Life

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

Briefing: Webb Telescope spots “impossible” atmosphere on ancient super Earth

Strategic angle: Astronomers have uncovered surprising evidence of a thick atmosphere surrounding TOI-561 b, a scorching, fast-orbiting rocky planet once thought too extreme to hold onto any gas.

Editorial Staff Mar 22

Life

Briefing: Ancient DNA reveals a farming shift that pushed a society to the brink

Strategic angle: A new study uncovers the origins of farming in Argentina's Uspallata Valley, highlighting a significant shift in local agricultural practices.

Editorial Staff Mar 22

Life

Briefing: A Massive Freshwater Reservoir Discovered Beneath the Great Salt Lake

Strategic angle: Airborne electromagnetic surveys reveal a hidden freshwater system extending up to 4 kilometers deep.

Editorial Staff Mar 22

Life

Briefing: Some European Launcher Challenge funding remains in limbo

Strategic angle: Nearly 140 million euros allocated to support launch vehicle development could be lost.

Editorial Staff Mar 22

Life

Briefing: Hidden antibiotics in river fish spark new food safety fears

Strategic angle: Antibiotics accumulating in a Brazilian river raise concerns over human exposure through contaminated fish.

Editorial Staff Mar 22

Life

Briefing: Gender conformity starts young, and boys and girls fall in line in different ways

Strategic angle: Research reveals the early pressures of gender conformity and its social consequences.

Editorial Staff Mar 22

Life

Briefing: Light-based technique creates artificial structures that mimic the scaffolding of cells

Strategic angle: A novel laser-based system developed by RIKEN researchers can create mesh-like structures that resemble cell cytoskeletons, aiding in protein interaction research.

Editorial Staff Mar 21

Life

Briefing: New research explores the paradox of firms' unique technologies

Strategic angle: A company's ability to be technologically unique is an asset, but it can also be a costly, isolating characteristic.

Editorial Staff Mar 21

Life

Briefing: Limited jobs block social mobility opportunities for young people in coastal and rural areas, study shows

Strategic angle: A new study reveals that the lack of job availability in coastal and rural areas significantly restricts social mobility for young residents.

Editorial Staff Mar 21

Life

Briefing: Are humans naturally violent? New research challenges long-held assumptions

Strategic angle: New research from the University of Lincoln, UK, suggests that everyday aggression does not inevitably lead to lethal conflict.

Editorial Staff Mar 21

Life

Briefing: Can animals sense earthquakes?

Strategic angle: For centuries, unusual animal behavior before earthquakes has been reported worldwide.

Editorial Staff Mar 21

Life

Briefing: Newly discovered photos show astronaut Neil Armstrong after the Gemini 8 emergency

Strategic angle: Sixty years after Neil Armstrong barely survived an emergency in orbit around Earth on Gemini 8, never-before-seen photos of his heroic return have been donated to the Ohio museum that bears his name.

Editorial Staff Mar 21

Life

Briefing: Women Assistant Principals Average 13.2 Teaching Years Before First Principal Bid

Strategic angle: A study highlights the gender disparity in school leadership roles, revealing that women assistant principals have significantly more teaching experience before applying for principal positions.

Editorial Staff Mar 21

Life

Briefing: How DICER cuts microRNAs with single-nucleotide precision

Strategic angle: A research team from HKUST uncovers the precise mechanism of the DICER enzyme in RNA silencing.

Editorial Staff Mar 21

Life

Briefing: Where did the ancient Greeks and Romans think lightning came from? Hint: not just the gods

Strategic angle: Ancient civilizations had unique interpretations of lightning, often attributing it to divine forces.

Editorial Staff Mar 21

Life

Briefing: JWST Probes Emerging Young Star Clusters in Nearby Spiral Galaxy NGC 628

Strategic angle: An international team of astronomers uses the James Webb Space Telescope to observe the spiral galaxy NGC 628, revealing insights into young star clusters.

Editorial Staff Mar 21

Life

Briefing: Musk's Twitter takeover highlights danger of owner-dominated social media platforms

Strategic angle: A new study warns that Elon Musk's transformation of Twitter into X signifies the emergence of a potentially authoritarian control over social media.

Editorial Staff Mar 21

Life

Briefing: Why drawing eyes on food packaging could stop seagulls stealing your chips

Strategic angle: The increasingly urban lifestyles of seagulls in the UK and around Europe have made them experts at grabbing food from unsuspecting outdoor diners.

Editorial Staff Mar 21

Life

Briefing: Dishwashing with side effects: Kitchen sponges release microplastics

Strategic angle: A study reveals that kitchen sponges may be a significant source of microplastics in households.

Editorial Staff Mar 21

Life

Briefing: Mussel-inspired glue from recycled plastics can be detached and reused

Strategic angle: Researchers develop a tough, reusable adhesive from waste polymers that performs well in various environments.

Editorial Staff Mar 21