The new material could be easily and controllably applied by spray-casting on many medical devices to protect them against infection. [ + ]

Scientists are not only detecting microplastics in the atmosphere but also investigating how they may play a role in cloud formation. [ + ]

A simple-to-apply, needle-free vaccine patch could be used in future to protect people from the potentially deadly mosquito-borne Zika virus. [ + ]

ATSE has announced 116 scholarships as part of the Elevate: Boosting women in STEM program, while the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science initiative honoured five female scientists from Australia and New Zealand. [ + ]

Taking into account whether people believe they are receiving a real treatment or a placebo could help improve interventions for conditions such as depression and ADHD. [ + ]

The new tumour marker has a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 99%, far exceeding the sensitivity of conventional tumour markers in identifying cancer patients. [ + ]

Researchers have developed a real-time detection system for facial palsy using a Raspberry Pi microcomputer, a digital camera and a deep learning algorithm. [ + ]

A drug that boosts bone growth in children with achondroplasia — the most common form of dwarfism — may also reduce their chances of SIDS, sleep apnoea and needing surgery. [ + ]

Minister for Education Jason Clare has introduced legislation into parliament to abolish the ministerial veto on Australian Research Council (ARC) grants. [ + ]

Invasion-Block is designed to measure the invasive capacity of cancer cells, enabling scientists to assess how well various drugs can prevent the spread of cancer. [ + ]

The $392 million government program aims to support innovative startups and small businesses to scale their operations with economy-boosting R&D. [ + ]

COVID-19 causes profound epigenetic changes in the lungs of patients who have died from the disease, particularly affecting genes related to hyperinflammation and fibrosis. [ + ]

Non-invasive brain imaging has helped researchers to diagnose hearing impairments in infants and prescribe the most effective treatment as early as possible. [ + ]

By giving living cells a 'poke' and monitoring the results, scientists have gotten their first glimpse of how whole cells respond to external mechanical pressure. [ + ]

Air filtration systems do not appear to reduce your risk of picking up viral infections, according to new research into technologies including air filtration, germicidal lights and ionisers. [ + ]