Life

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

Briefing: Aquaculture is shifting toward less sustainable species, study says

Strategic angle: A new study highlights the growing reliance on less beneficial species in aquaculture, raising concerns for food security and biodiversity.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Precision work prior to cell division: How enzymes optimize DNA structure

Strategic angle: Understanding the role of enzymes in preparing DNA for accurate cell division.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Makary Marks One Year at FDA with Focus on Achievements

Strategic angle: The FDA commissioner praised staff and listed his accomplishments in a speech to workers.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Gemini South Confirms Link Between Exoplanets and Host Stars

Strategic angle: Astronomers find that the composition of the giant planet WASP-189b mirrors its host star, offering new insights into astrobiology.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: A global butterfly index could advance insect conservation worldwide

Strategic angle: A new initiative aims to create a comprehensive index for butterfly species to enhance conservation efforts globally.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Time lapse video shows trees give visual clues as they rehydrate each spring

Strategic angle: A UBC Okanagan researcher reveals how trees visually indicate their rehydration process in spring.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Molecular system can distinguish and neutralize cancer cells, paving the way for 'smart' drugs

Strategic angle: A breakthrough in targeting cancer cells without harming healthy tissue using synthetic DNA strands.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Gravitational waves suggest a 'forbidden zone' for stellar-origin black holes

Strategic angle: An international team led by Monash University has uncovered evidence of a rare form of exploding star, helping to shed light on one of the most cataclysmic events in the universe.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Helical liquid crystals can flip light's chirality under ultralow electric fields

Strategic angle: RIKEN researchers demonstrate the ability to reverse the rotation of circularly polarized light with a simple voltage application.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Large AI Scribe Study Finds Modest Time Savings for Doctors

Strategic angle: A new study reveals that AI scribes saved doctors approximately 16 minutes during an eight-hour shift across five academic medical centers.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Study suggests platforms invite third-party analytics to raise seller prices

Strategic angle: E-commerce platforms may be leveraging third-party analytics to increase prices for sellers, according to a new study.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Free software lets laptops simulate how aging evolves under selection

Strategic angle: Researchers develop AEGIS, a tool to explore the evolution of aging across species.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Inclusive schools see fewer young people drop out and become 'NEET'

Strategic angle: New research indicates that more inclusive secondary schools lead to lower dropout rates and fewer students becoming 'not in education, employment or training'.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Ghost bat dialects emerge across colonies, study suggests

Strategic angle: New research reveals that Australia's largest carnivorous bat exhibits regional dialects similar to human accents.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Government watchdog urges FDA to finalize guidance for advisory committee conflicts of interest

Strategic angle: A new review reveals the FDA's shortcomings in disclosing financial conflicts of interest among advisory committee members.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Only one-quarter of Colombia's protected areas effectively protect freshwater fishes, researchers find

Strategic angle: A recent study reveals that only 25% of priority areas for freshwater fish protection in Colombia overlap with existing protected areas.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: A new crab is settling in the Mediterranean: Early evidence of establishment of a Lessepsian species in the Ionian Sea

Strategic angle: The Mediterranean Sea is undergoing rapid ecological transformations driven by climate change and human-mediated species introductions.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: One of cholera's great enemies is found in the human gut

Strategic angle: Cholera-causing bacteria are locked in an evolutionary arms race with a viral nemesis, according to a new genomic study.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: High nickel concentrations in Martian bedrock point to potential biosignatures

Strategic angle: NASA's Perseverance rover discovers unexpected nickel levels in Martian bedrock, suggesting possible signs of life.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Useful quantum computers could be built with as few as 10,000 qubits, team finds

Strategic angle: New research from Caltech suggests a feasible path to practical quantum computing.

Editorial Staff Apr 1