Scientists at CSIRO Plant Industry are examining cotton varieties with improved resistance to the devastating fungal disease, Fusarium wilt. Fusarium was first confirmed in Australia in 1993 and is a serious threat to the $2 billion a year cotton industry. [ + ]

Scientists, state and local authorities, and industry representatives are to tackle acid sulphate soils in the Gillman and Barker Inlet areas of SA. [ + ]

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's publication "Australia's Trade with the European Union, 2000" reports that a significant contributor to export growth has been scientific equipment which rose by 36 per cent to $284 million. [ + ]

The Federation of Australian Science and Technology Societies (FASTS) has arranged this year for scientists to meet with parliamentarians on 21 and 22 August in Canberra. The same format as last year applies with pairs of scientists visiting MPs and senators at Parliament House. [ + ]

Research by Drs Vince Craig, David Williams and Chiara Neto from the Australian National University, has revealed that "when liquids flow at relatively fast speeds in a confined space, the liquid molecules adjacent to the surface are in fact moving", Dr Craig said. The research was conducted using an Atomic Force Microscope, which has a very small ball attached to a sensing spring that measures the forces on the ball produced by the liquid as it approaches a solid surface. [ + ]

The Visualisation and Advanced Computation Laboratory (ViSAC) based at the University of Queensland is a $2 million computing resource that will allow researchers to access visualisation tools to produce better and more efficient research. [ + ]

Victoria has been confirmed as the biotechnology, and research and development capital of Australia. [ + ]

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in the working population of developed countries and it is an increasing problem in the developing world. [ + ]

Cells that might cause cancer can now be extracted from transplants grown from embryonic stem cells, removing a major barrier to this kind of tissue repair. What's more, if things go wrong, the entire transplant could be ordered to self-destruct. [ + ]

Working with Dr Kay in the Department of Pathology, University of Western Australia, Janelle Pelham has begun to model the testing of specific anti-cancer drugs on the domestic dog. [ + ]

Collaboration among Western Australian medical research institutes and four of the public universities has brought significant funding to the region. [ + ]

The Minister for Industry, Science and Resources, Senator Nick Minchin has announced the first $1.2 million funding round under the new National Innovation Awareness Strategy for projects to raise awareness of the importance of innovation and science. [ + ]

In a move that enhances its position in the laboratory data management market, Thermo LabSystems has announced that it has acquired Galactic Industries, the spectroscopy software solutions company. [ + ]

Delta EMD has signed an agreement to invest over $200,000 in the establishment of the ‘Delta EMD Lectureship in Applied Chemistry’ with the University of Newcastle. [ + ]

Hyden farmer and Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Western Regional Panel Chairman, Dale Baker, has praised the CSIRO for the commitment it has shown WA agriculture by building a world class containment facility in Perth. [ + ]