New Atlas formerly gizmag

Gizmag is now New Atlas:  Why we changed our name ELECTRONICS Liquid light switch bridges the gap between light and electricity Scientists have used a form of liquid light to create a semiconductor switch that is so small that it not only blurs the distinction between light and electricity, but could also enable the development of much faster and smaller electronic components well into the future.   Read more SPACE Multi-megapixel image brings open star cluster into sharp focus ​​The European Southern Observatory has released a colossal 615 megapixel visible light image of a stunning collection of bright young stars that make up the Messier 18 open cluster. The detailed imagewas captured by the 2.6 m VLT Survey Telescope located at the ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile.  Read more OUTDOORS Garmin's Rino GPS radio gets even smarter The all-new Garmin Rino 700 Series works as a touchscreen-based navigator, 5 W two-way radio and weather tracking system. It also plays nice with your phone, bringing smart features onto its own touchscreen.   Read more SPACE NASA taps six companies to develop habitats for Mars-bound astronauts To give future space explorers more elbow room, NASA announced today that it has selected six companies to build ground prototypes and concepts for deep-space habitats for missions to the asteroids and the Red Planet.   Read more WEARABLES HoloLens projects Legendary characters onto your desk A consumer version of Microsoft's HoloLens might be a way off, but details are trickling out about how partners are experimenting with the dev kit. Legendary Pictures shows off what its been up to in a new video, bringing movie characters to life as holograms.   Read more COMPUTERS Seagate's new 60TB SAS drive is the world's biggest SSD Businesses are being forced to store huge amounts of data, and manufacturers are ramping up the capacity of their hardware to cope with the load. The latest product of that practice is the 60TB SAS SSD from Seagate, the world's largest solid state drive.   Read more SCIENCE Abracadabra: Magicians make things that don’t exist disappear Psychologists have been interested in just how magicians can make an audience’s minds override their normal senses, and a new study has found that in some cases, people can be tricked into believing an object has disappeared – when it never actually existed in the first place.   Read more GAMES Da Vinci-inspired mechanical puzzle book makes for a challenging story There's something fascinating about the mechanical puzzles faced by action heroes and explorers in novels and movies. To let average Joes experience a similar challenge, a startup has created Codex Silenda, a wooden puzzle book that requires each page to be solved before the next is unlocked.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic is opulent, fast and very expensive  ​There are plenty of luxury SUVs on the market, but the Range Rover stands tall as the most luxurious example of the breed. To maintain this status, Land Rover has taken the V8 from the Range Rover Sport SVR and squeezed it into SVAutobiography, creating the SVAutobiography Dynamic in the process.   Read more COMPUTERS Z takes mouse control into the third dimension The Z is a customizable gaming mouse from Swiftpoint that elegantly expands the functions of a handful of buttons with context-sensitive input and tilt, roll and pivot movements – it even lets users lift it off the desk.   Read more SPACE Slow-motion showreel provides dramatic look at SpaceX's rocketing adventures The latest video to emerge from SpaceX's well-oiled PR machine gets up close and personal with its rocketry as it burns through a series of launches and re-entries over the past year.   Read more BIOLOGY When it comes to preparing meals, even tiger sharks take the easy option A new study has revealed that when presented with a ready-to-eat-meal even tiger sharks can't resist the easy option, with the animals preferring to chow down on dead sea turtles rather than tracking and and killing their healthy compatriots.  Read more AUTOMOTIVE Small tweaks make Focus RS even more of a giant killer  The Ford Focus RS is already a giant killer, but even giant killers can be made quicker. Not content with its work on the Fiesta ST, British tuning house Mountune has turned its hand to the hottest hatch in the Ford Performance stable, making it quicker than a base Porsche 911 in the process.   Read more SPACE Deep Space Industries plans first private asteroid landing as mining prelude Deep Space Industries has announced that it will conduct what it claims is the world’s first commercial interplanetary mining mission. It is planning to launch an unmanned spacecraft called Prospector-1 to intercept, survey, and land on a near-Earth asteroid as a prelude to space mining operations.   Read more MILITARY Stun gun monitors targets' heart rate – as it zaps them ​​Although they're generally safer than guns, conducted electrical weapons still have been implicated in deaths by cardiac arrest. In an effort to keep that from happening, researchers recently altered a CEW so that it could both deliver an electrical charge, and monitor the victim's heart rate.​   Read more MEDICAL Cell-killing electrical pulses help heal burns ​Although high-voltage electrical shocks can cause burns, scientists have recently shown that the application of pulsed electric fields actually aids in healing them. It does so by killing skin cells.   Read more SPORTS Digital running coach tracks more than steps or beats VST Technology has just launched a Kickstarter campaign for a wearable that is equal parts coach and tracker. Stepp is designed to measure running form, motion, and fatigue to offer real-time guidance and post-run suggestions.  Read more DRONES Drone-free: 7 ways to fortify your own personal airspace We’re tech optimists here at New Atlas, and that goes for small-scale unpersoned aerial vehicles. But clearly there’s something about their potential for snoopery that disgruntles the house-proud. Judging by the technology on this list someone somewhere thinks there’s an anti-drone buck to be had.  Read more MUSIC Fender's first app is a guitar tuner for iPhone Fender has today launched a new digital subsidiary and its first product is, unsurprisingly, a guitar tuning app for iOS. It includes auto and manual modes, and some helpful tuning and tone tips. We gave the new app a quick test run.  Read more MOTORCYCLES Around the world in 80 days (by electric motorbike) Although EVs are always improving, range anxiety is still a barrier to going electric for many people. Students from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), however, are seeking to allay some of the concerns about EVs by way of an 80-day round-the-world journey on self-built electric motorbikes.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE First drive: 2017 Nissan Pathfinder brings on the brawn We recently went to California to check out the 2017 Pathfinder, and gave it a quick spin. The real surprise, though, was in the new design for this SUV turned crossover and who wanted those changes. In Nissan’s “Year of the Truck” campaign, its most recognizable CUV plays a surprising part.  Read more MOTORCYCLES Streamliner becomes Triumph's fastest ever motorcycle on its way to land speed record attempt The Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner has become the fastest ever Triumph motorcycle, reaching a speed 274.2 mph (441.1 km/h). Piloted by Guy Martin, the streamliner topped the previous Triumph record of 245.667 mph (395.4 km/h) in preparation for a tilt at the motorcycle land speed record.   Read more GOOD THINKING Pizza ATM to serve up pies on college campus To make it easier for students to grab a slice of everyone's favorite college staple, French company Paline is installing its first Pizza ATM in the US at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Available 24/7, the machine dispenses boxed, 12-inch pies in 3 minutes.   Read more SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR NEW ATLAS READERS Meet The Zus: The Car Charger That Finds Your Vehicle Wherever It’s Parked — Now 40% Off This little gadget truly works double duty. It charges any device on-the-go using an ultra-fast USB that juices batteries at two-times normal speed. Then, using its smartphone app, Zus acts as a honing device for finding your car where you last left it. No more searching parking lots for hours, and no more running out of phone battery when you get there. You are totally, technically covered.   Read more