Life

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

Briefing: New enzyme atlas rewrites decades of biology research

Strategic angle: WEHI researchers have led a major global effort to create the first authoritative atlas for a class of enzymes that regulate almost every cellular process in the human body.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: Study finds emissions cuts can mask lack of systemwide change toward climate neutrality

Strategic angle: Research highlights the importance of comprehensive strategies beyond just emissions reductions.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: Lab-based mini-atmosphere reveals how turbulence changes on different scales

Strategic angle: Researchers in the UK and France recreate atmospheric turbulence in a lab setting, shedding light on energy and angular momentum cascades.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: How AI English and human English differ—and how to decide when to use artificial language

Strategic angle: Exploring the nuances between AI-generated text and human writing.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: North Sea wind farms may be reshaping sediment flows by 1.5 million tons a year

Strategic angle: A new study reveals the significant impact of offshore wind farms on sediment dynamics in the North Sea.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: AI-driven framework uncovers new carbon structures—one thought to be harder than diamond

Strategic angle: Researchers in China have developed an AI framework to identify new solid carbon forms, potentially surpassing diamond in hardness.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: The raccoon raiding your garbage bin might just be solving a puzzle—for the fun of it

Strategic angle: Raccoons are known for their innovative problem-solving skills, often turning trash into a playground.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: Ancient DNA finds 15,800-year-old dogs in Anatolia, buried like humans

Strategic angle: Evidence of some of the earliest dogs has been identified at archaeological sites in central Anatolia, Turkey.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: Chemists harness electricity to create biomass-based building blocks

Strategic angle: A new method developed by researchers at Wageningen University & Research and Utrecht University promises to revolutionize the production of chemical building blocks from biomass.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: Bacteria invent another way to turn on genes

Strategic angle: New research reveals a novel mechanism by which bacteria regulate gene activity, expanding our understanding of genetic control.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: Giant craters may reveal if Psyche is a lost planetary core

Strategic angle: Exploring the mysteries of asteroids and their origins in the solar system.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: College students are writing with AI, but a pilot study finds they're not simply letting it write for them

Strategic angle: Research indicates that AI tools can enhance learning among college students, challenging assumptions about their usage.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: Alaska Analysis Shows Continued Loss of Arctic Landfast Sea Ice

Strategic angle: A 27-year study reveals diminishing landfast ice along Alaska's northern coast, impacting local ecosystems.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: Saturday Citations: Birthday cetaceans; quantifying children's play experiences; placebos still effective

Strategic angle: This week, we learned that across the animal kingdom, sperm cells have a short shelf life. A study implicated autoantibodies in the development of long COVID.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: This new carbon material could make carbon capture far more affordable

Strategic angle: Scientists have created a new kind of carbon material that could make carbon capture much cheaper and more efficient.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: Liquids can fracture like solids—researchers discover the breaking point

Strategic angle: In a development that could shift our basic understanding of fluid mechanics, researchers from Drexel University have reported that, given the right circumstances, it is possible to induce a simple liquid to fracture like a solid object.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: After 20 years, scientists finally explain the Crab Pulsar’s strange “zebra stripes”

Strategic angle: New research reveals the cosmic mechanics behind the enigmatic radio wave patterns of the Crab Pulsar.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: Popular sugar substitute linked to brain damage and stroke risk

Strategic angle: New research reveals potential dangers of erythritol, a common sugar substitute.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: Scientists say we’ve been looking in the wrong place for human origins

Strategic angle: A fossil ape discovered in northern Egypt is reshaping the story of human evolution.

Editorial Staff Mar 28

Life

Briefing: Why use living cells? Researchers are making chemicals with enzymes alone

Strategic angle: Exploring the role of enzymes in the biofuels economy and chemical production.

Editorial Staff Mar 28