Brilliant green turf all-year round, needing less maintenance and mowing, could soon be available through technology developed at The University of Queensland.

Macquarie University's Australian Centre for Astrobiology (ACA) has supported a recommendation by a new consortium of Australian space-related organisations that the Federal Government help maximise Australia's involvement in the future of space exploration by setting up an Australian space agency.

RMIT researchers are investigating a poisonous weed that threatens native Australian animals and livestock and could pose a serious public health risk.

Australian biotechnology veteran BresaGen (ASX:BGN) has gone into voluntary administration. [ + ]

Adelaide biotech Bionomics (ASX:BNO) has reported that it had nearly AUD$5 million in the bank at the end of the December 2003 quarter, giving it enough cash for at least two years at its current burn rate. [ + ]

The hopes of hundreds of thousands of people around the world chronically infected with hepatitis C virus could be riding on an Australian clinical trial of a new, potentially life-saving vaccine being jointly developed by US-based Chiron Corporation and Melbourne pharmaceutical company CSL (ASX:CSL). [ + ]

A national survey of Australian farmers' views on genetically modified (GM) crops has identified a marked shift in sentiment during the past 12 months, with fewer farmers now opposed. [ + ]

Canberra biotechnology company Biotron (ASX:BIT) has been offered a $1.66 million Commonwealth R&D Start grant to begin clinical development and testing of novel compounds designed to disrupt replication of the AIDS virus. [ + ]

Biosignal, a spin-off from the University of NSW, is to list on the ASX in late March through a reverse takeover of CTI Communications (ASX:CTC), a telecommunications services company. [ + ]

The National Health and Medical Research Council has kicked off a second round of public comment on its draft guidelines for xenotransplantation research, and will run a series of community consultation meetings in capital cities in February. [ + ]

A new US finding, that transplanted human cells can form pig-human hybrid cells in foetal pigs, does not present a new hazard for transplants of humanised pig organs or cells into humans, according to a leading Melbourne xenotransplantation researcher. [ + ]

Australian researchers have shown in a mouse model that a bacterial toxin used as an immune-stimulating agent in some vaccines may increase the risk of developing autoimmune disease, where the immune system reacts against the body's own proteins. [ + ]

Perth-based nanotech company pSivida (ASX:PSD) will soon commence trading on the German stock exchanges in Berlin, Munich and Stuttgart after meeting all listing requirements, the company has announced. [ + ]

As Australian Cancer Technology heads into Phase II clinical trials for its Pentrix anti-cancer vaccine, the company says it is evaluating a couple of new opportunities to expand its oncology drug development pipeline from the US and UK. [ + ]

They've been using it for years to check for physical faults in semiconductor manufacturing, but researchers at computer chip maker Intel are excited about the potential new uses for a spectroscopic technique they hope could revolutionise the testing of samples for contaminants and disease. [ + ]