Life

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

Briefing: Ancient alphabets, new insights: Researchers uncover hidden links among the letters

Strategic angle: With artificial intelligence (AI) as an essential tool, researchers have discovered surprising similarities among ancient writing systems.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: Binding to RNA is not enough—changing its shape is what makes a drug work, study reveals

Strategic angle: A new study highlights the importance of RNA shape in drug efficacy, beyond mere binding.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: In world first, antimatter taken on test drive at CERN

Strategic angle: CERN scientists successfully transport antiprotons, paving the way for future antimatter delivery systems.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: A mass mating event in the lab reveals how yeast cells choose partners

Strategic angle: Yeast cells demonstrate a unique method for selecting mates, potentially offering insights into partner selection.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: ZTF Discovers a New Mass-Transferring Brown Dwarf Binary System

Strategic angle: Astronomers unveil a binary system of brown dwarfs engaged in stable mass transfer, designated ZTF J1239+8347.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: Who do you think you are? What DNA tests reveal—and what they don't

Strategic angle: Exploring the impact of DNA testing on personal identity and criminal investigations.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: The Time Capsule in the Salt Flat

Strategic angle: Exploring the extreme conditions of Salar de Pajonales in northern Chile.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: TESS discovers an Earth-sized planet orbiting nearby M-dwarf star

Strategic angle: NASA's TESS reveals a new extrasolar planet, TOI-4616 b, in a nearby star system.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: Ancient Neanderthal genome reveals isolated, distinct populations

Strategic angle: Neanderthals split into distinct regional groups that developed genetic differences far sooner than modern human populations typically did.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: Eco-friendly hair repair adds to more natural personal care product pipeline

Strategic angle: Hair damaged by dyes, bleaching or harsh sunlight has just got special treatment.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: The world's waste mountain is rising at an alarming rate

Strategic angle: A new report reveals the staggering increase in global municipal solid waste, highlighting urgent environmental challenges.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: Novel protocol reconstructs quantum states in large-scale experiments up to 96 qubits

Strategic angle: A breakthrough in quantum computing allows for the reconstruction of quantum states in systems with up to 96 qubits, enhancing the potential of quantum technologies.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: The moon that tipped a planet

Strategic angle: Neptune is the solar system's most distant planet, a cold, blue ice giant sitting nearly 30 times further from the sun than Earth.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: A universal scheme can verify any quantum state

Strategic angle: Quantum technologies could outperform classical devices, but verifying their functionality remains a challenge.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: A million new SpaceX satellites will destroy the night sky—for everyone on Earth

Strategic angle: More than 10,000 Starlink satellites currently orbit Earth, affecting our view of the night sky.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: Seals use whisker movement to follow underwater trails—an approach that could improve robotic sensing

Strategic angle: Research reveals how seals utilize their sensitive whiskers to detect underwater trails, offering insights for advancements in robotic sensing technology.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: The JWST finds more overmassive black holes. This time in dwarf galaxies

Strategic angle: Astronomers discover a correlation between galaxy mass and supermassive black hole mass, challenging previous beliefs.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: This hidden state of water could explain why life exists

Strategic angle: Scientists have discovered a critical point in supercooled water that reveals its unusual behavior and implications for life.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: This quantum computing breakthrough may not be what it seemed

Strategic angle: A team of physicists set out to test some of the most exciting claims in quantum computing—and found a very different story.

Editorial Staff Mar 29

Life

Briefing: Black hole mergers test the limits of general relativity

Strategic angle: General relativity stands as one of the bedrock theories in modern physics. Its strange view of relative time and space has been confirmed by countless experimental and observational tests.

Editorial Staff Mar 29