For 40 years, the Southern Surveyor - the research vessel of the Marine National Facility - has conducted scientific voyages covering everything from underwater volcanoes to a carbon chemistry map of the Great Barrier Reef. But soon, it will be replaced with a new vessel, one in which the Australian Government has invested $120 million - the RV Investigator. [ + ]

Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) Diamantina Institute have played a leading role in a recent study into osteoporosis, more than doubling the number of currently known genes in the disease. [ + ]

A 300-atom ion-crystal is poised to be the heart of one of the most powerful computers ever developed - with performance claimed to be 80 orders of magnitude higher than any existing computer. [ + ]

Before his death in January this year, Malcolm Simons spoke to Australian Life Scientist about why he believed his invention of a controversial ‘junk DNA’ technique for identifying haplotypes associated with inherited disorders was misunderstood – and misapplied. [ + ]

The University of Technology, Sydney - Microstructural Analysis Unit is a world-first facility giving scientists unprecedented control over the creation and testing of materials at the microscopic level. [ + ]

By measuring diffraction patterns researchers are forming aberration-free images of objects at higher resolutions than can be achieved using normal lenses. [ + ]

A successful collaboration between automation systems developer Astech Projects and a pioneering research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare company has been detailed in the poster ‘Technology Implementation for Analysis of Inhaled Products’. [ + ]

The 2012 Australian Society for Microbiology Annual Scientific Meeting will showcase the importance of microbiology to our world through presentations delivered by national and international leaders in their disciplines. [ + ]

Stem cell therapy has emerged as a promising and potentially curative option for Hirschsprung’s disease, which causes congenital paralysis of the lower colon. [ + ]

Bio-processing is presenting new challenges as the size and scale of operations increase. Maintaining clean facilities can be problematic as traditional methods of sterilisation become difficult to deploy in a controlled and regulatory compliant way.This article looks at the role and requirements of a modern bio-decontamination solution. It explores the key areas that need to be considered when seeking a solution and provides an illustration of the application of hydrogen peroxide vapour bio-decontamination technology within the biological production industry. [ + ]

Sample management software provider Titian Software has announced that its Mosaic sample management software has recently been selected by Roche to provide fast, easy access to the company’s sample banks in Europe and the US. [ + ]

The Human Protein Atlas Project is using the Thermo Scientific HM355S automated microtome and Section Transfer System to create high-quality tissue sections during tissue microarray (TMA) production. [ + ]

We’ve all been brought up to believe that scientific innovation is ‘good’ - that it will ultimately result in a better, safer, happier world. But some are now considering that such innovation may not be the vanguard of a sustainable future. [ + ]

A bit more about the nature of carbon dioxide has been learned by researchers studying the Fermi resonance patterns as part of their geologic carbon storage research. [ + ]

Mitochondria - subunits inside cells that produce energy - have long been thought to play a role in Alzheimer’s disease. Now, Mayo Clinic researchers using genetic mouse models have discovered that mitochondria in the brain are dysfunctional early in the disease. [ + ]