NASA Expedition 56 crew member, Auñón-Chancellor, will spend the next few months on the space station exploring new ways of studying blood cells. 

According to NASA, the weightless environment of a spacecraft allows cells to replicate the behaviour of blood vessels in a living organism on Earth.

Because the cells perform similarly to how they would inside the body, cancer researchers can more accurately test their response to chemotherapy treatments.

The state’s largest wind farm in Far North Queensland is now exporting its first electricity into the power grid, with the new substation and switchyard now energised.

Queensland Energy Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said this new substation is the critical link to transport power generated from Mount Emerald.

The facility is expected to provide enough power annually to run up to 75,000 homes, which is the equivalent to supplying a third of Far North Queensland’s energy needs.

A public hearing into the transition from military to civilian life has found that 1 in 5 veterans experienced suicidal thoughts after serving.

The inquiry held in Brisbane yesterday reported the Australian Defence Force had improved significantly in its support of veterans but there was still more to be done.

Veterans with no contact to the ADF after service were also found to be at higher risk of developing mental illness.

Coalition backbencher George Christensen is pressuring Prime Minister Scott Morrison to abandon support for what he calls “costly green treaties” like the Paris Climate Agreement.

Reports allege Mr Morrison is reluctant to leave the international agreement and risk jeopardising an impending free-trade deal with the EU.

On his tour of regional Queensland yesterday, Mr Morrison acknowledged the effects of climate change but said debates around its cause were irrelevant.

Police in Ethiopia have arrested the former president of the eastern Somali region, Abdi Mohamed Omar, on charges of human rights abuses.

The charges come after a series of deadly conflict in Ethiopia’s Somali region.

Maria Burnett, associate director for Human Rights Watch Africa, said the arrest of President Abdi will hopefully mark the start of justice for victims of serious crimes.

Protests in the German city of Chemnitz concerning the murder of a 35 year old man have resulted in several people injured, according to police.

Far-right activists clashed with anti-Nazi protesters as a Syrian and Iraqi remain under arrest in relation to the stabbing on Sunday.

In regards to the masked demonstrators throwing stones during the protest, German Chancellor Angela Merkel  warned “vigilante justice” will not be tolerated.

A development application has been submitted to the Brisbane City Council for a new retail and residential precinct at Ferny Grove train station.

The proposed redevelopment will include 750 additional commuter parks, as well as a cinema, supermarket, gym, and more.

In the assessment report, the property group believed the expansion of this ‘end of the line’ station would provide not only a commuter hub but a community hub.

A study into Queensland’s future health services will see ten thousand Queenslanders’ health tracked by hundreds of researchers over a 30-year period.  

A 200-person pilot of the study, led by Mater Research Professor Vicki Cliftony, will track pregnant women, their partners, and their babies to form a snapshot of our population’s health.

Biomarkers identified in the $40 million initiative could help health professionals detect diseases earlier and form new understandings around health risks from pregnancy onwards.