CSIRO Plant Industry has developed the first cotton plants genetically modified to produce healthier cooking oils and margarines. [ + ]

Australia's peak body for science and technology expressed disappointment in the Budget. [ + ]

Hemp, coconuts and banana trees could hold the key to the biodegradable car of the future, according to Associate Professor Alan Crosky of the School of Material Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales. [ + ]

Ultrasound can provide a simple and painless way to predict how cancer patients will respond to chemotherapy, researchers in the United Kingdom have revealed. [ + ]

Paper makers, the steel and aluminium and food packaging industries may benefit from a new instrument that can measure the thickness of a fine coating as it is being applied. [ + ]

Video clips are to be used to detect early symptoms of the genetic disorder Rett syndrome in a bid by Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities to detect the rare but disabling ailment at an early stage of childhood. [ + ]

Glass manufacturer Pilkington has developed a self-cleaning glass that is undergoing trials in Ireland, Austria and North America. [ + ]

Australia scooped 4 out of 11 prizes in the Merrill Lynch innovation grants competition for PhDs in science, engineering and the liberal arts. There were entries from 17 countries. [ + ]

Celebrate science and technology at: Science in the City. [ + ]

Australia's preparedness to deal with an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) went under the microscope at a joint Australian Veterinary Assocation (AVA) and University of Sydney symposium on FMD in Sydney last week. [ + ]

Australian biotechnology company, BresaGen Limited, in association with the Immunology Research Centre, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, has made a major breakthrough in cloning technology. [ + ]

Competitors in the men's and women's marathons at the 2000 Sydney Olympics had an exciting glimpse of the future. The pace vehicle that led them round the 42 km circuit looked like a typical family wagon, but looks were deceptive. Under the bonnet was a stack of fuel cells, not an internal combustion engine. And as the car glided silently forward it emitted no smelly fumes or greenhouse gases – just a little water vapour. [ + ]

A comprehensive exhibition of scientific products and services opens in Melbourne today at Science 2001, organised by Science Industry Australia. [ + ]

One of the features of National Science Week each year is the award of the Unsung Hero of South Australian Science. This year's recipient was Associate Professor Gil Hollamby from the Adelaide University's Faculty of Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. [ + ]

The Biotechnology Innovation Fund (BIF) is a new Commonwealth Government program, supported by the National Biotechnology Strategy and the innovation statement Backing Australia's Ability, which aims to increase the rate of commercialisation of Australian biotechnology ventures by reducing the cost of demonstrating `proof of concept´ for new biotechnology initiatives. [ + ]