Headliner
Going retro: Commodore strips the smartphone back to essentials
by Monica J. White
The reborn Commodore brand has broken into the phone industry with the Callback 8020, a retro flip phone that runs 99% of Android apps through privacy-focused Sailfish OS while blocking social media and browsers for a calmer digital life.
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Highlights
Lizard-inspired wiggly wheels let Mars rover swim through sand
by Ben Coxworth
The sandfish lizard moves very efficiently through the sand, and not surprisingly, it doesn't use wheels to do so. Scientists have now copied the reptile's swimming motion in an experimental Mars rover that outperforms others in sandy soil.
Review: Gorgeous triple-laser projector takes home cinema to the Max
by Paul Ridden
A beautiful box of smart-entertainment goodness turned up at my door last year from home entertainment upstart Valerion. That was the VisionMaster Pro 2 4K triple-laser lifestyle projector, and now I've been sent the series flagship to play with.
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Vertical Aerospace's radical eVTOL design is taking shape for 2028
by Omar Kardoudi
An electric aircraft that takes off like a helicopter and cruises like a regular plane just completed its first piloted flight with a new full-scale prototype. Vertical Aerospace is accelerating toward commercial certification, targeted for 2028.
Gallery: Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year finalists
by Bronwyn Thompson
Charged with sorting through 2,129 images from more than 500 people, judges have named their shortlist of 100 pictures vying for prizes in the 2026 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year (AGNPOTY) competition. Here are our favorites.
World-first 'super alloy' is 2x as strong as steel
by Abhimanyu Ghoshal
Combining metals to produce alloys that are stronger or tougher requires extremely high temperatures as part of the process. Researchers in Australia have found that a radically different approach could yield even better alloys with a lot less heat.
Neue Klasse concept previews wild future for BMW M sports cars
by Simon Heptinstall
The defining characteristics of BMW’s M cars – screaming inline-six engines, lightweight chassis and precise mechanical feedback – are about to be radically reinvented to survive the fast-approaching zero-emissions regs. Meet the M Concept Neue Klasse.
Novel Bluetooth speaker folds out for tuneful strumming on the go
by Monica J. White
Enya Music’s Cyber-G Pocket folds from portable Bluetooth speaker into a smart singalong instrument, using chord pads, app presets and built-in backing tracks to help casual users make music without learning to play the guitar.
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Refractor: Science & Health
Please note that articles listed in this section will open at our sister site: Refractor
Our bodies may be able to regrow lost limbs after all
by Mike McRae
An experiment conducted by a team of researchers from Texas A&M University has revealed a healing sequence in mammalian physiology that rebuilds lost skeletal structure, albeit with less than perfect results.
Fish oil supplements reach the brain but fail critical Alzheimer's test
by Bronwyn Thompson
People taking fish-oil supplements in an effort to shield their brain from Alzheimer's disease might be better off investing that money in their diet, with a two-year study finding that omega-3 pills offer no protection from cognitive decline.
'Weather wall' in space could cut solar storm destruction in half
by Chris Young
In simulations, Boston University researcher Brian Walsh and colleagues found that their system, dubbed StormWall, could halve the intensity of a geomagnetic storm.
'Critically stressed' US earthquake fault reaches 1,000-year pressure peak
by Bronwyn Thompson
The volatile seismic zone along the roughly 750-mile San Andreas Fault beneath California are "critically stressed" – a level of pressure that has reached its highest point in 1,000 years – increasing the likelihood of a big earthquake hitting the US.
Elsewhere
They're coming to take our jobs! Customers of a new 24-hour convenience store on Hong Kong's waterfront are being given a taste of the future. The pop-up pod's only employee is a humanoid robot called Xiao Gai.
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