Features of the week
AircraftTransport
World's first consumer wing-in-ground effect aircraft takes flight
by Omar Kardoudi
Navee, a Chinese mobility brand best known for e-scooters and e-dirt bikes, just revived one of the Cold War's strangest engineering ideas, a craft called the WaveFly 5X that's half plane, half boat, and aimed it squarely at recreational riders.
MaterialsEngineering
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.
Tiny HousesOutdoors
Skyscraper-style tiny house sleeps two in a compact footprint
by Adam Williams
Picture a tiny house in your mind and it probably looks a little like a cottage on wheels. However, Quadrapol's La Ruche takes a different approach and stacks its living spaces vertically like a tower.
MarineTransport
Norway to build world's first ocean ship tunnel
by David Szondy
One for the "why hasn't this been done before?" department: Norway has greenlit construction of the world's first ocean ship tunnel. If the final budget receives parliamentary approval, work on the Stad Ship Tunnel will begin on the country's west coast.
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Top Stories: Transport
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.
CFMoto 250 Dual reminds us why lightweight enduros are evergreen
by Utkarsh Sood
“Less is more.” CFMoto’s latest motorcycle embodies that philosophy, especially in a class that has not just been growing in popularity, but also in the size of the motorcycles themselves. This one’s simple and straightforward … and I like that.
Bosch pushes the ebike motor to the rear wheel for the first time
by Omar Kardoudi
Bosch has launched its first hub motor, the Hub Line, targeting urban riders who want electric assist in a compact, lightweight package. Canyon and Vello are already on board, with both debuting Hub Line bikes at Eurobike next week.
Airbus's newest helicopter carries cargo where the cockpit used to be
by David Szondy
At this year's ILA Berlin Air Show, Airbus Helicopters unveiled its latest entry into fully autonomous flight, the U145 twin-engine helicopter. Based on the company's H145 platform, the aircraft replaces the cockpit with clamshell cargo doors, freeing up additional space for payloads.
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Top stories: Body & Mind
Hair-loss pill passes critical test with 80% success rate
by Bronwyn Thompson
We might be on the verge of a critical breakthrough treatment for pattern hair loss, with a novel slow-release oral drug meeting its significant endpoints in a Phase II/III trial of 519 patients. The next results are due later this year.
Brain pacemaker could help Parkinson's patients walk again
by Kerry Taylor-Smith
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) scientists have developed a form of neurological pacemaker that adapts in real time to a patient’s walking and could address one of the most disabling and hard-to-treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Single-dose LSD drug successfully treats depression in key human trial
by Bronwyn Thompson
Definium Therapeutics has announced the strong Phase 3 results of its single-dosed lysergide drug DT120 in treating adults with major depressive disorder. It met its main goal and all key secondary efficacy endpoints in the first trial of its kind.
A common laxative has a surprising impact on brain fog
by Kerry Taylor-Smith
A common laxative may do more than aid digestion: it could sharpen memory and attention in people with depression. This existing drug, currently used to treat chronic constipation, has shown promise in tackling these often-overlooked cognitive issues.
Top Stories: Outdoor
250-sq-ft tiny house goes back to basics with room for two
by Adam Williams
Not every tiny house needs to be a massive family residence, and sometimes all you need are the basics. With this in mind, the Mini House 300 x 600 focuses on fitting a home for two into a compact footprint.
Collapsible outhouse springs from pack to poop in under 2 minutes
by C.C. Weiss
Gazelle Tents looks to streamline base camp setup by slimming its tried-and-true hub-frame formula into a tall, sturdy bathroom/privacy tent that pitches in a mere minute and a half.
Tiny air blower blasts dust off your car and inflates camping gear
by Abhimanyu Ghoshal
Flextail's latest piece of outdoor gear is a versatile little air blower that'll not only come in handy at your next campsite, but also in your driveway and your study. The Blast Air can whip up a 65 m/s storm to quickly dispatch dust from your gear.
Volkswagen's US-bound camper van equipment prices under $3,000
by C.C. Weiss
Last month, VW announced it's bringing the ID. Buzz back to the US market after a yearlong hiatus, complete with a camping version. Now it has launched the German-market counterpart: a "Good Night Package" with identical in-van camping equipment.
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Top Stories: Technology
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.
Packable device gets the wrinkles out of clothes in minutes
by Maryna Holovnova
Aironox Go is a compact, fully automatic device designed to smooth clothing. It's aimed at frequent travelers who want to look presentable after a long trip but also don’t want to spend time on ironing or steaming clothes.
Cheap metacrystal panels could easily steer wireless signals around barriers
by Etiido Uko
History is filled with the great being felled by the puny. Goliath and a pebble, Achilles and his heel, the ultra-fast 6G network and … walls. Researchers have now invented a cheap, 3D-printed solution that passively bends signals around barriers.
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.
Top Stories: Science
Physicists made a tiny expanding universe to watch time unfold
by Mike McRae
Just what causes things to “not all happen at once” remains an open question. So University of Birmingham physicist Giovanni Barontini decided to go back to basics and build a whole new universe to watch time unfold from scratch.
'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.
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.
Exceptional flying-reptile fossil still hiding traces of its diet
by The Conversation
New research on a pterosaur fossil reveals secrets of the creature’s life, including microscopic inner structures of its bones and traces of its biology and diet. The findings show that molecular evidence can survive for more than 100 million years.
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