Features of the week
AircraftTransport
World’s first crewed solid-state flight electrifies aviation's future
by Omar Kardoudi
A crewed aircraft named the Helios Horizon has flown on solid-state batteries for the first time, logging a 60% energy density leap over lithium-ion that could finally make commercial electric aviation a reality.
AI and HumanoidsTechnology
Domesticating AI – It's not coming, it's already here
by Howard Armitage
From AI-generated garden makeovers to a voice assistant that actually remembers context, take a look at how local AI is transforming home automation. Privacy-first, open-source, and edging closer to Tony Stark territory.
Tiny HousesOutdoors
XL tiny house is equipped for full-time family living on wheels
by Adam Williams
This newly completed tiny house pushes the limits of tiny living with its substantial size and apartment-like interior. Measuring 399 sq ft, it offers enough space for full-time small living, even for a family.
MotorcyclesTransport
Kawasaki introduces its first all-new two-stroke motorcycle in 20 years
by Utkarsh Sood
Just when most of us thought the era of two strokes was over, Japanese bikemaker Kawasaki has released its first big two-strokers in more than two decades – the KX327 motocrosser and the cross-country-focused KX327X.
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Top Stories: Transport
"Double-bubble" hybrid airliner concept uses electric fans to cut drag
by David Szondy
Electra provides a glimpse of the airliner of 2050 with its hybrid aircraft concept capable of carrying over 100 passengers while using electrification, advanced aerodynamics, and integrated airframe-propulsion design to up efficiency and cut emissions.
This 'beginner' electric moto costs $38K, and I'm confused
by Utkarsh Sood
Usually, when you’d talk about beginner motorcycles, you’d think of lightweight, low-speed, and most importantly, low-cost options – of which there are plenty. This one, though, is priced at €31,951.50 (around US$38,000)!
Revolutionary solid-state batteries finally hit US roads
by Simon Heptinstall
Fast-charging hyper-efficient EV batteries are one step closer as engineers manage to fit Factorial’s semi-solid battery pack into a production Dodge Charger for US road tests.
Light-packin' mesh intercom helmet connects up to 15 cyclists at once
by Maryna Holovnova
Modern smart helmets are designed to improve visibility and cycling safety. The new helmet from Lumos keeps all the lighting features but also introduces an innovative intercom system to make group rides more fun, connected, and safe.
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Top stories: Body & Mind
Largest-ever osteoarthritis study finds single biological driver of the disease
by Bronwyn Thompson
In a breakthrough study, researchers have found that the world's most common type of arthritis – osteoarthritis (OA) – actually has a single core driver with clean-cut molecular pathways. It paves the way for much better treatment.
Cause of inflammatory bowel disease discovered in traitorous antibody
by Mike McRae
For the first time, researchers have linked a gene thought to be responsible for ulcerative colitis with a mechanism of attack, opening the way to new diagnostic tools and opportunities for more targeted treatment.
GHK-Cu: The science behind the 'fountain of youth' anti-aging peptide
by Bronwyn Thompson
Anti-aging peptides have become one of the most talked-about experimental treatments in this emerging area of science – and one in particular, GHK-Cu, has shot to fame this year. So, what is it exactly? We separate the reality from the hype.
A vaccine designed using AI has just been tested in humans
by The Conversation
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed what they describe as a fundamentally new type of vaccine. The vaccine’s key component was designed entirely by AI and has now been tested in people for the first time.
Top Stories: Outdoor
Extra-wide tiny house lets you downsize without sacrificing comfort
by Adam Williams
The Berenstein Bear is an extra-wide tiny house that's firmly focused on maximizing comfort. It provides a spacious interior that includes a large living area, a generous kitchen, ground-floor master bedroom, and even a bathtub.
Olight torch throwdown: One of these slim flashlights is our new go-to
by Joe Salas
I'm a bit of a flashlight hoarder. Bike lights, work lights, EDC lights, head lamps, even night vision ... I have far too many, but try as I might, I can't seem to get rid of them.
Airstream's cheapest camper van goes full chameleon with flex layout
by C.C. Weiss
Airstream expands its most affordable camper van series with the new 21PL. The newest member of the Rangeline family features a floor plan that's every bit as capable and comfortable for 4 people as it is for 2, without any need for a pop-up roof.
Small but mighty multitool is made to bunk on belts
by Ben Coxworth
As is the case with cameras, the best multitool is the one you have on you. Following that line of thinking, the K-Smart X might just be one of the best, as it's designed to clip unobtrusively right onto your belt.
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Top Stories: Technology
High-end micro-LED TV has Bugatti style... and a hypercar price tag
by Simon Heptinstall
The C Seed micro-LED TV rises silently and unfurls, using unique Adaptive Gap Calibration technology to mask separate folding screen panels. Now it also has a touch of Bugatti flavoring for good measure.
Modular astrophotography system promises fuss-free full-frame stargazing
by Monica J. White
Startup ArcBlue is offering a pre-Kickstarter look at an astrophotography system named the C42 built around a full-frame Sony sensor, modular lens support, guided tracking and automation designed to simplify serious deep-sky imaging.
Hybrid cine camera simultaneously shoots 16mm film and HD video
by Shirl Leigh
Analog filmmakers struggling with aging and hard-to-repair 16mm film cameras can now eagerly anticipate the release of the Cinelux Sixteen, a hybrid 16mm and HD digital camera boasting “live film simulation designed for a new era of filmmakers.”
Insta360 and Leica's Luna Ultra targets DJI's pocket camera crown
by Omar Kardoudi
Insta360 and Leica's first co-designed gimbal camera packs dual lenses, 8K Dolby Vision video, and a detachable OLED screen into a 200 g body – the most serious challenger to DJI's Osmo Pocket yet.
Top Stories: Science
Scientists investigate origins of a ‘ghost particle’ 30x more powerful than any other
by Chris Young
Three years ago, a single “ghost particle” soared into the Mediterranean with more energy than any ever observed before. Now, a team of researchers in Italy claims the particle may have originated in a specific class of blazars.
Dante's Hell was inspired by an asteroid impact
by Dr. Jaroslav Boublik
New research is offering a dramatic new way to read Dante Alighieri’s Inferno: not simply as a religious vision of Hell, but as an early attempt to imagine the effects of a catastrophic planetary impact.
700,000-year-old poop tells rich story of a lost Ice Age world
by Bronwyn Thompson
One of the world's oldest turds has been given the royal science treatment, with ancient Arctic ground squirrel droppings offering a smorgasbord of DNA from other animals and plants dating back up to 700,000 years.
We might finally now know why T. rex had such tiny arms
by Jay Kakade
The Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex) is known for its bone-crushing bite, gigantic size, and famously small forelimbs. But why these large, carnivorous theropod dinosaurs evolved tiny arms has long been debated.
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