Stories by Rachel Fieldhouse

Rachel Fieldhouse is a reporter for Nature News.

Older woman having an allergic reaction to pollen with flowers in the foreground

AllergiesJuly 31, 2025

Allergens May Make Us Cough and Sneeze by Poking Holes in Airway Cells

The immune system senses damage to cell membranes caused by pore-forming proteins and mounts a response

Rachel Fieldhouse, Nature magazine

Illustration of human silhouette with colorful outlines and injection pen, blood glucose kit, scientific elements and insulin syringe

PharmaceuticalsJuly 1, 2025

Could China’s New GLP-1 Drugs Beat Out Ozempic?

GLP-1 drugs currently being tested in China target complications associated with obesity such as heart disease, fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes

Rachel Fieldhouse, Nature magazine

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies before the House Appropriations Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on May 14, 2025 in Washington, DC

VaccinesJune 16, 2025

Who Is on RFK, Jr.’s New Vaccine Panel—And What Will They Do?

Critics fear that U.S. Department of Health and Human Services chief RFK, Jr., known for his antivaccine views, has picked a crucial CDC committee that will be a “disaster for public health”

Heidi Ledford, Rachel Fieldhouse, Nature magazine

Bright streak ascending into the sky during a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch

Space ExplorationJune 6, 2025

A Japanese Spacecraft Has Crash-Landed on the Moon—Again

Investigations by the Japanese company ispace identified issues with speed and an altitude sensor that likely doomed the lander

Rachel Fieldhouse, Nature magazine

Microscopic image showing bacteria on a flea

GeneticsJune 2, 2025

Black Death Plague That Killed Millions Became Less Fatal because of This Genetic Tweak

Reducing the copies of one gene in the bubonic plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, made it less deadly but potentially more transmissible

Rachel Fieldhouse, Nature magazine