~new-atlas-new-techn | Bookmarks (1008)

Following a successful Indiegogo for a long-range folding ebike in January, Chinese e-mobility outfit Mihogo has returned to the platform with a lightweight commuter. The Air's carbon fiber frame is jam-packed with batteries for up to 128 miles per charge.Continue ReadingCategory: Bicycles, TransportTags: ebikes, Pedal-assisted, Indiegogo

A new study has found a link between the rollout of high-speed internet services and a rise in obesity rates in the country. The researchers who conducted the study attribute the increase to the effect of high-speed internet access on physical activity and eating habits.Continue ReadingCategory: Obesity, Illnesses and conditions, Body & MindTags: High-speed, Internet, Obesity, Exercise, Monash University

Genetic studies have revealed that when male mosquitoes lose their hearing, they also lose their sex lives. The surprising discovery could lead to new ways to reduce mosquito populations and the diseases they spread.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, ScienceTags: Mosquito, Insect, Hearing, Deaf, University of California Santa Barbara, UC Santa Barbara

Memories can form outside of the brain, according to new research. Non-brain cells exposed to chemical pulses similar to the ones that brain cells are exposed to when presented with new information caused the non-brain cells to switch on a gene critical for memory formation.Continue ReadingCategory: Learning & Memory, Brain Health, Body & MindTags: neurons, Memory, Learning, Cells, New York University

In Kentucky, bourbon demand is expected to double in the next five years, while the state's cattle population has now reached its lowest point since 1951. Here's how these two facts could combine to turn bourbon distilleries into a new source of biofuels.Continue ReadingCategory: Energy, TechnologyTags: Methane, Distillery, University of Kentucky, Bacteria, Biofuel

For the first time, engineers have digitally recreated the complex muscular architecture of the octopus arm and its unique movements, which opens the door to developing soft robotics with unprecedented dexterity.Continue ReadingCategory: ScienceTags: University of Illinois, Soft Robotics, Engineering, Animal science, Muscle

Love the all-new electrified incarnation or not, the Volkswagen Microbus is finally making a return to the US market. And with it, the Volkswagen camper bus – and some promising sub-$100K camper van options in general – also make a much-welcome return to US shores. We had the chance to test the world's first ID. Buzz camper van ahead of its official US availability...

Lockheed Martin's famous-but-secret Skunk Works has released a sort-of-new image of a concept for the company's Next Generation Aerial Refueling System (NGAS) military tanker aircraft for in-flight refueling of multiple warplanes.Continue ReadingCategory: Military, TechnologyTags: Lockheed Martin, Aircraft, US Air Force

Cranking up the air conditioner is one way to keep buildings cool, but it guzzles energy. Passive materials can regulate interior temperatures more efficiently, and now scientists in South Korea have developed a new coating that keeps glass much cooler, while still being transparent.Continue ReadingCategory: Materials, ScienceTags: Heating, Light, Coating, Coatings, Postech, Korea University, Cooling, Silver Ink

If you've ever fancied yourself a spaceship architect that could design a vessel to carry colonists to another star system on a journey that could last for centuries, check out the Project Hyperion Design Contest, which invites teams to lay out their Generation Ship plans.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Spacecraft

Meteorology may not seem like an eco-unfriendly field, but its does need to clean up its act in at least one way. A new high-tech glider could help it do so, by allowing single-use weather-balloon-carried devices to be reclaimed and reused.Continue ReadingCategory: Environment, ScienceTags: EPFL, Weather, gliders, Reuse

Various groups are now growing baby corals for transplantation into the world's disappearing reefs, but they need a hand. A new robotic hand has been created to help, by carefully and efficiently transferring the li'l corals between tanks as they grow up.Continue ReadingCategory: Robotics, TechnologyTags: Ecology, CSIRO, Coral, Soft Robotics

Many of us will serve up our favorite tunes using a smartphone, but may be left wanting in the sound quality department. That's where a portable headphone amp/DAC can help, and the latest model from Fiio promises to satisfy with desktop-level power and performance.Continue ReadingCategory: Mobile Technology, Consumer Tech, TechnologyTags: Audiophile, Portable, Hi-fi, Digital music, Earphones, Headphones, Bluetooth

An annual photography competition, celebrating scientific microscopic images, has unveiled this year’s winners. A startling cross-section shot of a flower has been awarded the fifth annual Evident Image of the Year Award, leading a mesmerizing gallery of miniature marvels.Continue ReadingCategory: Photography, Consumer Tech, TechnologyTags: Photographers, Competition, Gallery, Microscopes, Olympus

Though they don't boast some of the bells and whistles of their North American counterparts, in some ways European tiny houses are actually more impressive – since stricter towing laws mean they must be significantly smaller and lighter. Leïla's tiny house is another example of this and squeezes a comfortable and light-filled home for two into a length of just 6 m (20 ft).Continue...

Small aircraft manufacturer BETA Technologies has rolled the first electric plane off its fully scaled production line in Vermont. You can go along for the ride with this milestone-setting aircraft in a slick new video from the makers.Continue ReadingCategory: Aircraft, TransportTags: Beta Technologies, Electric Aircraft, Plane, eVTOL, Flight, FAA

The first of 35 fully automated Metropolis trains from French company Alstom, which is planned for a new Light Green Line metro system, has made its debut in Taiwan. When complete, the entirely automated 22.8-km (14-mile) line will shave 30 minutes off the current commute time end to end, taking just 20 minutes to travel the entire route between New Taipei City and the...

Astro Mechanica – founded in 2021 by Ian Brooke and with a tight ship of only eight employees – is an aerospace startup developing what it calls a turboelectric adaptive engine for both subsonic and supersonic flight ... with electric car motor technology.Continue ReadingCategory: Aircraft, TransportTags: Supersonic, Subsonic, Electric Aircraft, Hybrid, Jets

Whether you live in Cell Block 9, the UK, or simply work a high-risk job where sharp objects pose a hazard, this lightweight, water- and stab-proof jacket is designed to keep you warm, dry and alive.Continue ReadingCategory: Outdoors, LifestyleTags: Protection, Knife, Armor

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Sierra Space Corporation have developed a new heat shield based on venerable 1980s Space Shuttle technology to protect the next generation of reusable spacecraft from the deadly heat of reentry.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Sierra Nevada Corporation, ORNL, Spacecraft

In one of the most amusing citizen science projects we've ever come across, Australia's leading research agency the CSIRO is asking people across the nation to track their flatulence over three days through the free and purposely funny Chart Your Fart app.Continue ReadingCategory: Diet & NutritionTags: CSIRO, Gas, Diet, Gut Bacteria, Gastrointestinal, Research, Australia, Apps

In a restaurant or at a party, background noise can make it hard to hear people talking, even up close. But soon we could be wearing headphones that use AI to filter out noise that’s more than a few feet away, creating a “sound bubble” that lets you focus on your own conversation.Continue ReadingCategory: TechnologyTags: Wearable, wearable electronics, Noise-Canceling, Headphones, Adaptive Headphones, Sound, Speech,...

A helicopter putting out a wildfire may not be news, but a robotic Black Hawk helicopter seeking out one and dropping water on it while the crew sits back and watches certainly is. That's what Sikorsky recently demonstrated to an audience of dignitaries.Continue ReadingCategory: Military, TechnologyTags: Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin, Helicopters, Firefighting

Fifty thousand bucks is a lot of money for a motorcycle. Kramer, a boutique maker of race bikes, has tried to cram in as much as it can on two wheels – race-ready components, advanced electronics, and a titanium and carbon-fiber body. It’s got the works.Continue ReadingCategory: Motorcycles, TransportTags: Superbike, KTM, EICMA 2024, Naked bike