New research has revealed how beneficial gut bacteria - so-called probiotics - help defend against harmful bacteria and prevent infection. [ + ]

It's a big day for many Australians, but Australia Day also proved a big day for many life scientists who were recipients of various honours, issued in a ceremony in Canberra yesterday. [ + ]

Mark Raven and Peter Self of the Mineralogical and Geochemical Services group at CSIRO Land and Water, Adelaide, SA, have won the international 2010 5th Reynolds Cup.

Canada-based biotechnology company, Bioniche, is all set for its listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) this Thursday. [ + ]

China has announced a major commitment to the Human Variome Project by pledging to build a US$300m institute to contribute the study of human genetic variation. [ + ]

Biotechnology industry veteran, Mike Hirshorn, appointed as non-executive director of clinical and diagnostic technology company LBT Innovations (ASX:LBT). [ + ]

Growth will slow to just 1.3% to 2015 for the branded prescription pharmaceutical industry’s leading companies, according to latest research from independent market analyst, Datamonitor. [ + ]

Using the latest super resolution microscopy, researchers have caught the malaria parasite invading red blood cells for the first time. [ + ]

The history of immune tolerance is one of contrasting theories in ebb and flow. But, as Chris Goodnow showed at the Australasian Society for Immunology conference, ultimately it’s experimental evidence that reigns supreme. [ + ]

It's long been a mystery why some colorectal cancer patients respond well to chemotherapy or radiotherapy while others barely respond at all. [ + ]

Thermo Fisher Scientific has launched a YouTube Channel dedicated to Chromatography at www.youtube.com/chromatographyvideos.

It has been found that different subtypes of the FMR1 gene (also known as the fragile X mental retardation gene) in potential mothers are associated with significantly different chances of conceiving with in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Now researchers have developed a genetic blood test that predicts the chances that IVF will lead to a successful pregnancy.

Ono Pharmaceutical Co (Osaka, Japan) and BioFocus (Saffron Walden, UK) have signed a collaboration agreement, focused on discovering novel targets in the field of autoimmune disease.

Researchers at the Monash Institute of Medical Research (MIMR) and the University of Melbourne have for the first time created adult induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with the rare genetic disorder, Friedreich's Ataxia. [ + ]

A lung transplant can mean a new chance at life. But many who receive one develop a debilitating, fatal condition that causes scar tissue to build up in the lungs and chokes off the ability to breathe.