Life

Health, science, climate, and society-focused reporting.

Briefing: A water solution for drought‑prone South Africa: We designed systems to replenish aquifers

Strategic angle: South Africa is the 30th driest country in the world. Over 400 towns rely on aquifers for their water supply.

editorial-staff Mar 20

Life

Briefing: Bird flu risk to Danish cattle: New tool can warn farmers before infection spreads

Strategic angle: A new tool aims to alert farmers to potential bird flu outbreaks in cattle, helping to mitigate risks.

editorial-staff Mar 20

Life

Briefing: Moral metrics: Are corporate algorithms becoming our new moral authorities?

Strategic angle: Exploring the influence of corporate algorithms on personal and societal decision-making.

editorial-staff Mar 20

Life

Briefing: Why the gender wealth gap is still so stubborn, and what it means for women's well-being

Strategic angle: Inequality in wealth between men and women persists, impacting women's overall well-being.

editorial-staff Mar 20

Life

Briefing: Workplace nature breaks may cut stress, study finds

Strategic angle: A new Cornell study highlights the benefits of nature breaks in reducing workplace stress.

editorial-staff Mar 20

Life

Briefing: Chemical pollutants are rife across the world’s oceans

Strategic angle: A new study reveals alarming levels of chemical pollutants affecting marine ecosystems globally.

editorial-staff Mar 20

Life

Briefing: How birds are spreading plastic pollution

Strategic angle: Gulls adapt to human habits, contributing to plastic waste spread.

editorial-staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Clearing the nanoscale bottleneck holding back next-gen electronics

Strategic angle: UCLA researchers improve electrical current entry in perovskite semiconductors, paving the way for advanced electronics.

editorial-staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Project Hail Mary is packed with hard science. An astrophysicist breaks it down

Strategic angle: An astrophysicist critiques the scientific accuracy of Project Hail Mary, exploring its themes and concepts.

editorial-staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Engineered nanoparticles show enhanced intrinsic luminescence for biomedical imaging and cancer treatment

Strategic angle: Researchers at the University of São Paulo have developed a method to enhance the luminescence of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles for medical applications.

editorial-staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Ultra-thin MoSe₂ grating traps infrared light in a 40-nanometer layer

Strategic angle: Controlling light at the micro- and nanoscale opens up opportunities for a better understanding of the world and the development of technology.

editorial-staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Eye-tracking reveals the brain commits to one syntax before a sentence is clear

Strategic angle: Study shows that listeners anticipate language structure even before hearing complete sentences.

editorial-staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Durum wheat lines combine freezing tolerance with high pasta quality

Strategic angle: Researchers develop new durum wheat lines that withstand freezing temperatures while maintaining high-quality pasta production.

editorial-staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Audit managers' work-life balance suffered during COVID

Strategic angle: The COVID pandemic significantly impacted the work-life balance of audit managers, highlighting the challenges of remote work.

editorial-staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Light-activated medicines may cut side effects: How a switchable beta blocker works

Strategic angle: Research in photopharmacology aims to develop drugs that can be switched on and off with light, potentially reducing side effects.

editorial-staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: An AI-guided gene-editing tool for more precise and safer DNA correction

Strategic angle: Researchers at NUS Medicine have developed a revolutionary method to enhance base editors for improved DNA editing.

editorial-staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: How a tryptophan-rich allosteric communication network helps activate a major drug target receptor

Strategic angle: A multinational research team uncovers the role of tryptophan in receptor dynamics and activation.

editorial-staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Kratos wins $446 million Space Force contract for missile-tracking ground systems

Strategic angle: The agreement is for ground management and integration for the Resilient Missile Warning and Tracking satellite program.

editorial-staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Air pollution to rise over Europe in coming days: EU agency

Strategic angle: Air quality is expected to deteriorate across parts of Europe due to an increase in microscopic polluting particles.

editorial-staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Earthquake scientists reveal how overplowing weakens soil at experimental farm

Strategic angle: Plowing, or tilling, is an age-old agricultural practice that readies the soil for planting but may have detrimental effects on soil stability.

editorial-staff Mar 19