Life

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

Briefing: Ultra-thin MoSe₂ grating traps infrared light in a 40-nanometer layer

Strategic angle: Controlling light at the micro- and nanoscale opens up opportunities for a better understanding of the world and the development of technology.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Eye-tracking reveals the brain commits to one syntax before a sentence is clear

Strategic angle: Study shows that listeners anticipate language structure even before hearing complete sentences.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Trump’s Medicare Director Seeks to Rein in Expectations for TrumpRx

Strategic angle: The Trump administration is counting on its drug pricing efforts to help with the midterm elections.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Durum wheat lines combine freezing tolerance with high pasta quality

Strategic angle: Researchers develop new durum wheat lines that withstand freezing temperatures while maintaining high-quality pasta production.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: US states sue Trump EPA over decision to repeal bedrock climate finding

Strategic angle: Lawsuit claims the rescission of the endangerment finding was illegal, threatening public health.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Audit managers' work-life balance suffered during COVID

Strategic angle: The COVID pandemic significantly impacted the work-life balance of audit managers, highlighting the challenges of remote work.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Light-activated medicines may cut side effects: How a switchable beta blocker works

Strategic angle: Research in photopharmacology aims to develop drugs that can be switched on and off with light, potentially reducing side effects.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: An AI-guided gene-editing tool for more precise and safer DNA correction

Strategic angle: Researchers at NUS Medicine have developed a revolutionary method to enhance base editors for improved DNA editing.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: HHS Public Health Policy Actions Under the Trump Administration 2025-2026

Strategic angle: A comprehensive timeline of public health policy actions by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Trump administration from 2025-2026.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Medicaid Postpartum Coverage Extension Tracker

Strategic angle: This page tracks recent state actions to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: What to Know About Medicare Coverage of Telehealth

Strategic angle: Congress has repeatedly extended several pandemic-era flexibilities around Medicare coverage of telehealth, but most remain temporary.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: How a tryptophan-rich allosteric communication network helps activate a major drug target receptor

Strategic angle: A multinational research team uncovers the role of tryptophan in receptor dynamics and activation.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Kratos wins $446 million Space Force contract for missile-tracking ground systems

Strategic angle: The agreement is for ground management and integration for the Resilient Missile Warning and Tracking satellite program.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Meet the Seattle families living communally to bring down costs – in pictures

Strategic angle: As Americans face a housing crisis, this development shows how communal living can bring homeownership within reach – and foster connection.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Air pollution to rise over Europe in coming days: EU agency

Strategic angle: Air quality is expected to deteriorate across parts of Europe due to an increase in microscopic polluting particles.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Earthquake scientists reveal how overplowing weakens soil at experimental farm

Strategic angle: Plowing, or tilling, is an age-old agricultural practice that readies the soil for planting but may have detrimental effects on soil stability.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Monte Verde fieldwork resets age of famous South American archaeological site

Strategic angle: New research challenges the widely accepted theory regarding the first inhabitants of North America.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: How an RNA-binding protein detects and responds to non-optimal codon usage in human cells

Strategic angle: Exploring the role of RNA-binding proteins in gene expression and protein synthesis.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Humans and animals have the same preference in mating calls, citizen science experiment finds

Strategic angle: A new study reveals that both humans and animals are attracted to similar mating signals, highlighting a shared appreciation for nature's beauty.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: How our planet's history was shaped when the Earth moved

Strategic angle: The motions of tectonic plates have significantly influenced the Earth's landscape and the evolution of life.

Editorial Staff Mar 19