Life

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

Briefing: Ancient climate records reveal a wetter Levant that may have guided early humans out of Africa

Strategic angle: A new study suggests that historical weather patterns in the Levant played a crucial role in human migration.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: Plant survival under three simultaneous stressors may hinge on a single protein

Strategic angle: Researchers at the University of Missouri have discovered certain proteins may be the key to saving plants' lives when multiple stressors hit at the same time.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: Is glass a solid or a super slow liquid?

Strategic angle: Physicists create equilibrium glassy phase from rod-shaped particles, challenging traditional views on glass behavior.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: Rocket Lab wins $190 million Pentagon deal for hypersonic test flights

Strategic angle: The contract is for 20 hypersonic flight missions over four years.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: Dolls beat tablets at building social understanding, six-week study suggests

Strategic angle: Research indicates that playing with dolls fosters empathy and social skills in children more effectively than tablets.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: Scientists turn rubber waste into new materials and capture CO₂

Strategic angle: Researchers at the University of St Andrews have unveiled two breakthrough techniques for chemically recycling nitrile-rubber products.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: Cell-inspired sensor can monitor blood for 10 hours without sensitivity loss

Strategic angle: A breakthrough sensor developed by La Trobe University tracks molecular changes in blood, enabling real-time personalized medicine.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: Scientists Discover New Bee Species Dependent on Texas Shrub

Strategic angle: Entomologists unveil a new mining bee species closely tied to cenizo, Texas's official state shrub.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: Durable dual-atom catalyst enables high-temperature CO₂ to CO conversion

Strategic angle: A breakthrough in carbon dioxide conversion technology could pave the way for more efficient synthetic fuel production.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: Energy-efficient Fe-Ni catalyst could cut costs for alkaline water electrolysis

Strategic angle: Affordable, green energy production has long been promoted as a means to accelerate the decarbonization of sectors such as heavy industry, long-duration energy storage, and transportation.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: Space Command classified wargame to include 25 commercial players

Strategic angle: Maj. Gen. Keener: The exercise will help Space Command ‘better understand commercial challenges, requirements, and how we can better work together’

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: Controlling the pinewood nematode: Finding the best balance between cost and effectiveness

Strategic angle: The pinewood nematode poses a significant threat to pine forests, prompting regulatory measures for effective management.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: How AI Deep Learning is Helping Scientists Protect California's Coastal Ecosystems

Strategic angle: UCLA researchers create high-resolution maps of California's kelp forests to aid conservation efforts.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: Diverse C-terminal variation rewires protein stability in health and disease

Strategic angle: Proteins are the tiny machines that keep our cells running, and how long they last in the cell often determines how well they can do their job.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: AI Rebuilds Molecules from Exploding Fragments

Strategic angle: A new generative AI model can recreate molecular structures from ion movements after explosions.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: How two dim stars came together to shine brightly

Strategic angle: Brown dwarfs, often called 'failed stars', reveal their potential in a cosmic union.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: What makes a genus real? Scientists use tree bats to evaluate a testable '2 Sigma Genus Concept'

Strategic angle: Dr. Amy Baird and her team aim to redefine taxonomic categories in biology through their innovative research.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: Curiosity Blog, Sols 4832–4837: Driving the (Contact) Line!

Strategic angle: Exploring the final phase of the boxwork campaign on Mars.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: Across Europe, warm-adapted plants spread as cold specialists retreat

Strategic angle: An international study reveals the impact of climate change on plant communities across Europe.

Editorial Staff Mar 18

Life

Briefing: Reengineered Mass Spectrometer Processes a Billion Molecules at Once

Strategic angle: A new prototype revolutionizes mass spectrometry by enabling the analysis of billions of molecules simultaneously, enhancing efficiency and accuracy.

Editorial Staff Mar 18