🌎 New Atlas stories of the week

by Abhimanyu Ghoshal

For nearly a decade, a Phoenix, Arizona-based outfit has been working on a smart replacement for the giant rubber tires that go on heavy mining vehicles. After rigorous testing, GACW's steel wheels are rolling towards a commercial launch this year.

by Utkarsh Sood

Who said baggers can’t go fast? Indian Motorcycle just showed us a glimpse of its racing DNA by setting a new record with its race-spec Challenger, which achieved close to 200 miles per hour at Bonneville Salt Flats.

by Paul Ridden

Way back in 2016, we featured a nifty Kickstarter for a kit that converted a regular bicycle into a front-loader cargo hauler in double quick time. Now the company has announced an updated version called the Argo Fy.

by Utkarsh Sood

Driving 1,000 miles of public road to set five official production car lap records in five consecutive days is no mean feat. Certainly not for a car that has 3D-printed and machine-designed components. Well, the Czinger's 21C is just built different.

by Bronwyn Thompson

We've known for some time that obesity affects the brain, but now scientists have found that it's where you carry it that matters most. Deep visceral fat around organs has the biggest impact on brain aging, affecting a suite of cognitive functions.

by Bronwyn Thompson

Soccer heading has long been suspected of impacting brain health, but where and how it leaves a mark has been a blind spot. Now, for the first time, scientists have a clear picture of the damage and why repeated impacts can impair cognition over time.

by Bronwyn Thompson

Scientists have taken the most detailed look yet at the biology of a record-breaking woman who lived 117 years and 168 days free of cancer, cardiovascular disease and dementia. And many things they discovered could help us achieve our own longevity.

by Paul McClure

In a clinical trial, six sessions of low-dose radiation significantly eased knee osteoarthritis pain and improved function for months afterwards, hinting at a safe, drug-free alternative for millions living with joint degeneration.

by C.C. Weiss

Electric powersports marque Taiga gets more ambitious with a larger, more versatile electric adventure PWC that seats up to three people. Despite the extra size, the new Orca WX3 still promises hours' of time on the water per 30-min charge.

by C.C. Weiss

Of the Big 3 US automakers, "Chrysler" is the name that doesn't belong in a conversation about overland campers. But it was the one to introduce a new concept camper at Overland Expo Mountain West. Its Grizzly Peak is a ruggedized everyday MPV.

by Paul Ridden

When a tough case just won't cut the mustard, rugged phones step up as the everyday companion for rough-and ready adventurers. Unihertz sub-brand 8849 has just unveiled what it's calling the "world's first rugged phone with 200-m dual flashlights."

by Aaron Turpen

Western Wyoming is beautiful in the fall. With trees beginning to change, sunsets getting more spectacular, and animals beginning to migrate, there’s a lot going on. And I got to glide through it all silently on the back of an electric ATV.

by Adam Williams

The USA – and world's – new tallest timber skyscraper has been under construction for a few months. However, despite speedy progress, it has run into some issues and the future of the ambitious project is looking uncertain.

by David Szondy

What has zero moving parts, yet can blast an aerial vehicle to velocities beyond Mach 5? The answer is the recently flight-tested Atmospheric Test of Launched Airbreathing System (ATLAS) powered by a new solid-fueled ramjet built by GE Aerospace.

by Joe Salas

I spent a few nights with the Akaso Sight-300 and came away fairly impressed. My previous experiences with night vision have been with very high-end scopes, so I wasn't sure what to expect on something that costs several thousand dollars less.

by Abhimanyu Ghoshal

Construction robots have been around for a while. The new kid on this block is called Charlotte, and it's billed as being autonomously capable of building a 2,150-sq-ft home in a single day – operating at roughly the speed of 100 bricklayers.

by Bronwyn Thompson

Old Nazi warheads and US warships have been reclaimed by a new army of diverse marine life, as scientists for the first time uncover how nature has made use of the munitions and fleets that ended up dumped in waterways during the two world conflicts.

by Ben Coxworth

Composting toilets are a great idea, but no one likes to think of the waste sitting there and fermenting. A new eco-friendly toilet gets around that problem by using mushrooms to facilitate the composting process, plus it uses no water to do the job.

by Michael Franco

New research flips a long-held belief that frozen environments slow down chemical reactions and helps explain why Arctic rivers are turning orange. It turns out that ice is actually better than liquid water at releasing iron from common minerals.

by Bronwyn Thompson

Large rock-face murals scattered across the desert represent one of the most ambitious – and perilous – creative feats of ancient humans, with researchers arguing the massive carvings acted as visual beacons, guiding people to crucial water sources.