Features of the week
We hung out with around 100 robots – and here are the bizarre highlights
by Bronwyn Thompson
Humanoids may be winning marathons and getting factory jobs, but after spending a few days with around 100 different robots of all shapes and sizes, one thing was clear: There's a chasm separating viral demonstration hype and reality.
Modular next-gen US nuclear reactor goes critical
by David Szondy
Nuclear energy in the West took another step forward as the first privately developed, non-light-water reactor to go critical in the United States in more than 40 years reached a major milestone when the Antares Nuclear Mark-0 test reactor came online at Idaho National Laboratory.
World's new tallest building races toward completion in Saudi Arabia
by Adam Williams
The future world's tallest building has passed a major construction milestone. Saudi Arabia's JEC Tower has now reached 102 floors and is rapidly progressing toward its planned height of more than 3,280 ft.
RS Jet review: I haven't put gas in my car in three months
by Joe Salas
It has no traction control nor anti-lock brake capability. There are no safety nets. It's just raw power at the touch of the throttle, and I love it. And yes – it really has been months since I put gas in my car.
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Top Stories: Transport
First-ever AC Cobra road coupé rolls out, and it's a brutal stunner
by Simon Heptinstall
Britain’s oldest car maker hopes for big sales surge thanks to the first Cobra with a roof. The ferocious AC Cobra GT Coupe pairs classic old-school styling in smooth aluminum and carbon fiber with a 5-liter Ford V8 under the hood.
Harley looks to enter electric off-road market with latest acquisition
by Utkarsh Sood
Harley-Davidson’s electric spin-off, LiveWire, has just bought Dust Moto. This marks the company’s first acquisition and a strong indicator of its intent to muscle in on the rapidly growing electric off-road market.
World-first hydrogen-powered 'gas station' for ships passes key trials
by Omar Kardoudi
A floating hydrogen platform that delivers clean power to docked ships – no port construction needed – has passed key engineering tests with early stage deployment talks underway at five major global ports.
Review: 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander hits the family-SUV sweet spot
by Aaron Turpen
Cars and houses have something in common: no matter how large they are, they eventually start to feel small. Toyota saw a hole in the market and is filling it with the Grand Highlander.
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Top stories: Body & Mind
Simulation could prevent a psychological catastrophe on the Moon
by Chris Young
A team of researchers from George Mason University in Virginia, US, has developed a new model to simulate the team dynamics and group behaviours associated with long-term space travel.
New evidence shows menopause rewires the brain
by Bronwyn Thompson
In the US, 6,000 women enter menopause every day, or 1.3 million in a year. Now, a study sheds light on the brain connectivity changes that happen in this phase, paving the way to finally understanding and ideally treating midlife cognitive decline.
Rare Ebola strain is spreading beyond Africa. Here's what you should know.
by The Conversation
The current Ebola outbreak is the third-largest in world history, with 906 suspected cases and 223 deaths in the DRC alone as of 27 May.
This company is regrowing foreskins
by C. R. Calabria
Circumcision may soon be fully reversible. That’s the goal of Foregen, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the first viable bio-engineered foreskin using advanced tissue engineering.
Top Stories: Outdoor
Panoramic Ford F camper truck costs a fraction of the competition
by C.C. Weiss
Supertramp has been quietly launching some of the market's most compelling expedition campers for years. Now it brings adventure van comfort and pricing to a snarling Ford F-350. The all-new Paragon might be the absolute Goldilocks of adventure rigs.
Quaint chocolate-flavored tiny house explores light and dark contrasts
by Stefan Ionescu
The Chocolate tiny house features a dark outer wrapping and contrasting tones within. Step through the glass door and you'll find a comfortable interior with a kitchen, lounge, mezzanine, and shower room – all within a compact 170-sq-ft space.
New Leatherman multitool brings back popular discontinued form factor
by C.C. Weiss
A different breed of Leatherman plier multitool, the Crunch had a set of lockable pliers that emerged via a unique triple-folding action. It was discontinued just a few years ago, but now it's back for one last run. Meet the Captain's Crunch.
252-sq-ft tiny house is small in size, big on livability
by Adam Williams
With its length of just 24 ft, the Goa is on the smaller side even for a tiny house. However, it has been designed for full-time living and packs in two bedrooms, a practical kitchen, and a bathroom with a bathtub.
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Top Stories: Technology
Honeybees inspire a super-efficient navigation system for drones
by Etiido Uko
Honeybees travel up to 2 miles from home to forage and seamlessly return. That’s equivalent to a human walking 226 miles without any equipment. Scientists have replicated this ability in a navigation system for drones that uses just 42 KB of memory.
Bookshelf speakers put the tweeter in the throat of the driver cone
by Simon Heptinstall
Think speakers are a simple paper cone that vibrates to translate electrical signals into sound? There’s rather more to it these days – as the European debut of a new high-end wireless speaker system from Scotland has just demonstrated.
The riddle of the LA Olympics: No cars, no new venues – How?
by Dr. Jaroslav Boublik
In 2028, Los Angeles will become the first city to hold the (modern) Olympic Games for a third time – and it's planning to do so with no new infrastructure built, and as a "no-cars" event in one of the world's most car-reliant cities. Here's how.
Dual-screen monitor can show two sides of the same story
by Monica J. White
Rather than have folks on customer-facing or collaborative setups having to constantly swivel a monitor around for people on the other side of the desk, Philips has launched a dual-sided business monitor with a Full HD screen front and back.
Top Stories: Science
Cave discovery pushes back the moment we first used fire
by Mike McRae
By testing the luminescence of ancient bones, an international team of researchers has provided strong evidence that residents of South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave may have been cooking their breakfast some time between 1.07 and 1.78 million years ago.
New sesame-seed-sized animal found living its best life off Taiwan coast
by Bronwyn Thompson
For nearly 200 years, biologists felt they had seen it all when it came to nudibranch species, with only six types identified around the world. Then, scientists in Taiwan chanced upon another, the size of a grain of rice, that no one knew existed.
Amazon's monkeys have contracted a deadly disease from us
by Kerry Taylor-Smith
As deforestation accelerates across the Amazon, scientists are uncovering a disturbing new consequence: humans are transmitting diseases to wildlife.
The Milky Way's star-forming edge may be closer than we thought
by Pranjal Malewar
By determining the ages of more than 100,000 giant stars, researchers have identified the edge of our galaxy's star-forming disc for the first time, revealing that the most recent star formation is closer to the center than we expected.
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