Life

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

Briefing: Mathematical framework maps landscape of student knowledge via short quizzes

Strategic angle: A new study reveals how short quizzes can help visualize and enhance student understanding by mapping their knowledge landscape.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Stolen chloroplasts maintained by host-made proteins offer clues to plant cell origins

Strategic angle: Every plant cell is the product of a biological merger billions of years ago, revealing insights into the evolution of life.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Insulin pills may soon replace daily injections

Strategic angle: For over a century, scientists have chased the dream of insulin pills, but the digestive system kept destroying the drug before it could work.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: XRISM identifies gamma Cas X-ray origin, solving a 50-year-old stellar mystery

Strategic angle: Astrophysicists unravel the mystery of γ Cas, a star in Cassiopeia emitting unexpected X-rays.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Nanoparticles enable large-scale production of advanced cell therapies

Strategic angle: Researchers from Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University have developed a streamlined process for producing therapeutic particles called exosomes.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Agricultural soils exposed to controversial weedkiller may be unexpected breeding ground for hospital 'superbugs'

Strategic angle: Research reveals a link between antimicrobial resistance and agricultural practices.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Tropical Cyclone Narelle Crosses Australia

Strategic angle: The powerful storm lashed the northern edge of the continent with damaging winds and drenching rain as it made landfall multiple times.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

See NASA’s GUARDIAN Catch a Tsunami

A new data visualization illustrates how an experimental NASA technology can provide extra lead time to communities in the path of a tsunami.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Yes, AI could boost productivity, but work is about more than maximizing output

Strategic angle: Worries about the British economy have long been dominated by one persistent concern—weak productivity.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Why a canceled meeting feels so liberating

Strategic angle: A canceled meeting can feel like a gift of limitless time, according to a Rutgers University study.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Women over 50 lost 35% more weight with this surprising combo

Strategic angle: A Mayo Clinic study reveals that postmenopausal women using hormone therapy alongside tirzepatide experienced significant weight loss.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: In Hollywood, teams don't stick together long enough to learn from failure, data reveal

Strategic angle: Hollywood's quick turnover hinders learning from past failures, undermining potential comebacks.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Research suggests negative emotions at work can help, depending on leaders' empathy

Strategic angle: During a widespread crisis, negative emotions don't simply go away once the workday begins.

Editorial Staff Mar 24

Life

Briefing: Adding 1,000 immigrants tied to 142 more health workers, fewer elderly deaths

Strategic angle: New research finds that an influx of immigrants can significantly reduce elderly mortality rates in metropolitan areas.

Editorial Staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Drought spurs rise in antibiotic-resistant soil microbes

Strategic angle: A new Caltech study reveals a link between drought conditions and the increase of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms in soils, potentially impacting public health.

Editorial Staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Male bats sing in the rotor-swept zone of wind turbines, potentially raising collision risk

Strategic angle: Research reveals that male bats produce courtship songs near wind turbines, increasing the risk of collisions.

Editorial Staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Biosensor detects early fungal outbreaks, advances plant biotechnology

Strategic angle: A new biosensor developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory detects the emerging presence of fungus on plants at the molecular level.

Editorial Staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Shift in key cosmic inflation measurement could be a statistical artifact

Strategic angle: Researchers question the validity of recent cosmic inflation measurements, suggesting they may be influenced by statistical anomalies.

Editorial Staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: A sudden surge in luminosity: Stacked dyes hint at brighter organic semiconductors

Strategic angle: Research reveals how stacked dyes can enhance the brightness of organic semiconductors, potentially transforming their applications.

Editorial Staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Chaos as a matter of direction: Researchers build layered material where order and disorder coexist

Strategic angle: Some materials behave unexpectedly, cracking and reacting in ways that challenge our understanding.

Editorial Staff Mar 23