The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) has announced a series of new appointments at the Australian Synchrotron. [ + ]

The wonder material graphene could help detect the presence of drugs or toxins in the body or dramatically improve airport security, University of Manchester researchers have found. [ + ]

With heatwaves predicted to increase in intensity and duration, the importance of heat tolerant crops is becoming increasingly urgent. Dr Daniel Tan, from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, specialises in exactly that. [ + ]

Researchers at WEHI have used the Australian Synchrotron to generate the world’s first 3D images of insulin docking with cells, a finding that could lead to improved treatments for diabetes. [ + ]

An Australian-led research team has obtained the world’s first 3D pictures of insulin in the process of binding to cell surfaces so that the cells can take up sugar from the blood. The images solve the 20-year mystery of how insulin binds to the insulin receptor and will enable the development of improved forms of insulin for treating type 1 and 2 diabetes. [ + ]

A new joint research centre at Murdoch University is aiming to improve international competitiveness for Australian grain growers by mapping the entire wheat protein genome. [ + ]

The early onset of Alzheimer’s disease could be detected using a simple online test, according to scientists from the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) at The University of Queensland (UQ). [ + ]

Scientists are a step closer to developing a vaccine against a fatally infectious parasite carried in the bite of sandflies. [ + ]

Advances in biotechnologies and computer software have helped make genome sequencing much more common than in the past. But still in question are both the accuracy of different sequencing methods and the best ways to evaluate these efforts. Now, computer scientists have devised a tool to better measure the validity of genome sequencing. [ + ]

Researchers have discovered a new compound that restores the health of mice infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an otherwise dangerous bacterial infection. [ + ]

Research into a cost-effective biomimetic that has the potential to treat many bone diseases such as osteoporosis will be pioneered through a joint venture between Cardia Bioplastics and the University of Sydney. [ + ]

Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida have identified a new target to improve treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cancer, which accounts for more than 95% of pancreatic cancer cases. [ + ]

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have achieved a feat in synthetic chemistry by inventing a scalable method to make complex natural compounds - polyhydroxylated steroids. These compounds, used in heart-failure medications and other drugs, have been notoriously problematic to synthesise in the laboratory. [ + ]

A team of researchers from Scotland has now demonstrated a way to easily distinguish undifferentiated embryonic stem cells from later-stage stem cells. [ + ]

Medical research designed to benefit humans may, in the future, also be carried out on plants, according to Associate Professor Sureshkumar Balasubramanian of the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University. [ + ]