🌎 New Atlas stories of the week

by Utkarsh Sood

Electric vehicles are emerging left, right, and center, but I bet nobody put their money on a vacuum cleaner manufacturer coming up with one. And it's not just a plain ol' EV put together with random Chinese components, but a proper hypercar!

by Aaron Turpen

Hyundai has been teasing the electric model Staria people mover since 2021 and has finally introduced the full production spec model. Debuting in Brussels, the 800-volt minivan will go on sale in Korea and Europe before mid-2026.

by Utkarsh Sood

You know you have a proper enduro on your hands when it has Graham Jarvis’ credentials behind it. That’s the Jarv-E project, and it isn’t just another ambitious electric motorcycle; it’s a proper hard-enduro bike designed for technical trail riding.

by Aaron Turpen

Back in the day, the Sportage was first introduced as a bug-eyed monstrosity of a compact utility. It’s evolved and matured since then, and for 2026, Kia’s popular crossover gets a refresh that’s all about refining an already hard-won, solid formula.

by Jay Kakade

Nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas, has shown rapid antidepressant effects in people with depression, with symptoms easing within hours of inhaling it. The treatment involves breathing in a mix of nitrous oxide and oxygen for up to an hour.

by Pranjal Malewar

Researchers have discovered a new way to potentially treat liver disease. By blocking a key inflammatory pathway it could be possible to reduce liver damage and improve blood vessel function in patients suffering cirrhosis.

by Chelsea Haney

For millions, losing their sense of smell reshapes daily life. Once damaged, the system is difficult to restore. That challenge led researchers to stop asking how to fix smell, and start asking whether its information might reach the brain another way.

by Bronwyn Thompson

For the first time, scientists have identified ancient cannabis enzymes dating back millions of years – and discovered they were more efficient at producing the plant’s bioactive compounds like THC and CBD. The team then resurrected them in the lab.

by C.C. Weiss

Weighing less than most rooftop tents and taking up far less space than a camper, the Camp Tonneau Tent is always at the ready for truck camping but stows completely out of the way for unencumbered everyday commuting and cargo hauling.

by Adam Williams

Architects continue to get lots of mileage from the humble shipping container. This example skillfully squeezes a comfortable home for two people into a single container that has a length of just 20 ft.

by Ben Coxworth

If you're carrying a lighter anyway, why not carry some extra functions with it? That's where the Polar lighter comes in, as it packs a compass and mirror along with an optional capsule, watch and loupe.

by Maryna Holovnova

Wintertime offers plenty of ways to enjoy the outdoors: skiing, snowshoeing , or hiking. The only problem is that each of these activities requires its own specialized set of gear. But what if a single piece of equipment could do it all?

by David Szondy

What looks like a flying egg, was never designed to land, and was so light it could be thrown off course by its own guns? Introducing the Goblin XF-85 – the Cold War compact fighter designed to be carried in the belly of a nuclear bomber.

by Abhimanyu Ghoshal

Anker's latest offering is the first-ever smart hybrid backup system for your entire house, powering it for days. The company claims its sophisticated equipment makes it simple for homeowners to finally stop worrying about blackouts and outages.

by Maryna Holovnova

The mobile entertainment industry has a tendency to make devices lighter and more immersive, blurring the line between everyday life and virtual reality. Xynavo AR glasses offer a glimpse of what the future of portable entertainment may look like, and they are currently available for backing on Kickstarter.

by Paul Ridden

Following a successful Kickstarter last year, a combination tuner, string winder and metronome is now available to buy. There's been a Roadie in my gig bag since the first iteration landed 10 years ago, and now I've been sent the 4th-gen unit to try.

by Bronwyn Thompson

China has eclipsed its own – and the US – world record, building a monster underground hypergravity centrifuge that can model scenarios with 1,900 times the gravitational force of Earth, bending space and time with unprecedented power.

by Malcolm Azania

By adjusting a typical polymer synthesis, researchers have created a spray-on polymer solution that could save billions of tons of crops. It's harmless to plants, and weakens the cell membranes of a variety of harmful bacteria.

by Michael Franco

Spelling F-O-O-D or O-U-T might only get you so far around your dog if he or she is considered a Gifted Word Learner. Researchers have just figured out that even when you're not talking to them directly, they're still acquiring new terms.

by Bronwyn Thompson

Two billion years before we made history and split the atom, the Earth had already accomplished it and was running its own nuclear reactors. And they operated for hundreds of thousands of years, as the first signs of multicellular life emerged.