Life

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

Briefing: Urban AI should not be understood as a single, inevitable next stage of the smart city, say researchers

Strategic angle: Jun Zhang and colleagues argue that AI urbanism is a contested political and discursive space.

Briefing: CDC Leadership in Limbo as Trump Administration Misses Nomination Deadline

Strategic angle: The search for a new CDC director continues past the statutory deadline, raising concerns about public health leadership.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: Motivations behind violent extremism uncovered in new global study

Strategic angle: New research from the University of St Andrews reveals the complexities of human readiness for intergroup violence.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: Scientists engineer a 'Trojan Horse' to conquer aggressive brain cancer

Strategic angle: A precision-engineered nanoplatform developed by researchers aims to tackle glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: RNA-guided CRISPR system activates gene expression

Strategic angle: Researchers from Purdue and Columbia University unveil a new gene-editing system that enhances gene activation capabilities.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: Finding order in disorder: New mechanism amplifies transverse electron transport

Strategic angle: A groundbreaking study reveals that electrons can move more efficiently in disordered materials, challenging long-held beliefs about electrical transport.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: Metrics

Strategic angle: Explore the FY25 Services Catalog and Service Level Agreements.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

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Briefing: Why some reefs recover faster than others—mathematical model spotlights coral recruitment patterns

Strategic angle: A new mathematical model reveals insights into coral recruitment patterns, shedding light on reef recovery dynamics amid climate-driven disturbances.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: Plastic washing at recycling plants can spike phthalates in wastewater, study suggests

Strategic angle: A new study reveals that cleaning plastics at recycling facilities may lead to increased levels of harmful chemicals in wastewater.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: Parental advice on interacting with police varies widely by race

Strategic angle: Advice from parents on how to interact with police differs significantly across racial lines, highlighting disparities in societal experiences.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: Shell-cracking turtles defied mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period

Strategic angle: The mass extinction at the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods was catastrophic, wiping out much of life on Earth.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: California considers seal of approval for foods that are not ultra-processed

Strategic angle: A California bill would allow 'not ultraprocessed' labels on foods, even as scientists debate definitions and courts question the legality of similar laws.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: Amazon wildfire emissions may be up to three times higher than estimated

Strategic angle: Fires in central South America are intensifying due to drought and deforestation, with 2024 marking a peak in wildfire activity.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: Terran Orbital Introduces New Star Tracker Product Line at SATSHOW 2026

Strategic angle: Terran Orbital Corporation unveils innovative star tracker technology at the annual SATSHOW event.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: Bhattacharya addresses CDC director role, works to bolster staff morale in first all-hands meeting

Strategic angle: Bhattacharya faced tough staff questions on job cuts and fallout from the shooting attack on the agency.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: Rare mountain gorilla twins born in DR Congo: park authorities

Strategic angle: In a rare occurrence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, twin mountain gorillas were recently born in the Virunga National Park, renowned for its biodiversity but threatened by conflict.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: A captive chimp's instrumental performances hint at the evolution of vocal externalization

Strategic angle: Ayumu, a 26-year-old chimpanzee, showcases musical talent, shedding light on human vocal evolution.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: Significant grade inflation may be occurring in graduate education, according to decades' worth of data

Strategic angle: Analysis of two decades of student data at a large U.S. university suggests that grade inflation exists in graduate education.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: Heart failure is common. A quick MRI could improve diagnosis and guide treatment

Strategic angle: A new MRI method measures cardiac oxygen use in three minutes without catheters or radiation, offering a simpler way to study heart failure and metabolism.

Editorial Staff Mar 25

Life

Briefing: Dancing to invisible choreography, quantum computers can balance the noise

Strategic angle: Large-scale quantum computers are on the horizon, but noise in quantum hardware remains a significant challenge.

Editorial Staff Mar 25