Every year, millions of birds make heroic migratory journeys across oceans and continents guided by the Earth’s magnetic field. How they detect those magnetic fields has puzzled scientists for decades. [ + ]

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and Veredus Laboratories, a supplier of innovative molecular diagnostic tools, have announced the launch of VereTrop, the first biochip in the molecular diagnostics market that can identify 13 different major tropical diseases from a single blood sample. [ + ]

The first continental-scale reconstruction of temperatures over the past 2000 years by 78 scientists from 24 countries has highlighted the unusual nature of the 20th-century warming. [ + ]

The development of a technique to freeze frog cells may help these sensitive amphibians hop away from the threat of extinction. [ + ]

ResMed (ASX:RMD) has launched the first FDA-approved home VPAP COPD treatment device into the US market. [ + ]

The biggest Australian biotechnology event for the year, the AusBiotech 2013 national conference, will be held from 29 October-1 November in Brisbane. Registrations are now open. [ + ]

Phylogica (ASX:PYC) has received a European patent covering the use of Phylomer peptides from its libraries to treat ischemic conditions including stroke and ARDS. [ + ]

As well as being Anzac Day, 25 April is International DNA Day. [ + ]

The safety board monitoring Patrys’s (ASX:PAB) phase I/IIa trial of PAT-SM6 in multiple myeloma has cleared the company to move up to a higher dose. [ + ]

Prima BioMed (ASX:PRR) has appointed oncology experts Dr Holbrook Kohrt and Dr Pamela Klein as clinical advisors for its cancer vaccine programs. [ + ]

The importance of science to Australia’s future and its place in the world will be the subject of a free public lecture in Perth next month by Australia’s Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb. [ + ]

The Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change, Industry and Innovation, Yvette D’Ath, today appointed Dr Tony Press, CEO of the Australian Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, as Chair of the Domestic Offsets Integrity Committee. D’Ath also appointed Noel Peters as a new member of the committee. [ + ]

A team of Western Australian cancer researchers interested in the strong link between hormones and cancer have discovered three new molecules that may have an important role to play in future breast and prostate cancer treatments. [ + ]

Alchemia (ASX:ACL) has entered a small molecule drug discovery collaboration with AstraZeneca based on the former’s VAST chemistry platform. [ + ]

Bionomics (ASX:BNO) has contracted Lonza to produce tumour drug candidate BNC101 ahead of clinical trials anticipated for 2014. [ + ]