Weed research offers insight into Alzheimer's brain chemistry
25 September, 2013An international team of plant scientists has discovered a new enzyme in the common weed thale cress. The substance has an important link to the human brain chemistry responsible for turning off plaque formation in Alzheimer's disease.
Insect resistance and transgenic crops
23 September, 2013Many transgenic crops synthesise their own pesticides, usually a toxic protein is synthesised in stems and leaves. Pests attempting to eat the crop are killed while those not attacking the crop are completely unaffected. A pretty nifty solution but now examples are emerging of pests developing resistance to the toxin as a dominant trait.
"Jekyll and Hyde scenario" for immune cells and breast cancer
20 September, 2013Researchers at the University of Adelaide have shown that while the immune cells known as macrophages have a role to play in the normal function of the breast, at certain stages in the menstrual cycle they may also help to make the breast more susceptible to cancer.
Genes are linked to handedness
18 September, 2013A genetic study - carried out by scientists at the Universities of Oxford, St Andrews and Bristol and the Max Plank Institute for Psycholinguistics - has identified a biological process that influences whether we are right- or left-handed.
Link found between sugary drinks, gene variant and gout
13 September, 2013University of Otago and Auckland scientists have discovered a human gene variant that can 'turn bad' when affected by sugary drinks. This raises the risk of developing the arthritic disease gout.
BioTek MultiFlo FX microplate dispenser
10 September, 2013 | Supplied by: Millennium Science Pty LtdBioTek’s MultiFlo FX microplate dispenser offers up to four independent reagent dispensers and a washer in one compact and modular platform to simplify and automate microplate-based liquid handling processes, saving time and reducing reagent costs.
Australian invention to standardise and automate IVF process
05 September, 2013Genea Biomedx's Gavi (Genea Automated Vitrification Instrument) was launched to fertility specialists, scientists and nurses at the Fertility Society of Australia conference in Sydney yesterday. It is said that the Australian invention will revolutionise one of the key IVF processes by removing the risk of human error.
GE Healthcare Life Sciences DNAscan Rapid DNA Analysis System
05 September, 2013 | Supplied by: Global Life Sciences SolutionsGE Healthcare Life Sciences has launched its DNA analyser technology, DNAscan. About the size of a printer, the product uses microfluidics, whereby the scanner analyses a DNA sample and provides results in less than 85 min.
Major genetic breakthrough in understanding schizophrenia
05 September, 2013An international consortium of scientists, including researchers from the University of Western Australia (UWA), has made a major breakthrough in understanding the genetic basis of schizophrenia - a complex mental disorder which affects about 1% of people over their lifetime.
Life Technologies Ion Reporter Software CNV data analysis workflow
30 August, 2013 | Supplied by: Life TechnologiesLife Technologies Corporation has announced an end-to-end sequencing solution for exon-level copy number variation (CNV) analysis, which combines the Ion Reporter CNV data analysis workflow, the Ion AmpliSeq Exome Kit and the Ion Proton System.
3M Food Safety 3M Molecular Detection Assay Listeria monocytogenes
30 August, 2013 | Supplied by: 3M Food Safety3M Food Safety has announced the launch of its 3M Molecular Detection Assay Listeria monocytogenes. The system provides pure and simple testing for dangerous pathogens in a variety of food matrices.
Uncovering the best cab sav clones
30 August, 2013The local wine industry and consumers will both benefit following research to identify differences in the top cabernet sauvignon grape clones.
Why taller people are smarter
29 August, 2013It hardly seems fair but people who are attractive because of one trait tend to have other attractive traits as well.
Familial DNA searches may misidentify family members
22 August, 2013Research published in the journal PLOS ONE, conducted by Rori Rohlfs and colleagues from the University of California at Berkeley and New York University, indicates that familial search methods may identify distant relatives as being closer to the perpetrator than they actually are.
SLIRP gene affects male fertility
19 August, 2013Researchers have found that the SLIRP gene - discovered at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) and known to affect hormone action in breast and prostate cancer cells - has an impact on male fertility.