A lot less technologically optimistic than the Hyperloop-TT Hyperport project, Cargo Sous Terrain looks considerably more likely to happen, with its first 10-stop, 70-km (43-mile) series of underground tunnels scheduled to begin taking cargo in 2031. | Continue reading
Beautifully designed, energy-generating bio-panels that suck up carbon dioxide and pump out biomass for use as fuel or fertilizer – that's the idea behind Mexican startup Greenfluidics and its nanotech-enhanced microalgae bioreactor building panels. | Continue reading
Scientists in the Netherlands studying the spread of plastic waste have turned their eye to meat and dairy products, and discovered high rates of contamination in farm animals. The findings shed new light on the way microplastics move through the food chain, and add extra impetus … | Continue reading
Researchers at MIT have observed “electron whirlpools” for the first time. The bizarre behavior arises when electricity flows as a fluid, which could make for more efficient electronics. | Continue reading
Researchers in Germany have demonstrated quantum entanglement of two atoms separated by 33 km (20.5 miles) of fiber optics. This is a record distance for this kind of communication and marks a breakthrough towards a fast and secure quantum internet. | Continue reading
A new review article penned by a trio of researchers suggests insects do have the capacity to experience pain. The article summarizes the latest behavioral and molecular science before concluding the potential of pain states in insects could have ethical implications for current … | Continue reading
Nothing stops a relaxing hike dead in its tracks quite like an ankle-crumpling misstep off a jagged rock or slick root. The high-rising Ascent boot from German startup Terrein is designed to make such incidents a problem of the past. What looks like a springy, stretchy bungee dog … | Continue reading
As part of their research into next-generation battery technology, scientists at University of California, San Diego are exploring designs that can function at extreme temperatures, and they're beginning to make some significant inroads. In their latest study, the team demonstrat … | Continue reading
Wind and solar power are intermittent, generating power when it's available rather than when it's needed, so the green energy transition will require huge amounts of energy storage. This could end up taking many forms, from conventional lithium-based "big battery" installations, … | Continue reading
As effective as fossil fuels may be, their impact on the planet cannot be overstated. Now researchers at Berkeley Lab have coaxed bacteria into directly producing a new biofuel with an energy density significantly higher than jet fuel. | Continue reading
Ducati will take over as the sole motorcycle supplier for the FIM MotoE World Cup from 2023, using the opportunity to build a cracking electric sportsbike that'll inform the brand's electrification in the coming years. | Continue reading
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has revealed the winners of this year's National Awards. Consisting of 29 of the UK's finest new buildings, highlights include a superb house extended into some nearby ruins and the country's first Passivhaus-rated high school. | Continue reading
Traditional computer chips run on electricity, while the emerging photonic chips use light. Now, scientists at Harvard have demonstrated a new kind of chip that transmits data in the form of sound waves. | Continue reading
Forget your bulky AR headsets, smart contact lenses are coming to place augmented reality displays right there on your eyeball. Last week, Mojo Vision CEO Drew Perkins volunteered to test the first feature-complete prototype of his company's design. | Continue reading
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have presented some remarkable audio from a new optical microphone system that uses cameras to see and reconstruct sonic vibrations. Remarkably, it can cleanly separate a single instrument playing in a group. | Continue reading
Engineers in Sydney have demonstrated a quantum integrated circuit made up of just a few atoms. By precisely controlling the quantum states of the atoms, the new processor can simulate the structure and properties of molecules in a way that could unlock new materials and catalyst … | Continue reading
Nuclear fusion is an incredibly complex scientific problem that researchers are coming at from all sorts of angles, and Zap Energy is starting to make waves through one of the lesser-known approaches. The Seattle-based startup has achieved a major milestone for its Z-pinch fusion … | Continue reading
The Israeli Ministry of Defense plans to begin testing of a Medium Robotic Combat Vehicle (M-RCV) next year. The vehicle unveiled last week at the Eurosatory Defense and Security Exhibition in Paris by Elbit Systems will act as an advanced technology demonstrator. | Continue reading
MIT spin-off Quaise says it's going to use hijacked fusion technology to drill the deepest holes in history, unlocking clean, virtually limitless, supercritical geothermal energy that can re-power fossil-fueled power plants all over the world. | Continue reading
Incredible new data presented recently at the European Hematology Association Congress has revealed an experimental CRISPR gene editing therapy is both safe and effective up to three years after treatment. The follow-up results come from one of the longest-running human trials us … | Continue reading
Milrem Robotics and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace teamed up for the first live-fire exercise of a medium-sized robotic tank based on Milrem's Type-X Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV), fitted with a Kongsberg Protector Remote Turret (RT-40) that includes a Bushmaster 30-mm cannon. | Continue reading
The Celera 500L is a truly remarkable design. Otto Aviation says its odd shape delivers an astonishing 59 percent reduction in drag, and a massive leap in efficiency and range compared to traditional plane geometries. Arguably, this thing should've been electric from the get-go, … | Continue reading
The world's fifth-largest automaker has built and tested a charge-as-you-drive system – a loop of road in Italy with wireless EV charging coils embedded under the surface, so that electric cars can charge as they drive and unlock unlimited range. | Continue reading
Using their sonar system, toothed whales are able to zero in on prey in the pitch black conditions of the deep sea. Seals lack such a system, but still catch prey in the same sunless conditions. New research now shows how their whiskers allow them to do so. | Continue reading
Dutch company Lightyear has unveiled what it claims is the world's first production-ready solar car. The Lightyear 0 is a family sedan with 5 sq m (53.8 sq ft) of solar panels built in, capable of generating up to 70 km (44 miles) of charge-free driving a day. | Continue reading
Toyota wants hydrogen to power entire cities in Japan. Its subsidiary Woven Planet broke ground last February on a "Woven City" near Susono, which will act as a futuristic testbed for all sorts of urban planning ideas and technologies, including an expanded use of hydrogen fuel t … | Continue reading
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a powerful new optical chip that can process almost 2 billion images per second. The device is made up of a neural network that processes information as light without needing components that slow down traditional comput … | Continue reading
Opening a pizzeria could soon be as simple as leasing a small business space, then sticking a robot in there. That's the idea behind the Pizzaiola system, which takes human cooks and other kitchen staff out of the equation. | Continue reading
HD Hyundai has announced that the Prism Courage, a 122,000 tonne ultra-large natural gas tanker operated by its subsidiary Avikus, has become the first large ship to make an ocean passage of over 10,000 km (6,210 miles) under autonomous control. | Continue reading
A fully autonomous, commercial robo-taxi service with no backup drivers is about to launch in San Francisco, after the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued its first-ever Driverless Deployment Permit to GM subsidiary Cruise. | Continue reading
Researchers in Japan have clocked a new speed record for data transmission – a blistering 1.02 petabits per second (Pb/s). Better yet, the breakthrough was achieved using optical fiber cables that should be compatible with existing infrastructure. | Continue reading
Kidneys perform a vital function in removing waste and toxins from the blood, but how exactly cells transport that fluid through the organs has remained a mystery. Now researchers at Johns Hopkins University have investigated the mechanical forces at work and found a previously u … | Continue reading
A team from the University of Illinois and UC Berkeley has demonstrated a new cooling method that sucks heat out of electronics so efficiently that it allows designers to run 7.4 times more power through a given volume than conventional heat sinks. | Continue reading
It's a sad fact that mass shootings have become an all-too-common occurrence in the US. Defense tech company Axon has announced what it states will be a new means of resolving such incidents quickly and relatively safely, utilizing a drone equipped with a Taser. | Continue reading
Quantum computing may have just taken a major step forward, as a supercomputer facility in Australia becomes the first to have a quantum computer integrated into it. The quantum processor, developed by German-Australian start-up Quantum Brilliance, runs at room temperature, and w … | Continue reading
A new study has concluded young people today rate similarly on interpersonal skills compared to those who grew up in the 1990s. The research suggests smartphones, screen-time, and social media have not negatively affected kids’ social skills, and modern concerns over the impact o … | Continue reading
Researchers have discovered what seems to be the largest plant in the world – a meadow of seagrass off the coast of Western Australia that covers a total of 200 km2 (77 miles2). The entire expanse has grown from just one seedling, spreading by cloning itself. | Continue reading
As carbon dioxide builds up in the atmosphere, it won’t be enough to simply curb our emissions – we’ll need to actively remove some of what we’ve already released. In a new advance, researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a new compound that can reportedly r … | Continue reading
3D printing typically involves depositing layers of molten plastic, laser-melting powdered metal, or using UV light to harden gelatinous resin. A new technique takes yet another approach, however, by utilizing sound waves. | Continue reading
If humanity is ever going to curb our waste problem, we’ll need to get creative with recycling and reusing materials. In a new study, researchers at Rice University and Ford’s Research and Innovation Center have demonstrated how waste plastic from old cars could be used to make g … | Continue reading
Vitamin D deficiency is a growing health issue, but very few foods are rich in the nutrient. To help combat the problem, scientists have now used CRISPR gene editing to fortify tomatoes with vitamin D. | Continue reading
Water scarcity is a major problem for much of the world’s population, but with the right equipment drinking water can be wrung out of thin air. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have now demonstrated a low-cost gel film that can pull many liters of water per day ou … | Continue reading
NASA has released a huge new report that astronomers are calling Hubble’s magnum opus. Analyzing 30 years of data from the famous space telescope, the new study makes the most precise measurement yet of how fast the universe is expanding. | Continue reading
Logic gates are the fundamental building blocks of computers, and researchers at the University of Rochester have now developed the fastest ones ever created. By zapping graphene and gold with laser pulses, the new logic gates are a million times faster than those in existing com … | Continue reading
In photography, depth of field refers to how much of a three-dimensional space the camera can focus on at once. A shallow depth of field, for example, would keep the subject sharp but blur out much of the foreground and background. Now, researchers at the National Institute of St … | Continue reading
A TU Delft team has demonstrated a one-way superconductor that gives zero resistance in one direction, but blocks current completely in the other. The discovery, long thought impossible, heralds a 400x leap in computing speed and huge energy savings. | Continue reading
A new algorithm developed by researchers at the Mayo Clinic can effectively detect patients with a dangerous heart dysfunction using data gathered by an Apple Watch. A large trial is now underway looking to test the clinical utility of the algorithm in one million people. | Continue reading
Scientists working on NASA's James Webb Telescope have reached an important milestone, completely aligning the space observatory's massive mirrors. The achievement means the team can now move ahead with configuring the onboard instruments and prepare them to begin capturing sharp … | Continue reading