Life

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

Briefing: Foraged mushrooms and sea beet featured in British meals in the 16th century. Why not today?

Strategic angle: Exploring the historical significance of foraged foods in Britain and the modern hesitations surrounding them.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Hybrid synthetic strategy unlocks previously unattainable molecular architectures

Strategic angle: A breakthrough in molecular-scale design could revolutionize advanced technologies.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Starlab Space Fully Books Commercial Payload Space on Planned Space Station

Strategic angle: The Starlab commercial space station has secured all available payload space as it prepares for the next phase of a NASA program.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: New African species confirms evolutionary origin of magic mushrooms

Strategic angle: A long-standing debate about the evolutionary origin of the world's most widely cultivated 'magic mushroom'—Psilocybe cubensis—may now have been settled by scientists from southern Africa and the United States.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Thermal drones boost detection of entangled seals

Strategic angle: New research from Monash University and Phillip Island Nature Parks utilizes thermal and infrared drone technology to enhance the detection of marine debris entanglements in Australian fur seals.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Scientists document Europe's first Jurassic lizard trackways in Asturias

Strategic angle: Research reveals two significant trackways from the Late Jurassic period, shedding light on ancient lizard behavior.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Language difficulties can hinder young children's social autonomy

Strategic angle: Children with developmental language disorder face challenges beyond just language use, impacting their social interactions.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Viasat wins $14 million contract to provide in-flight satcom for Navy executive aircraft

Strategic angle: The two-year deal covers satellite communications for Navy C-37 executive jets used to transport senior leaders.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Chemical shifts help track molecules breaking apart in real time

Strategic angle: An international team of scientists has tracked ultrafast changes in the small molecule fluoromethane as it breaks apart.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Tapping into the inner workings of long-distance animal calls

Strategic angle: From whale songs to lion roars, animals have evolved to stretch their voices across distances with coded messages.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Mining the dark transcriptome: Synthesizing the first potential drug molecules from long noncoding RNA

Strategic angle: A team from University of Toronto Engineering pioneers a new approach to drug discovery by synthesizing long noncoding RNA outside the cell.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Breeding for bigger cattle may come with hidden fertility trade-offs

Strategic angle: A University of Queensland analysis reveals genetic links between cattle growth and fertility.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: 3D Imaging Reveals Messy-Looking Supraparticles Can Be Nearly Perfect Crystals Inside

Strategic angle: Researchers at Utrecht University have quantitatively mapped the three-dimensional structure of photonic supraparticles for the first time.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Antarctic waters DNA survey discovers many microbial genes new to science

Strategic angle: A groundbreaking study reveals the vast genetic diversity of microbial life in the Southern Ocean, enhancing our understanding of its role in global climate.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Opening the path to high-efficiency hydrogen production without expensive precious metals

Strategic angle: A research team has developed a non-precious metal catalyst for optimized hydrogen production.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Texas's controversial migrant busing program tied to 2024 voting shifts

Strategic angle: A new study reveals how Texas's busing programs influenced voting patterns in the 2024 election.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: 3D-printed photonic lanterns combine up to 37 multimode lasers into one fiber

Strategic angle: Researchers have developed a groundbreaking optical device that merges light from multiple lasers into a single fiber with minimal loss.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Soil health index finds restored mangroves can near full function

Strategic angle: Brazilian researchers have developed an index to measure mangrove soil health, showing restored areas can achieve near full functionality.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Your child has pathological demand avoidance? Here's what it means—and nine tips for what to do

Strategic angle: Understanding and managing pathological demand avoidance in children.

editorial-staff Mar 10

Life

Briefing: Insights into Spallation Mechanisms of Thermal Protection System Materials

Strategic angle: A study investigates the internal pressure build-up mechanisms in thermal protection system materials using mass spectrometry and HyMETS testing.

editorial-staff Mar 10