Life

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

Briefing: AI turns electron microscopy into materials insights in minutes

Strategic angle: An autonomous artificial intelligence system accelerates the analysis of electron microscopy images, transforming weeks of work into mere minutes.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: New disk-shaped catalyst turns carbon dioxide into methanol at lower temperatures

Strategic angle: Researchers have developed innovative catalysts that enable the conversion of CO2 into methanol at room temperature, challenging previous assumptions.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: Bigger storms, more often: New study projects likely future rainfall impacts on NZ

Strategic angle: A new study reveals that New Zealand is likely to experience increased rainfall and more frequent storms in the future.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: Governments, beware: Why it's so hard to invest in risk prevention

Strategic angle: Governments cutting hundreds of millions of euros in pandemic funding, just a few years after a pandemic.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Moon rocket and weather are on NASA's side for the first astronaut launch in decades

After weeks of fuel leaks and other issues, NASA faced a trouble-free countdown Tuesday on the eve of astronauts' first trip to the moon in more than half a century.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: How noise limits today's quantum circuits

Strategic angle: Exploring the challenges of maintaining coherence in quantum computing.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: Protostars 'sneeze' and produce rings of gas and magnetic flux as they grow

Strategic angle: Researchers have uncovered new insights into the early development of baby stars.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: Novel approach to quantum error correction portends a scalable future for quantum computing

Strategic angle: A University of Sydney quantum physicist has developed a new approach to quantum error correction that could significantly reduce the number of physical qubits required to build large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: Europe to negotiate with NASA on lunar missions: ESA

Strategic angle: The European Space Agency will negotiate future participation in NASA missions after the US space agency revamped its lunar program.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: New miniature marsupial frog found in Peru carries eggs in a back pouch

Strategic angle: Scientists have discovered a new species of miniature marsupial frog in the Peruvian Amazon that carries its young in a natural pouch on its back.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: AI uptake across Italian firms remains patchy, study suggests, despite generative AI buzz

Strategic angle: Research indicates uneven adoption of AI among Italian businesses, highlighting a divide in technology integration.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: How a seabird native to Hawaii has adapted to life in Honolulu's concrete jungle

Strategic angle: Kaʻiulani Murphy is quick to spot white terns flapping their wings when she's guiding Polynesian voyaging canoes across the Pacific.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: Earthquake off Indonesia topples buildings, kills 1 person and sets off small tsunami

Strategic angle: An undersea magnitude -7.4 earthquake caused destruction and a small tsunami in northern Indonesia.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: Native Americans were making dice, gambling, exploring probability millennia before their Old World counterparts

Strategic angle: A new study reveals that the earliest known dice were crafted by Native American hunter-gatherers over 12,000 years ago.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: Réunion Island Lava Reaches the Sea

Strategic angle: The February 2026 eruption at Piton de la Fournaise has lasted longer and produced a larger volume of lava than recent eruptions from this frequently active volcano.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: Going from serving the nation to serving a prison sentence

Strategic angle: New research highlights the struggles faced by veterans in Australia amidst rising strategic tensions.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: Fifty years of measuring the world's cleanest air

Strategic angle: Australia marks 50 years of monitoring the world's cleanest air in remote northwest Tasmania.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: Rethinking Europe's nature reserves

Strategic angle: Natura 2000 aims to protect biodiversity across the EU with its extensive network of protected areas.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: Mercury Scout Mission Concept with Solar Sail Propulsion

Strategic angle: Exploring the challenges and innovations in visiting the closest planet to the sun.

Editorial Staff Apr 2

Life

Briefing: Researchers Warn of Risks Posed by 'Contaminants of Emerging Concern' in Agriculture

Strategic angle: A new study highlights health risks from crops absorbing harmful contaminants and calls for further research.

Editorial Staff Apr 2