Life

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

Briefing: High-pressure freezing boosts cell survival with less cryoprotectant, study shows

Strategic angle: A high-pressure method of instantaneously freezing cells has proven to be effective in the first empirical validation of its kind.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: First Quantum Oscillations Observed in Gallium Nitride Holes

Strategic angle: Cornell researchers have made a groundbreaking observation of quantum properties in gallium nitride, a key semiconductor material.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Space Force adds cyber units to guard rocket launches

Strategic angle: ‘Cyber defense’ squadrons at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg reflect growing concern over malicious hacks.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: NASA Data Hackathon Inspires Community Action

Strategic angle: On Jan. 31, students, library staff, researchers, and community members gathered at the University of Florida’s Marston Science Library for the Environmental Monitoring through Education, Research, and Geospatial Engagement (EMERGE) event.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Engineered E. coli can monitor arsenic, offering a cheap biosensor

Strategic angle: Cornell scientists have developed a sensitive biosensor using engineered E. coli to detect environmental arsenic, a significant pollutant in rice paddies.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Record-smashing heat continues: 'Basically the entire U.S. is going to be hot'

Strategic angle: A massive heat dome is causing unprecedented temperatures across the U.S., breaking records in multiple states.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: CryoPRISM: A new tool for observing cellular machinery in a more natural environment

Strategic angle: A breakthrough in cellular observation technology enhances our understanding of biological processes.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Superconducting chip generates tunable terahertz waves for compact imaging

Strategic angle: A tiny crystal chip harnesses terahertz radiation for enhanced imaging through various materials, promising advancements in healthcare and security.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: LLMs stereotype non-Western moral values in predictable ways, research finds

Strategic angle: Research led by Aliah Zewail reveals biases in large language models regarding non-Western moral values.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

NASA’s Hubble Revisits Crab Nebula to Track 25 Years of Expansion

A quarter-century after its first observations, Hubble provides a detailed look at the Crab Nebula's evolution.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Jamming Bacterial Communications for Long-Lasting Treatment

Strategic angle: A novel approach to combat antibiotic resistance by disrupting bacterial communication rather than killing the microbes.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Science Through Shadows: How Astronomical Alignments Reveal the Universe

Strategic angle: When one celestial object passes in front of another, it can cast a shadow that travels across space – and sometimes across Earth.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Frustrated Lewis pair chemistry enables dual atom insertion to build bioactive molecules

Strategic angle: Researchers from the National University of Singapore have developed a boron-catalyzed method to transform oxetanes into larger, medicinally relevant 1,3-oxazinanes.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Diamonds are not a geoengineer's best friend: Carbon impurities provide a reality check

Strategic angle: Exploring the implications of carbon impurities in diamonds on solar geoengineering strategies.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Climate change may complicate avalanche risk across the Pacific Northwest

Strategic angle: This winter was one of the warmest on record, leading to unusual weather patterns that increase avalanche risk.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Wildflower folk remedy shows modern potential for tackling antibiotic resistance

Strategic angle: Scientists have proven that a wildflower steeped in folklore for its medicinal powers has genuine healing qualities—and the potential to help combat antibiotic resistance.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: The 'silent takeover': Invasive bees are reshaping Chile's unique pollination networks

Strategic angle: A new study reveals how invasive pollinators are fundamentally altering native plant-pollinator interactions in Chile.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Study explores 'antifragility' in nature, where some species benefit from extreme swings

Strategic angle: Research highlights how certain species thrive amid climate-induced extremes.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: Discovery of genetic switch could help turn rice into a perennial crop

Strategic angle: A breakthrough in genetic research may transform rice cultivation by enabling perennial growth, potentially enhancing food security.

editorial-staff Mar 23

Life

Briefing: The 'private solution trap': Why richer countries may favor adaptation over public solutions, and who pays

Strategic angle: A new study reveals a potential 'private solution trap' in international cooperation on climate issues.

editorial-staff Mar 23