Life

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

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

Life

Briefing: 'Miracle': Europe reconnects with lost spacecraft

Strategic angle: The European Space Agency announced Thursday it has re-established communication with a spacecraft that is part of its Proba-3 mission, after losing contact with the satellite a month ago.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Novo Nordisk’s high-dose Wegovy approved in the U.S.

A high-dose version of Novo Nordisk’s injectable obesity drug Wegovy received U.S. approval.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: Study uncovers mineral 'sink' that reduced phosphorus in early oceans, potentially delaying Earth's oxygen rise

Strategic angle: Research reveals how a mineral 'sink' may have impacted the timing of oxygen accumulation in Earth's atmosphere.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Senate Democrats Lay Out Plans to Overhaul Health Insurance After Setbacks Under Trump

Democrats are sharpening their health care message as the midterms loom.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: 'Mini earthquakes' turn tiny chips into radio signal powerhouses

Strategic angle: Engineers at the University of Twente have developed a method to enhance radio signal generation on chips using light and sound interactions.

Editorial Staff Mar 19

Life

Briefing: King opens world’s longest managed coastal walk – but much of it is still closed off

Strategic angle: Landowner disputes and coastal erosion hinder completion of King Charles III England coast path.

Editorial Staff Mar 19