Features of the week
AircraftTransport
Triple-threat WIG hydrofoil aircraft makes maiden flight
by David Szondy
One of the world’s most unusual aircraft has taken to the air in its first crewed flight. Regent Craft's Viceroy is an all-electric "seaglider" that combines a floating hull, wing-in-ground (WIG) effect technology, and hydrofoils into a single vehicle.
BiologyScience
Our use of fire has strange ties to how we can talk
by Mike McRae
In a peer-reviewed paper recently published in Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, researchers bring together testable claims from a number of different fields to argue that the conditions surrounding an evening fire shaped the evolution of spoken language.
Tiny HousesOutdoors
Road-ready tiny house is equipped for full-time living
by Adam Williams
Dragon Tiny Homes' custom Vista tiny house has a compact 24-ft-long footprint while packing in some notable features, including an open living area with a home office, plus a full kitchen, and two bedrooms.
AI and HumanoidsTechnology
Google AI turns on its maker in a brutally candid interview
by Bronwyn Thompson
I have issues with AI in general, but the biggest gripe is with being forced to interact with the LLM from Google, a company with enough money and talented staff to do something great – but has instead produced a model the AI hates too.
This week’s newsletter sponsor
Momcozy D8 Takes a Precision Approach to Baby Bottle Cleaning
Most bottle washers are built around bottles. Momcozy's D8 takes aim at a harder problem: tiny feeding accessories and irregular pump parts, using dedicated precision jets to reach narrow spaces where milk residue can linger in daily feeding routine.
Top Stories: Transport
US-UK 'Pink Corridor' prepares ports for nuclear cargo ships
by David Szondy
It's possible that by 2035 there may be as many as 50 nuclear-powered cargo ships plying the seas. In anticipation of this, the Pink Corridor Project is evaluating how to set up safe and secure nuclear shipping lanes between the US and Britain.
Famous Spanish motorcycle brand stages a comeback
by Utkarsh Sood
Some bikemakers die. Others refuse to stay dead. Bultaco belongs firmly in the latter camp. The Spanish marque disappeared from the industry decades ago, but now, after years of fits, false starts and attempts to resurrect the badge, it's back!
Range Rover's first electric SUV brings proper off-roading cred
by Abhimanyu Ghoshal
After ruling the luxury SUV roost for over half a century, the Range Rover is finally available in a fully electric version. JLR says it's worked on this for the last decade, and filed more than 300 patents along the way to bring it to life.
Smart cycling disc offers cleaner, quicker maintenance
by Ben Coxworth
All too often, lubricating your bike chain ends up with you inadvertently lubing the ground beneath it, also. The Green Disc+ is designed to change that, by applying its eco-friendly lube only where it's needed. Less waste, and no mess.
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Top stories: Body & Mind
Origins of Alzheimer's protein challenges assumptions on disease
by Mike McRae
A protein thought to play a critical role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease may not originate where scientists thought, which could mean we may have to reconsider how we approach fighting this form of deadly neurodegeneration.
Serious human illness transmitted by ticks has been identified
by Bronwyn Thompson
Scientists have uncovered a new pathogen transmitted to humans by ticks, reminding us that one of the biggest threats to our health is zoonotic diseases. The upside is that the more we know, the better our survival odds become.
Our sex organs could be pacemakers for aging through our body
by Mike McRae
Researchers at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have developed a method to quantify the structural aging of tissues from a snapshot of their cellular architecture.
Inflammation is 2026’s biggest wellness trend. Here’s what actually works
by Bronwyn Thompson
From Korean cosmetic sperm injections to experimental peptides, the wellness industry has become one of the world's most lucrative, projected to be worth nearly US$10 trillion by 2029. Yes, that's $10,000,000,000,000. But there's a real problem here.
Top Stories: Outdoor
Park model tiny house finds room to sleep six people inside
by Adam Williams
Sleeping six people in a tiny house usually means somebody gets stuck on a sofa bed. The Cascade Park Model Home takes a different approach and has two downstairs bedrooms and a spacious sleeping loft.
6x4 Ford Ranger Super Duty camper is pure excess, but not for America
by C.C. Weiss
"American excess" is a simple term that points out the US tendency toward conspicuous overconsumption. Despite its big Ford badge, though, the new Kerkamm Ranger Super Duty RV isn't American excess at all. It's German excess ... and it's glorious.
Puroway filter promises drinkable water from murky lakes and rivers
by Abhimanyu Ghoshal
There are many ways to purify water out in the wilderness so it's safe to drink. This new piece of kit makes it arguably more convenient than any portable device for the job.
Double origami camper cube brings bathroom and king bed to small vans
by C.C. Weiss
The new Cubivan Camping System is a very different style of camper-in-a-box module. It expands out the van and down to the ground to create a full kitchen and bathroom. Add the hard-walled origami roof, and you make a full camper out of a tiny van.
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Top Stories: Technology
The future of work sounds like whispering to your computer
by Abhimanyu Ghoshal
Can you imagine walking into an open-plan office on a busy weekday, seeing people at their desks – and hearing practically nothing? Like not even the staccato rhythm of fingers on a keyboard? That might be where AI-powered technologies lead us.
Gamers at the ready: Wall-hugging Laser TV throws 4K at 120 Hz
by Monica J. White
XGIMI recently previewed its AURA 3 Series at IFA 2026. The lineup is headed by the flagship Aura 3 Max, alongside the slightly less powerful Aura 3 Pro. XGIMI is referring to the pair as the world’s first 4K/120Hz ultra-short-throw projector series.
Teaching a hexapedal robot to walk like a stick insect
by Malcolm Azania
Engineers used adversarial inverse reinforcement learning to train robots to respond dynamically to uneven terrain and loss of limbs, a training system transferrable to dissimilar robots. And they did so using a stick insect as a role model.
ESPHome Starter Kit review: From blinking lights to building a smart home
by Howard Armitage
ESPHome’s first official hardware kit makes a fiddly corner of DIY smart homes remarkably approachable, and it’s built to remain genuinely useful long after the lessons are over.
Top Stories: Science
Newly identified 'muscles' shape trees in way once thought uniquely animal
by Bronwyn Thompson
Nearly 15 years ago, scientists found that plants had a biological mechanism that directs their form – thought to have only been something seen in animals. Now, researchers have uncovered how it works. It's essentially a tree's version of a muscle.
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