and yttrium with UV light instead of traditional solvents. Their findings offer new opportunities for the recycling of fluorescent lamps and low-energy light bulbs. [ + ]

Researchers have developed a novel reference biosensor to aid the development of calibrated and standardised diagnostic devices. The intention of the work is to have a reproducible system that could be used to normalise and compare data and test new diagnostic devices to validate claims concerning sensitivity and detection limits. [ + ]

The 65th Australasian Grain Science Conference will be held from 16-18 September at the Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach Hotel, Sydney. With the theme of 'Grains for a Healthy Future', the event will bring together international and Australian scientific and technical experts on issues vital to shaping our relationship with food, nutrients and dietary patterns. [ + ]

The Science Next Collaborative was launched by Sigma-Aldrich this week in response to the challenges faced by many scientists, particularly early- to mid-career researchers, when bridging the gap from basic and promising research discovery to translational research and its commercialisation.

A team led by University College London (UCL) has reduced the time needed to genetically sequence the bacteria causing tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. tb) from patient samples from weeks to days. [ + ]

Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne has revealed the 2015-16 funding allocations for 27 National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) facilities. [ + ]

It's been a less-than-ideal week for drug delivery company Phosphagenics (ASX:POH), which will soon be reformulating its TPM/Oxymorphone patch and beginning the search for a new chairman.

Four lucky Australians have been selected to attend the 3rd Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF), which offers 200 promising young researchers the chance to meet and network with the winners of the most prestigious prizes in their fields. [ + ]

The National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia has recognised Professor Ryan Lister and Associate Professor Christine Wells with the annual Metcalf Prize. [ + ]

Researchers from KU Leuven, Belgium, have led the first study to document evolutionary changes in the thermal tolerance of natural populations as a response to climate change. [ + ]

Genomic analysis company NRGene has mapped the maize W22's genome in 34 hours. The milestone marks the successful mapping of five species of corn, four of which have been enabled by NRGene technology. [ + ]

Researchers from Josai University have demonstrated that Merck Millipore's Strat-M membrane - a synthetic, non-animal-based model for transdermal diffusion testing - predicts skin permeation of chemical compounds during in vitro transdermal diffusion studies as effectively as human or animal skin. [ + ]