Fresh Science

A young Monash University chemist and her colleagues have successfully strengthened insulin’s chemical structure without affecting its activity. Their new insulin won’t require refrigeration.

Synchrotron light delivers Nature paper for young scientist Natalie Borg and colleagues from Monash and Melbourne universities have shown for the first time how the body’s immune defence system can be triggered by fats, sugars and other biological compounds, not just by proteins. The research, published recently in Nature, opens the way to potential new…

A combination of supplements readily available in health food stores can double the rate at which an exercise program builds muscle and sheds body fat. It’s all a matter of timing, according to Melbourne researchers. The researchers found that people who consumed the supplements immediately before exercising with weights gained much more muscle and strength…

Researchers have shown how mutations in a key gene cause a rare but devastating inherited autoimmune disease – APS-1. They’ve revealed fundamental workings of our immune system – and how our bodies teach our defence systems not to engage in friendly fire.