New Atlas

AUTOMOTIVE Nissan builds a versatile mobile office inside its e-NV200 electric van Imagine spending your workday roaming the countryside and peeking out the window to catch scenery passing by at 60 mph, instead of wasting away like a houseplant in a cubicle. The all electric e-NV200 Workspace fulfills that vision.   Read more MOBILE TECHNOLOGY Review: Google Pixel puts performance over presence Underwhelming at first glance, it's tempting to review the Pixel phone by simply weighing it against its peers. But a closer look at the humble Pixel reveals a singularly Google approach that injects much-needed fresh air into the crowded smartphone market.   Read more SPACE Newly identified "pumpkin" stars spin scary fast Astronomers have discovered a batch of rapidly spinning stars that produce X-rays at more than 100 times the peak levels from our Sun. The stars, which spin so fast they've been squashed into pumpkin-like shapes, are thought to be the result of close binary systems where two sun-like stars merge.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE East Coast Defender gives 1993 Defender a taste of modern luxury with Project XIII Land Rover's Defender reached the end of its life earlier this year, but that hasn't slowed East Coast Defender down. Its latest creation is the Project XIII, a 1993 North American Defender with an LS7 Chevy V8.  Read more MOTORCYCLES ​Kawasaki up-specs the Z1000 with an R edition​ Next to the current Z1000 supernaked, as Kawasaki calls its streetfighter models, a new variant will be available for 2017. The Z1000 R Edition borrows dark styling cues from the Sugomi paint schemes of the relevant Zeds, and makes a difference with some high-end suspension and brake equipment.   Read more OUTDOORS High-flying hammock shelter gets modular refresh Camping hammocks and suspended tents allow intrepid campers to sleep in style above the cold, hard ground. But even popular designs can be improved on, something the team at Nube has tried to do with its Stratos, an update on its original design.   Read more ENVIRONMENT Giant vacuum cleaner sucks up urban pollution A Dutch company has developed a creative solution to air pollution: a giant vacuum cleaner that pulls in the equivalent of 32 Olympic swimming pools of air every hour and scrubs almost all toxic particles out of it. The end result is air that complies with European legislation on air quality.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE Mercedes-Benz E-Class will blast pink noise at you just before an accident, to protect your ears Mercedes-Benz is trying to cut down on hearing damage caused by the deafening crunch of a car crash, and it's doing so by blasting pink noise through the stereo when you're about to hit something, to trigger a fascinating physical response.   Read more ARCHITECTURE Which of these buildings will be crowned the world's best?  The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has launched a brand new architecture award: the RIBA International Prize. The finalists consist of six high-profile projects from around the globe that RIBA feels exemplify the best in modern public architecture.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE VW's largest vehicle targets active America Volkswagen has unveiled a new seven-passenger sport utility for the North American market. The 2018 Atlas will be the largest vehicle made by VW in North America and aims squarely at the high-profit large SUV segment.   Read more SPACE Software glitch may have caused Mars probe to think it already landed ​Though exactly what happened to ESA's Schiaparelli lander when it crashed on the surface of Mars is unclear, one possibility is that the unmanned spacecraft shut down its landing engines early because it thought it was already on the ground.   Read more SPACE Radio telescope sees the sky in 20 primary colors ​A state-of-the-art radio telescope in the West Australian outback has produced a picture of the night sky as it would appear to the human eye – if people could see in radio waves and 20 primary colors instead of three, that is.   Read more BICYCLES New system brings electronic shifting to mechanical derailleurs What happens if you have a perfectly-good mechanical shifting setup that you don't want to replace, yet you still like the idea of crisp, precise electronic shifts? Well, you may soon be able to simply add the XShifter system to your bike.   Read more LAPTOPS Touchy-feely new MacBook Pros are smaller, faster and more expensive Tim Cook and company rolled out this year’s MacBooks at an Apple special event in Cupertino today. The line axed the MacBook Air in favor of three updated Pro models. Of these, two are equipped with Touch Bar, a multi-touch interface just above the keyboard with customizable app-specific shortcuts.   Read more GOOD THINKING Google Glass teaches people to dot and dash ​​If you want to learn Morse code, it turns out that all you have to do is play an experimental new Google Glass-based game. Players have the code buzzed into their head while they play, so they don't have to make a point of intentionally memorizing anything.   Read more TINY HOUSES New-and-improved tiny house sleeps up to eight people Escape has followed-up its recent Vintage tiny house with the Vintage XL. Featuring the same cute and cottagey design but made larger, the towable tiny house has a spacious layout inside and can sleep a maximum of eight people. The total price comes in at US$73,400.   Read more MATERIALS Wire that goes from firm to spaghetti-like could be used in shapeshifting furniture and more Scientists have developed a multipurpose fiber that changes its stiffness depending on temperature, making for a highly versatile wire that could one day be used in everything from folding drones to shapeshifting furniture.​​   Read more ELECTRONICS Next-gen batteries inspired by the human intestine University of Cambridge researchers have turned to biology for inspiration in designing next-generation batteries. It’s a big step forward for lithium-sulphur batteries, but it’ll likely still be years before the tech becomes commercially available.   Read more AROUND THE HOME Indoor fire tornado kindles cozy moods instead of torrid destruction Although the selection for color-adjustable LED lighting is plentiful, even the best technology can't quite hold a candle to the majesty of a live, contained fire. Flameflex is designed to safely augment interior ambiance by conjuring up a one-foot pillar of twisting flame.   Read more BICYCLES Italian e-bike makes an iconic statement ​There are now many e-bikes out there that could pass for regular human-powered bicycles​. With some others, however, you can tell that the designers were going for something that looked a little … different. Such is the case with the eye-catching new Icon, from Italy's 43 Milano.   Read more ENVIRONMENT WWF: Two-thirds of the world's animals could be gone by 2020 By 2020, global wildlife populations could drop by as much as two-thirds as a result of human activity, according to a new report from the WWF. Indeed, the report suggests the period in which humans have been the dominant species on Earth could be viewed as the world's sixth mass extinction event.  Read more SPACE 2016: A space odyssey. Take a 4K fisheye fly-through of the International Space Station A new NASA ultra-HD video brings you on an extended float around the ISS through a fish-eye lens that takes in everything from mission patches on the wall to metal canisters filled with human waste.​   Read more SCIENCE Cranberries crush bacteria's communication networks A new study shows that a cranberry extract might be more effective than commercial antibiotics at thwarting the spread of bacterial infections.    Read more SPACE Juno dips in and out of safe mode while gearing up for Jupiter approach It has been largely smooth sailing for NASA's Juno probe since it entered orbit around Jupiter a few months ago, but some minor hiccups are keeping mission operators on their toes.   Read more ARCHITECTURE Star Wars creator dreams of California for site of storied Lucas Museum While it's unlikely that George Lucas will appreciate the irony, it seems fitting that a museum of storytelling should have such complex plot twists. Indeed, the troubled saga of the building of his Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is now on episodes three and four.   Read more COMPUTERS LG outs 4K and 5K MacBook Pro monitors ​Hot on the heels of Apple’s announcement of two new MacBook Pro models, LG has unveiled two new Ultrafine monitors designed to work with them. Mac-powered workspaces can be scaled up to either 21.5 inches at 4K resolution, or 27 inches at 5K, with better color reproduction and MacOS integration.   Read more MOBILE TECHNOLOGY Juice to go: Top 10 portable chargers With so many portable chargers out there, finding the right one can be a daunting task. From pocket-sized boosters to beasts that power everything under the sun to those powered by the sun, we’ve gathered some of our favorite portable chargers.​  Read more SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR NEW ATLAS READERS Back Up Your Entire Media Library with Shoebox Pro, Now 83% Off Get that media collection in order without taking up precious space on your hard drive thanks to Shoebox. With this deal, you'll get 1 year of Pro service, giving you an unlimited amount of encrypted, secure photo backup and 10 hours of video backup in the cloud. Plus, you can access Shoebox from any device, so you can stay on top of your library wherever you are.   Read more