Life

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

Briefing: Designing better 2D electronics: Addressing anisotropic conductivity to cut contact resistance

Strategic angle: The high-performance semiconductor devices powering smartphone displays, AI computing, EV batteries and more are increasingly incorporating 2D materials to overcome silicon's scaling limits.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

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Briefing: Why some regions are winning the fight against groundwater depletion

Strategic angle: Exploring successful strategies in groundwater management for sustainable water supply.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

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Briefing: Climate variability poses a threat to cold blooded animals, research indicates

Strategic angle: A new study reveals that cold-blooded animals struggle to adapt to temperature changes, increasing their vulnerability to climate change.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

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Briefing: Officina Stellare wins $2 million contract for lasercom ground station in Spain

Strategic angle: Italian manufacturer Officina Stellare secures funding for advanced optical communication technology.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

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Briefing: Moss-associated nitrogen fixation helps sustain plant growth in warming permafrost ecosystems

Strategic angle: Climate warming enhances plant growth in permafrost regions through extended growing seasons and improved root access.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

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Briefing: Chemo-optogenetic tool uses vitamin B₁₂ and green light to precisely regulate cell communication

Strategic angle: Researchers at HKUST develop CarGAP to control gap junctions with precision.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

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Briefing: Rocket Lab launches eighth Synspective radar imaging satellite

Strategic angle: Rocket Lab successfully deployed the latest satellite for Synspective, enhancing radar imaging capabilities.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

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Briefing: DNA analysis reveals two Hirondellea amphipods range farther and deeper than known

Strategic angle: New study enhances understanding of deep-sea biodiversity and evolutionary processes.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

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Briefing: New paper outlines pathways to equitable flood adaptation

Strategic angle: A new study highlights the disparities in flood recovery efforts, focusing on the challenges faced by vulnerable communities in New York and New Jersey.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

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Briefing: Hangar One Restoration Project Completed

Strategic angle: The historic Hangar One has undergone a significant restoration, marking a new chapter for this iconic landmark.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

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Briefing: Automatic enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans under consideration, top Trump health official says

Strategic angle: The idea could be a major win for the health insurance industry, which has seen a crackdown on Medicare Advantage in recent years.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

Life

Briefing: Another GPS launch shifts from ULA to SpaceX as Vulcan investigation continues

Strategic angle: The GPS III SV-10 satellite will now be launched by SpaceX due to ongoing issues with ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

Life

Briefing: Iran war has not disrupted pharma supply chains. That could change if conflict is prolonged

Strategic angle: The escalating war in the Middle East so far has not appreciably disrupted global pharmaceutical supply chains, but it could eventually — affecting prices.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

Life

Briefing: A self-sufficient Mars garden? How cyanobacteria-based fertilizer could grow edible biomass

Strategic angle: A research team from the University of Bremen and the German Aerospace Center has made significant progress in developing a sustainable farming solution for Mars.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

Life

Briefing: Researchers uncover gut-liver serotonin pathway that limits nanoparticle and viral delivery

Strategic angle: A new study reveals the gut-liver immune regulatory axis and its role in limiting nanoparticle and viral delivery.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

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Briefing: Compact terahertz imaging system brings real-time, non-invasive clinical diagnostics closer

Strategic angle: Scientists at the University of Warwick and University of Exeter have developed a fully fiber-coupled terahertz imaging system that enhances the speed and resolution of clinical diagnostics.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

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Briefing: NASA Selects University Finalists for Technology Concepts Competition

Strategic angle: 14 university teams chosen for the 2026 RASC-AL Competition to design innovative aerospace concepts.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

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Briefing: ShadowCam search casts doubt on abundant lunar ice

Strategic angle: New observations challenge the presence of water ice on the lunar surface.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

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Briefing: What 'Project Hail Mary' gets right—and wrong—about astrophysics

Strategic angle: "Project Hail Mary," the Ryan Gosling-led adaptation of the best-selling sci-fi novel from Andy Weir, is being praised for putting the science in science fiction.

Editorial Staff Mar 20

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Briefing: How Open NASA Data on Comet 3I/ATLAS Will Power Tomorrow’s Discoveries

Strategic angle: The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will soon leave our solar system, but its observations will enrich NASA’s public data archives.

Editorial Staff Mar 20