'Copycat' fungus deceives the immune system
08 April, 2019Fungus can imitate signals from our immune system and prevent our body from responding to infection, new research has found.
Link found between childhood trauma, brain structure and depression
03 April, 2019Early trauma may affect the structure of the brain in a way that makes clinical depression more likely to be severe and recurrent.
Fear centre of the brain protects against illusions
29 March, 2019Impairment of the brain's amygdala makes people more susceptible to deception, allowing illusory perceptions to arise much faster and more pronounced.
Dormant viruses reactivate during spaceflight
27 March, 2019The latest research from NASA has revealed that herpes viruses reactivate in more than half of the crew aboard Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions.
Vital ingredient for blood vessel formation found
25 March, 2019The breakthrough offers a new direction for treating a host of serious conditions — from diabetes to stroke — and explains why other promising treatments have failed.
The science of sleep
12 March, 2019Two separate studies published in recent weeks have revealed how sleep strengthens the immune system and cleans the brain — so long as you get enough of it.
Weaker antibodies make elders more susceptible to flu
07 March, 2019The influenza vaccine may be less effective in the elderly because their B cells are less capable of producing antibodies that can adapt to protect against new viral strains.
Antibiotic resistance: adaptation, transmission and prevention
04 March, 2019Recent studies into antibiotic resistance have revealed how this phenomenon occurs in the first place, how it spreads between bacteria and how to stop it in its tracks.
$35m to fast-track rheumatic heart disease vaccine
27 February, 2019The new funding will enable the manufacture and testing of a number of Strep A vaccines currently being developed and fast-tracking of clinical trials in Australia.
Crohn's disease treatment could lie in patients' own cells
22 February, 2019UK researchers developed cells from Crohn's disease patients with a molecule called RAR568, which makes the cells behave more like cells from healthy people.
Older sperm produce healthier offspring
21 February, 2019Sperm that live for longer before fertilising an egg produce healthier offspring, according to new research in zebrafish.
Reprogrammed pancreatic cells relieve diabetes in mice
19 February, 2019Some human pancreatic cells can be reprogrammed to produce insulin, potentially compensating for the loss or dysfunction of cells that naturally produce this hormone.
$10 million funding for phenomics research
13 February, 2019The Australian Government has announced a $10 million investment in the Translational Phenomics Initiative.
Link between gut bacteria and mental health identified
12 February, 2019Researchers have identified specific gut bacteria linked to depression and provided evidence that a wide range of gut bacteria can produce neuroactive compounds.
Scientists engineer Zika-resistant mosquitoes
08 February, 2019A synthetic anti-Zika gene has been injected into mosquito embryos, preventing them from picking up the virus when feeding.
