For such a simple idea, it’s a surprise that no one has thought of it before. An automated system for streaking agar plates is on the market, developed here in Australia.

Biosecurity centre joins national microscopy grid

Monoclonal antibody facility opened at Monash Uni

High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre launched in Canberra

$130 million CRC for biomarker translation opened at La Trobe

GTG to enforce rights to BRCA patents

Celera formally separates from Applied Biosystems' owner for Invitrogen's $7b buy

Sonic Healthcare to acquire Swiss laboratory group

Safety receives TGA cert for pen needle aid

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.

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.