A University of Queensland international research team has found potentially life-saving bat peptides within the venom of vampire bats located in Mexico.

A new class of blood pressure-regulating peptides found in the bat’s venom could help revolutionise treatments for conditions such as hypertension, heart failure, kidney diseases and burns.

This research, however, has come to a complete stop as Mexican drug lords take control of the field site, with Associate Professor Bryan Fry saying this could set research back years.

Cotton seeds taken to the Moon by China’s Chang’e-4 mission have started to sprout according to the China National Space Administration.

This marks the first time any biological matter has grown on the Moon, and is a significant step towards establishing a future in long-term space exploration, such as trips to Mars.

By establishing crops on the Moon, astronauts could potentially harvest their own food in space, reducing the need for consistent trips to Earth to resupply.

Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary has selected “Me Too” as its 2018 word of the year, with “big dick energy”, “single use” and “deepfake” missing out on the annual honour.

In a statement, the committee said the fact that the MeToo is now being used as a verb and an adjective, combined with the undeniable significance of the movement, made the decision a straightforward one.

New South Wales is well behind on developing water sharing plans for its rivers, and is unlikely to meet June deadlines, putting in doubt its claims that water is being shared fairly between farmers and the environment.

Water resource plans set the detailed rules for sharing water between irrigators and the environment in each catchment and NSW is yet to submit first drafts of 12 of 20 required plans, instead operating under old unaccredited plans.

Anybody travelling to the Namibian desert may now be lucky enough to hear the unmistakable sounds of Toto’s, Africa.

An art installation made up of six solar powered speakers and an MP3 player with a singular song on it has been placed somewhere in the coastal desert.

Namibian artist Max Siedentopf set up the piece as a homage to “what was probably the most popular song of the last four decades”, and hopes it plays for all of eternity.

British MP’s have voted against Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal by a large margin, which has triggered political upheaval that could result in a reversal of the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union.

MP’s voted by 432 votes to 202 to reject the deal, which is the largest parliamentary defeat for a government in recent British history and displays a lack of confidence in government, according to Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Former federal politician Clive Palmer has accused federal MP’s of plotting his downfall, claiming the government pursued a “coordinated, targeted campaign” against him from July 2015.

The claims follow Palmer’s refusal to sell a piece of land on the Gold Coast to a church, which member for Fadden, Stuart Robert, asked him several times to do so.  

Brisbane police are set to tighten the leash on rogue riders as the Lime Scooter grace period comes to an end.

While riders have previously avoided fines in the way of “educational” warnings, police warn the time for cautioning is now over.

Officers will be keeping an eye out for people riding drunk, speeding, using a mobile device and having more than one rider on board.

The state government has revealed the company responsible for the contamination of West End’s Riverside Drive cannot be pursued for remediation as it no longer exists.

The site was home to a coal tar processing plant until its closure in 1986, during which years of chemical processing saw heavy metals and hydrocarbons leech into the soil.

Brisbane City Council has said it will continue to work with both the state government and adjoining private property owner to ensure remediation of the land.