New Atlas: Technology-Innovation-Outdoor News

High-value CFMoto adventure tourer smooths ride with smart suspension

Abhimanyu Ghoshal — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 04:03:00 GMT

CFMoto got mile-munching adventure seekers drooling at last year's EICMA show when it revealed the 800MT-ES, which combined a punchy 799cc parallel-twin mill with a raft of riding aids. It's finally rolling out, starting with dealerships across the UK – at an awfully compelling price.

Category: Motorcycles, Transport

Tags: CFMoto, Adventure Bikes, Active Suspension, Suspension, Touring

Stark Future launches Varg "Factory Edition" off-road e-motos

Utkarsh Sood — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 21:03:00 GMT

Just when you thought Stark Future couldn’t possibly outdo its Varg MX and EX off-road electric motorcycles, it goes on to launch limited-edition “Factory-edition” versions of the two fitted with all the bells and whistles you could have asked for.

Category: Motorcycles, Transport

Tags: Electric Motorcycles, stark, Enduro, Off-road, Dirt Bikes, Racing

Beyond 1,500 hp: Why the Denza Z isn’t just another Porsche 911 clone

Utkarsh Sood — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 17:03:00 GMT

I’ll admit, it’s tough to keep tabs on BYD purely because the Chinese company seems to launch a new EV every month. And if that wasn't enough, its offshoots like Yangwang and Denza add even more numbers to the lineup. So naturally, we don’t cover every BYD launch. But this one’s an exception.

Category: Automotive, Transport

Tags: BYD, Supercar, Hypercar, Electric Vehicles, Porsche, 911

'Dopamine apps' let people fake order food and shop online

The Conversation — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:28:00 GMT

Gary Mortimer, Queensland University of Technology/The Conversation

Category: Addiction, Brain Health, Body and Mind, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: Food, gambling, Dopamine, Neuroscience, Advertising, Market, Payment Technology, Consumers, Apps, Online Shopping

Tern's HSD Gen 3 cargo ebike offers heavy hauling in a compact form

Monica J. White — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 12:03:00 GMT

Cargo bikes make a lot of sense on paper. They can take care of school runs, shopping, kids, pets, and the kind of short trips that you really don’t need a car for. The catch is that many of them are large, heavy, and awkward to store, especially if you live in an apartment building with narrow hallways, stairs, elevators, or not quite enough garage space.

Category: Bicycles, Transport

Tags: Tern, ebikes, cargo bike, Pedal-assisted, Bosch

$15K electric 'LUV' promises to park and drive itself home

Abhimanyu Ghoshal — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 08:03:00 GMT

A new EV startup is betting that more people will choose a right-sized family vehicle for everyday trips in and around their neighborhoods. That includes trips without anyone in the car.

Category: Automotive, Transport

Tags: urban transport, Electric Vehicles, Low-speed vehicle (LSV), Autonomous Vehicles

BAE Systems unveils Brontanax autonomous loyal wingman

David Szondy — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 04:46:38 GMT

BAE Systems unveiled a full-scale mock-up of its newly announced Brontanax autonomous strike plane at this year's Farnborough International Air Show. It is billed as Britain's first home-designed uncrewed autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft.

Category: Military, Engineering

Tags: drones, BAE Systems, Aircraft

OpenAI launches Codex Micro hardware for AI coding

Etiido Uko — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 04:03:00 GMT

OpenAI, the AI lab that brought us ChatGPT, which simultaneously evoked awe, fear, and fascination when it first launched in 2023, has released its first-ever hardware product, a $230 mini-keyboard that’s designed to enhance the workflow of users of Codex, the company’s specialized AI coding agent.

Category: Computing, Consumer Tech, Technology

Tags: Keyboard, Open AI, Peripherals

Harley's all-new motorcycle is going to divide opinions big time

Utkarsh Sood — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 01:03:00 GMT

“Stripped back” – moto publications are screaming this term at the top of their lungs for Harley-Davidson’s latest release. And for good reason, too. Technically, it is very much a softail, but scratch the surface, and you’ll find a stripped-back bobber underneath.

Category: Motorcycles, Transport

Tags: Harley Davidson, Bobber, V-Twin

Adorable Kia iCamper van loads up on adaptable versatility

C.C. Weiss — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 23:03:00 GMT

Coming off what might ultimately end up the world's cleanest Kia PV5 camper van conversion, we have yet another contender for "ultimate PV5 mini-camper van." Great Britain's Wellhouse Leisure is one of the world's preeminent crafters of both electric camper vans and tiny campers, so it's only natural it combines those talents to craft what appears to be the most versatile Kia PV5 mini-camper so far. Called the iCamper, the little battery-powered RV rearranges in ways that other PV5 e-campers don't, transitioning in mere seconds to support everything from solo bike camping getaways to full-on family holidays.

Category: Campervans, Adventure Vehicles, Outdoors

Tags: Kia, mini-campervan, RV, electric-camper, wellhouse-leisure, Camping, Outdoors and Camping, Modular

Portable stove doubles as a camp furnace with cozy viewable flame

Maryna Holovnova — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 19:17:12 GMT

Cooking outdoors is often the least relaxing part of camping, even for seasoned outdoor enthusiasts. Packing all the necessary gear, fuel, cookware, and trying to keep a flame alive in windy conditions can turn even a simple meal into quite a bit of work.

Category: Outdoor Cooking, Gear, Outdoors

Tags: xxKickbooster, Kickstarter, Stoves

World's new tallest timber tower reaches incredible maximum height

Adam Williams — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:57:00 GMT

The world's new tallest hybrid timber skyscraper has officially topped out. Named Atlassian Central, the "plyscraper" soars to an incredible height of 180 m (591 ft), not just surpassing but smashing all previous records.

Category: Architecture, Engineering

Tags: Building and Construction, Timber, Skyscrapers, World's Tallest, Australia

RGB laser projector beams wall-filling 4K imagery from just inches away

Monica J. White — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:38:48 GMT

The appeal of an ultra-short-throw projector is pretty simple: you can get a huge image from a cabinet or sideboard nestled right up against a wall – without being troubled by ceiling mounts, long cable runs, or hardware sitting somewhere behind the couch.

Category: Home Entertainment, Consumer Tech, Technology

Tags: Hisense, Projectors, Laser TV, Streaming, All-in-one

Peak Design introduces versatile quick-release camera bracket

Abhimanyu Ghoshal — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 04:46:36 GMT

Peak Design already makes a range of well-loved camera accessories, and it's now expanding its lineup with the Field Bracket. It's designed for folks who use their gear in many different scenarios, and could use a mounting system that'll keep up.

Category: Photography, Consumer Tech, Technology

Tags: Cameras, Peak Design, Kickstarter

Mini packs all the essentials into a towable tiny house

Adam Williams — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 04:24:47 GMT

With its modest length of just 6 m (20 ft), the Mini tiny house could be a good fit for would-be nomads. The home combines its compact dimensions with a well-designed layout that has everything needed for up to two people to downsize comfortably.

Category: Tiny Houses, Outdoors

Tags: Building and Construction, Tiny Footprint, Micro-House, House, Home

Better skyscraper "shocks" hinge on cheap, abundant material

Malcolm Azania — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 02:17:36 GMT

If you simply love trying to work in an office tower or live in a skyrise while constantly fighting the urge to barf or have your brain explode from stress, then you probably hate dampers.

Category: Engineering

Tags: University of Mississippi, Building and Construction, Suspension, Earthquake

Sinkholes saved these endangered trees – then trapped them there

Bronwyn Thompson — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:41:42 GMT

Large sinkholes in nature have traditionally been viewed as a win for biodiversity, protecting plants that would be exposed to environmental stress above ground. However, a new genetic study indicates they are an evolutionary death trap.

Category: Environment, Science, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Biodiversity, Tree, Light, Photosynthesis, Carbon capture, adaptive

Norse Foldable camp tool packs in a surprise flip-out blade

C.C. Weiss — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 20:43:00 GMT

We're so used to seeing folding knives (and folding blade-loaded multitools) during our daily travels around world and web, we're not quite ready for an entirely different tool inside a folding package, especially not one with very knife-like G10 scales and thumbhole. But the all-new Norse Foldable from Willumsen conceals a different fold-out blade inside its handle. It does look just a bit too chunky when closed to be a knife, and that hints at the real capability that flips open in milliseconds at the flick of a wrist.

Category: Knives and Multitools, Gear, Outdoors

Tags: Axes, Kickstarter, Foldable, Camping, Backpacking, Bikepacking, Outdoors and Camping, Tools

In photos: High-flying insanity at the 2026 Farnborough Air Show

David Szondy — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:23:46 GMT

The Farnborough International Airshow in the UK is one of the world's premier aerospace events, where major industry announcements and billion-dollar deals are as common as muffins. New Atlas is on the ground at this year's record-breaking event.

Category: Aircraft, Transport

Tags: Aircraft, Show, Farnborough Airshow

More testosterone won’t make a better soldier or a tougher man

The Conversation — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:01:00 GMT

Adam Stanaland, University of Richmond/The Conversation

Category: Wellness and Healthy Living, Body and Mind, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: Testosterone, Hormones, Behavior, Physical functioning, Army, Warfare, Battlefield

MORFIUS counter-drone hunts hostile drones with microwaves

David Szondy — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:37:47 GMT

As F-35 fighters roared overhead in display, Lockheed Martin unveiled its MORFIUS counter-drone at this year's Farnborough International Airshow. It uses a directed energy weapon to take out over 50 hostile drones per flight.

Category: Military, Engineering

Tags: Directed Energy Weapon, drones, Lockheed Martin

Microbe can turn into a "supergiant" cannibal (and we're not sure why)

Jay Kakade — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:09:53 GMT

In cloned populations of a newly described single-celled protist, a few cells undergo a voracious transformation. They metamorphose into much larger “supergiants” that shift their shape, alter their movement, and begin hunting and eating their own genetically identical relatives.

Category: Biology, Science, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: Micro-organisms, Hunting, Cells, protist, Transformable

Tiny knife is actually a multitool with a few extra functions

Abhimanyu Ghoshal — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 09:52:45 GMT

I love a multitool as much as the next person, but some of them really aim to do too much for my liking – especially when I'm within city limits.

Category: Knives and Multitools, Gear, Outdoors

Tags: Knife, EDC, Tools, Kickstarter

Daylight saving could affect your risk of developing eye disease

Mike McRae — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 05:14:33 GMT

While daylight saving may give us a little extra sunshine at the end of our workdays, the transition may be costing us our health.

Category: Sleep, Wellness and Healthy Living, Body and Mind, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: Sleep, Eye diseases, Retina, daylight-saving-time, Macular Degeneration

Lockheed Martin debuts budget-friendly PAC-3 ACE interceptor

David Szondy — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 03:49:49 GMT

Lockheed Martin used this year's Farnborough International Airshow to introduce a low-cost alternative to its Patriot surface-to-air interceptor missile called the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Adapted Capability Effector (PAC-3 ACE).

Category: Military, Engineering

Tags: Lockheed Martin, Missile Defense, Farnborough Airshow

More men are getting 'the snip' and cite the rising cost of living for decision

Bronwyn Thompson — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 01:12:41 GMT

While cost-of-living pressures continue to impact consumer behavior, one business appears to be booming: the vasectomy industry.

Category: Biology, Science, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: Male Contraceptives, Contraception, Society, Reproduction, Birth Control, Aging population, Surgery

Panoramic motorized PHEV camping trailer axes smart RV pricing

C.C. Weiss — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 01:08:00 GMT

For at least three years now, Silicon Valley and its global tech-futurist counterparts have been crafting a new vision for the future of RVing: long, sleek, luxurious glamping trailers that deliver their own motive power, sensor-based assistance and smart home conveniences. That vision invariably includes one other characteristic: a six-figure price tag. But the new T4 trailer from Southern California startup Aboard Mobility looks to squeeze all the high-tech convenience and glamping comfort into a much smaller base price. Whether Aboard is successful at doing so remains to be seen.

Category: Camping Trailers, Adventure Vehicles, Outdoors

Tags: Caravan, electric-camper, smart RV, trailers, Trailer, RV, Self-Driving, Outdoors and Camping, Glamping, Camping, PHEV

New wave of skincare has a powerful ingredient – the immune system

The Conversation — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 22:28:40 GMT

Yustina Yustina, King's College London/The Conversation

Category: Aging Well, Wellness and Healthy Living, Body and Mind, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: Skin, Microbiome, Probiotic, Inflammation, The Immune System, T-cells, Aging, Age-Related, anti-aging

Bi-directional AWD robomower gets to grips with gnarly monster lawns

Monica J. White — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:27:00 GMT

TerraMow's new X AWD rethinks how a robot mower moves, swapping the usual end-of-row pivot for a back-and-forth "Shuttle Drive" designed to handle big, steep, and messy lawns without chewing up the turf.

Category: Around The Home, Consumer Tech, Technology

Tags: Kickstarter, Mower, Lawnmowers, Robotics, Automation

Extra-wide tiny house puts a terrace up top and sleeps five inside

Adam Williams — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:06:09 GMT

Though it has a compact footprint, this tiny house expands its living area significantly with a useful rooftop terrace. Inside, it features a space-saving layout that's packed with storage and can sleep up to five people at a squeeze.

Category: Tiny Houses, Outdoors

Tags: Micro-House, Home, Tiny Footprint, House, Building and Construction

Light Flip phone takes a nostalgic approach to killing screen time

Abhimanyu Ghoshal — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:38:37 GMT

Light has been making anti-distraction phones for about a decade now, starting with a custom operating system and layering minimalist design on top.

Category: Mobile Technology, Consumer Tech, Technology

Tags: Smartphones, Light Phone, Minimalist

Neuron discovery could explain why some people don't get Alzheimer's

Pranjal Malewar — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:03:55 GMT

Some brains seem to defy Alzheimer's. Even when the disease's telltale plaques and tangles are present, certain individuals remain mentally sharp well into old age. This phenomenon, known as cognitive resilience, is one of the most intriguing puzzles in neuroscience today.

Category: Alzheimer's & Dementia, Brain Health, Body and Mind, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: Alzheimer's disease, hippocampus, neurons, Tau protein, Amyloid-beta protein, Neurodegenerative conditions

Turnkey kit converts commercial ships into drone carriers

David Szondy — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:30:27 GMT

Even aircraft carriers are joining the drone age. Elbit Systems has unveiled a concept to convert standard commercial merchant ships into modular carriers capable of launching and retrieving its Hermes 650 Spark fixed-wing unmanned aircraft.

Category: Military, Engineering

Tags: drones, Aircraft Carrier

Threat of extreme solar storms may be far worse than we imagined

Mike McRae — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:09:00 GMT

A theorized limit to our planet’s response to geomagnetic storms may be the product of a statistical illusion, researchers claim, revealing that the extent of damage from the most extreme solar events could be greater than we ever imagined.

Category: Astronomy, Science, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: Sun, Magnetic field, geomagnetic, NASA, coronal mass ejection, solar-storm

Norton Motorcycles amplifies comeback with gutsy adventure bike

Utkarsh Sood — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 23:03:00 GMT

There’s something endearing about one of the world’s most prestigious motorcycle makers almost disappearing into oblivion and making a full-fledged resurgence with a fresh approach. One that’s not only strategic but equally forceful, and might I say, incredibly ballsy.

Category: Motorcycles, Transport

Tags: Norton Motorcycle, Adventure Bikes, Touring, Twin-engine, Reviews, Triumph, Suzuki, Iceland

Cell phones don't cause brain cancer, comprehensive study shows

The Conversation — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 22:22:00 GMT

Sarah Diepstraten & John (Eddie) La Marca, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)/The Conversation

Category: Cancer, Illnesses and conditions, Body and Mind, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: Brain cancer, Cell+Phone, Hidden Technology, Smartphones, Chronic illness, Disease

Leatherman launches slim Adapter ratchet-cache multitool

C.C. Weiss — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:37:00 GMT

Rather than encompass the "toolbox in your pocket" nature of the typical multitool, the all-new Leatherman Adapter is designed to serve as a secondary companion, the perfect partner-in-crime for a more fully loaded pocket EDC like the Arc. The Adapter folds just a little larger than Bic lighter size and expands by way of a single joint to deliver serious DIY leverage and torque. While it lacks the flippable implements of other multitools, it hides additional functions away in an onboard cache.

Category: Knives and Multitools, Gear, Outdoors

Tags: Multitools, Leatherman, EDC, Tools, Everyday Carry

3D printing breakthrough produces custom contact lenses in 20 minutes

Maryna Holovnova — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 18:59:38 GMT

Contact lens technology has come a long way. Early lenses were made from glass, and were uncomfortable to wear for an entire day. Today, lenses are made from soft materials such as silicone hydrogel and they are barely noticeable on the eye.

Category: 3D Printing, Manufacturing, Engineering

Tags: University of Waterloo, Contact Lenses, Vision

Stealthy EDC screwdriver hides 24 bits in a pop-up cartridge

Abhimanyu Ghoshal — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:27:00 GMT

We've seen a couple of nifty screwdrivers that have room to hold their own driver bits. Thanks to clever design, this new one packs a whopping 24 bits in a lightweight body that's way more compact than you'd expect.

Category: Knives and Multitools, Gear, Outdoors

Tags: EDC, Tools, xxKickbooster, Kickstarter

A $200 MacBook Air is real, but supplies won’t last

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:20:00 GMT

TL;DR: Less than 100 units left — A refurbished 13-inch MacBook Air is $199.97 (MSRP $1,199) in grade-A condition with an Intel Core i5 and a 12-hour battery.

Category: Deals

Low back pain cut by 50% in first swimming clinical trial

Bronwyn Thompson — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:01:00 GMT

In the first study of its kind, scientists have found that swimming can provide relief from chronic low back pain. The trial suggests this exercise is clinically effective for treating this hard-to-target condition.

Category: Chronic Pain, Illnesses and conditions, Body and Mind, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: Macquarie University, Swimming, Physical therapy, Physical activity, Exercise, Back Pain, Pain, Chronic pain

Anduril lets loose the Thunder with attack helicopter Wingman

David Szondy — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:12:28 GMT

This year's Farnborough International Air Show was the venue for a major announcement by Anduril. The company has developed Thunder, a group 5 autonomous tilt-rotor attack helicopter designed as a Loyal Wingman for combat choppers.

Category: Military, Engineering

Tags: Anduril, drones, Helicopters, Farnborough Airshow

Princesses in Ancient Egypt were trained in their grave weapons

Mike McRae — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:06:00 GMT

Life as a daughter of royalty in Ancient Egypt may not have been all rose petals and feather fans.

Category: Archaeology, Science, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: ancient, Egypt, Mummies, Weapons, pyramids, Bones

100-ton buoy earns world-first wave energy certification

Omar Kardoudi — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:08:57 GMT

A Swedish device that mimics the human heart to turn ocean swells into electricity has just cleared a hurdle that's kept wave power sidelined for decades. CorPower Ocean's C4 buoy has now passed the strictest safety test in the marine energy industry. The company behind it is now moving toward what could become the world's first commercial wave power plant.

Category: Energy, Engineering

Tags: Wave Power, Ocean, Engineering, Renewable Energy

World first: Koala gets life-changing two-shot chlamydia vaccine

Bronwyn Thompson — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:30:23 GMT

Ten months on from the huge news that a chlamydia vaccine had been approved for Australia's koala population, an 18-month-old female known as Bamse has become the first to receive the groundbreaking medicine in a new double-dose format that makes large-scale treatment possible.

Category: Infectious Diseases, Illnesses and conditions, Body and Mind, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: Queensland University of Technology, Vaccines, Koala, Animal science, Australia, Biodiversity, Endangered, Disease

Chronic fatigue's exhaustion traced to a faulty 'doorway'

Paul McClure — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:42:51 GMT

Scientists have identified a faulty cellular pathway that may help explain why people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) experience such profound exhaustion, immune dysfunction, and crashes after exertion.

Category: Illnesses and conditions, Body and Mind, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: chronic-fatigue-syndrome, White blood cells, Diagnostic tools, Griffith University, mitochondria

How your brain learns who to avoid after a bad experience

Bronwyn Thompson — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 03:22:57 GMT

Scientists have discovered a neural mechanism that shapes our aversion to select individuals, opening the door to understanding how the brain drives our dislike of others.

Category: Learning & Memory, Brain Health, Body and Mind, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: University of Tokyo, Brain, Neuroscience, Memory, Fear, Social Experiment, Behavior, Avoid, Depression, Anxiety

V9 electric mono-wheel tempts death but delivers big rewards: Review

Joe Salas — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:31:26 GMT

I've never been one to shy away from trying something new, even if it's dangerous, scary, intimidating, daunting, and all the other adjectives that would make most people go "oh, hell no!"

Category: Urban Transport, Transport

Tags: Electric Vehicles, Scooter, Self Balancing Unicycle, Unicycle, Reviews

Burstner Habiton X off-road camper van features transforming interior

C.C. Weiss — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:03:00 GMT

If you ask us, off-road camping is the best kind of camping. But hours after hours of brutal, hard-hammering, slow-crawling trail driving can also leave the body aching before you even step out of the vehicle. Unfortunately, many of the best 4x4 camper vans will require you to squeeze those aching limbs into an undersized bed at night. But the new Bürstner Habiton X gives you an agile Sprinter 144 on the trail and your own personal longitudinal bed at camp. That's all thanks to its space-optimizing transformer capabilities.

Category: Campervans, Adventure Vehicles, Outdoors

Tags: burstner, Campervan, Off-road, Off-grid, Hymer, Transformable, RV, Outdoors and Camping, Camping

Melatonin may have a modest effect on chronic joint and muscle pain

The Conversation — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 22:41:58 GMT

Dipa Kamdar/Kingston University/The Conversation

Category: Chronic Pain, Illnesses and conditions, Body and Mind, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: Melatonin, Joints, Muscle, Pain, Chronic pain, Medication, The Immune System

Robotic elephant-trunk gripper uses internal camera for a sense of touch

Maryna Holovnova — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 21:36:52 GMT

Evolution has already found solutions to lots of problems, so engineers more often borrow ideas from nature instead of reinventing the wheel. We’ve previously seen robots that can curl up like armadillos to protect themselves, and now researchers have developed yet another soft robotic gripper that mimics the tip of an elephant’s trunk. It’s called EleTac and, according to its creators, can actually “feel” the objects it touches.

Category: Robotics, Engineering

Tags: Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Biomimicry, Elephant, Touch

Magnetic multitool packs secret cache and "everlasting" implement

Shirl Leigh — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 20:30:00 GMT

Most repair tools for the DIYer are functional, but can be cumbersome to carry around. The T.Fix, however – a triangular pocket-sized tool on Kickstarter – is a balance of function, versatility and modern elegant design.

Category: Knives and Multitools, Gear, Outdoors

Tags: Tools, Kickstarter, Titanium, EDC

Off-grid tiny house opens up almost everything to the outdoors

Adam Williams — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:48:11 GMT

One common way of maximizing space in a tiny house from feeling is by embracing an indoor/outdoor lifestyle, but few models lean into this idea as much as the Shak. The off-grid home opens up almost its entire interior to the outside – even including the bathroom.

Category: Tiny Houses, Outdoors

Tags: Building and Construction, Tiny Footprint, Micro-House, House, Home

Sony makes us wait 9 years for new superzoom bridge camera

Monica J. White — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 13:33:57 GMT

Fixed-lens cameras have recently been enjoying a comeback as photographers look for something better than a phone without committing to a bag full of heavy lenses. That trend has been playing out across Sony's own RX range, from pocketable compacts up to the full-frame RX1R III, and now the company is bringing back its all-in-one superzoom bridge camera.

Category: Photography, Consumer Tech, Technology

Tags: Sony, Cameras, Super-Zoom, Compact, All-in-one

Work finally begins on 2 World Trade Center supertall skyscraper

Adam Williams — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 12:38:01 GMT

Construction has officially begun on New York City's most high-profile new supertall skyscraper. Rising to a height of 1,226 ft (373.7 m), 2 World Trade Center will finally complete the rebuilt World Trade Center skyline.

Category: Architecture, Engineering

Tags: Building and Construction, Skyscrapers, New York, Foster and Partners, Office

New clues to 2,000-year-old game played by millions before vanishing

Bronwyn Thompson — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 06:29:10 GMT

The unearthing of 2,000-year-old boards has given historians a new insight into an ancient game akin to chess that was played much earlier, by everyone from royals to commoners in society.

Category: Archaeology, Science, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: China, ancient, Board, Fossils, Chess, Game, Puzzles

Review: Toyota bZ makes big leap bumper to bumper, but is it enough?

Aaron Turpen — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 01:03:00 GMT

Toyota's first real swing at a mainstream battery-electric vehicle, in the awkwardly named bZ4X, felt like it had been designed by committee. Did a name change improve things?

Category: Automotive, Transport

Tags: SUV, Toyota, Battery+Electric+Vehicle, Electric Vehicles, Reviews

'Friendly' gut bug may trigger type 2 diabetes when it gets hungry

Paul McClure — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:45:51 GMT

A bug commonly cast as one of the gut’s good guys may have a darker side when dietary fiber is in short supply. Researchers have found that the gut microbiome could help identify people at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes years before the diagnosis.

Category: Diet & Nutrition, Wellness and Healthy Living, Body and Mind, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: Type 2 diabetes, Gut Bacteria, Microbiome, Fiber, Diet

Affordable tiny house provides simplicity on a single floor

Adam Williams — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 23:03:00 GMT

Large and luxurious tiny houses are all well and good, but the Fairfax 20' draws on the small living movement's modest roots with a compact, no-frills model that's currently up for sale for just US$33,700.

Category: Tiny Houses, Outdoors

Tags: Building and Construction, Tiny Footprint, House, Home, Micro-House

Expansive two-story luxury home thrives in unusual rooftop location

Stefan Ionescu — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 20:03:00 GMT

London-based architecture studio, David Kohn Architects, has transformed the top of a 19th-century Covent Garden warehouse with an unexpected addition. Dubbed Smart's Place, it’s a two-story home that feels more like a freestanding house with its own patch of ground, even though it’s an extension of a flat roof.

Category: Architecture, Engineering

Tags: London, Home, House, Building and Construction