Put together a mixture of biologists, biochemists and physicists and you might get a lot of blank faces, particularly when hard-core physics is being discussed. However physics and biology have come together to solve one of science's big issues - the structure of membrane proteins - through the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-ray Science.

Sharks become lifesavers - rather than lifesaver-eaters - in Victorian technological research

Rightly or wrongly, concerns over GM crops contaminating their non-GM kin have led to a stalemate in progress towards acceptance of GM crops and foods. We look at a new approach using gene silencing and gene imprinting.

Deciphering vertebrate development, sorting out the roosters from the hens and taking on bird flu - dare we say, all in one fowl swoop - that is the job of CSIRO's Dr Mark Tizard, who has created a new microRNA catalogue for the humble chook.

Australian and New Zealand researchers are part of an international project of mutual interest (and age-old bad jokes) - the sequencing of the sheep genome. The difference for the International Sheep Genomics Consortium is the availability of short-read sequencing technology.

With the lifting of two moratoria on genetically modified crops in Australia recently, so did the inevitably polarised debate take off. Those for and against are unlikely to change their minds and, unfortunately, some scientists are now afraid to speak theirs.

BIO 2008, the world's largest conference for the biotechnology industry, is being held in San Diego from June 16. In our annual preview, we take a look at how the Australian sector is travelling.

100 jobs to go and two research labs to close following fall-out from budget.

The May/June 2008 issue of Australian Life Scientist is out now.

There were mixed reactions from the science and research sector to yesterday's budget.

CSIRO research is paving the way for the production of novel biomaterials from bee and ant silk.