The discovery by German scientists that turning off a single gene can cause masculinity in female mice could have important implications for humans, according to world renowned genetics expert Professor Andrew Sinclair, from the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.

The study by The European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, published today in Cell, found switching off the gene that controls the ovary, known as FOXL2, caused female mice to develop testis with testosterone levels as high as male mice.

In a world first, Melbourne scientists have made a critical breakthrough in understanding the differences in the brains of people with schizophrenia.

Scientists from the Mental Research Health Institute have discovered that 25 per cent of people diagnosed with schizophrenia can be separated from other people with the same diagnoses.

Professor Brian Dean, who is leading the research, likened the breakthrough to the advances made with diabetes when scientists found a split in Type 1 (insulin deficient) and Type 2 (insulin resistant) diabetes.

Drinking “safe” amounts of alcohol does not protect teenagers from developing alcohol-related problems as adults, according to a recent discovery by Murdoch Childrens researchers.

The team, led by Dr Elya Moore, found that even those teens who kept their consumption within the guidelines for healthy drinking in adults had higher rates of drinking problems 10 years on.

Australian school boys have admitted to being more violent than their US counterparts, with nearly one in five saying they have committed acts of violence, according to a study of almost 4000 students in Victoria and Washington State.

The study by the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in collaboration with the University of Washington asked 1905 Victorian and 1913 Washington state students if in the previous 12 months they had either attacked someone with the idea of seriously hurting them or beaten up someone so badly that the person required medical treatment.