New Atlas

AUTOMOTIVE In pictures: Highlights from the 2017 Chicago Auto Show Always fun to visit​, the CAS also has more floor space and ride-and-drive events included than any other show. This year, along with blacked-out trim packages​, famous race cars and new reveals, there was also something for Star Wars and Lego fans.   Read more SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR NEW ATLAS READERS Get protected with IPVanish VPN IPVanish is the leading VPN service provider on the planet. With their easy-to-use apps and award-winning service, New Atlas subscribers can secure any internet connection in a matter of moments. Don't wait until it's too late to defend your data online!   Read more MEDICAL How to quickly identify sepsis-causing bacteria – melt it down When a patient is diagnosed with sepsis, a race against time begins to identify the culprit causing the body’s system to shut down. But hope could be on the horizon, as researchers recently unveiled a diagnostic tool that enables blood-borne bacteria to be identified in a matter of hours.​   Read more BIOLOGY "Molecular lasso" helps bacteria catch-and-clamp onto your heart University of Bristol researchers discovered certain bacteria can use a “molecular lasso” to attach itself to host cells in what they call a catch-clamp mechanism. Understanding the process could lead to new treatments of a serious condition known as infective endocarditis.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE Quick spin: BMW i8 deftly bridges the gap between past and future There are sports cars, and then there's the BMW i8 - a shamelessly futuristic performance-focused hybrid that deftly bridges the gap between the high-octane past and the high-amperage future. It's a significant car symbolic of our time - and we had the chance to drive one in anger.   Read more ARCHITECTURE Unusual glass house makes room for nature A glass house is hard to get right, often resulting in a home only an extrovert could live in. The Hidden Pavilion offers a good example of how this doesn't have to be the case, however, and has some nice little touches, like a design intended to allow the site's existing trees to grow unimpeded.  Read more AIRCRAFT PAL-V flying three-wheeler being prepped for take off Flying car developer PAL-V is aiming to make good on its promise to be first to market. Following successful test flights and efforts to meet European and US road and aviation standards, the company has announced that its taking reservations for its dual-engined Liberty three-wheel gryocopter.  Read more SPACE NASA shortlists three landing sites for Mars 2020 rover NASA’s next Mars mission is on track for its July 2020 launch, and now we’re now a little closer to learning where touch down will take place. After a workshop last week, NASA has announced that three potential landing sites have been shortlisted: Northeast Syrtis, Jezero Crater and Columbia Hills.   Read more MOTORCYCLES Johnny Hallyday's 1989 Harley-Davidson fetches $298,193 in charity auction French superstar Johnny Hallyday​ scored two world auction records in ten minutes on the weekend when his 1989 Harley-Davidson Softail Springer sold for $298,193 and his custom Boyd Coddington 1953 Cadillac Serie 62 Cabriolet​ sold for $287,544.​​   Read more ENVIRONMENT Are we any closer to solving the mystery behind whale beachings? The recent, tragic mass stranding of hundreds of pilot whales in New Zealand has rekindled debate as to the mystery behind what causes mass cetacean beachings. Solar storms, odd coastal topography and human-influenced undersea noise pollution are just some of the suspects.   Read more SCIENCE Harnessing electricity-generating bacteria to clean up drinking water The bacteria Shewanella oneidensis is useful for cleaning water and generates electricity while it chows down. Now, researchers at UCSB have chemically modified the bacteria to increase its energy production, which could lead to wastewater treatment plants that generate some of their own power.   Read more SMARTWATCHES LG Watch Sport vs Apple Watch Series 2 Google recently announced the Android Wear 2.0 operating system, and with it, two new smartwatches from LG. One of these, the LG Watch Sport, has a lot in common with the Apple Watch Series 2​ released last September. Let's take a look.   Read more MARINE Fisker dips his toes in the superyacht waters with Benetti Fisker 50 In addition to his famous automotive design work, Henrik Fisker's resume now includes an impressive hunk of nautical design. The 164-foot (50 m) Benetti Fisker 50, brings Fisker-manipulated curves, a movie theater-turned-gym, multiple "oceanfront" bars and plenty of other luxuries to the high seas.  Read more SPACE New electronics open up Venus for exploration NASA is developing silicon carbide electronics that can withstand the incredibly hostile conditions of the planet Venus. The space agency has built integrated circuits that withstood over 520 hours in a simulated Venusian environment without special shielding or cooling systems.   Read more OUTDOORS Snowsuite working to put a yacht-inspired motorhome on the snow The Snowsuite is a different way of venturing out into the wilderness and spending the night. A cross between a motorhome, yacht and ski-in/ski-out hotel room, this all-new mobile shelter concept invites you to find a scenic spot on a snow-covered mountain or meadow and spend the night.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE CNG-powered trucks cut costs and emissions at Skoda Hot on the heels of supermarket chain Waitrose unveiling a ​fleet of compressed natural gas delivery lorries, Skoda has whipped the covers off four CNG-powered trucks for its factory. The lorries will be used to ferry parts around the factory site, promising to cut costs and carbon emissions.  Read more MARINE A Hawaiian twist on the glass-bottomed boat ​Snorkelling may be a great way of seeing marine life close to shore, but things get a little trickier if you want to explore the waters that lie farther out. That's why a group of entrepreneurs created the Aeon Explorer. It's an electric watercraft that lets its riders see beneath the surface.   Read more ELECTRONICS Two-way LEDs could turn screens into touchless chargers ​Could it one day be possible to top up your phone's battery using ambient light? Material scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign think so, having developed multi-purpose LED arrays with the ability to absorb light and turn it into electricity.   Read more AUTOMOTIVE Special Dodge Challenger lights the birthday candles for Mopar Along with the Hyundai Elantra GT Sport and Toyota RAV4 Adventure, the Chicago Auto Show played host to the Dodge Challenger Mopar, a two-tone special designed to celebrate 80 years worth of big wings, hood scoops and antifreeze from Mopar.   Read more SPACE Researchers lay claim to first find of elusive white dwarf pulsar ​Starspotters at Warwick University have observed the first white dwarf version of a pulsar. Located 380 light years from Earth in a binary system along with a red dwarf, AR Scorpii is the first to be discovered since pulsars were spotted for the first time half a century ago.   Read more BIOLOGY How the malaria parasite "hails a cab" to reach more victims ​The malaria battle is taking place on many fronts, including vaccines and insecticides. The issue with them is that the parasites can evolve to develop resistance. New research though, might now give the world another method of trying to beat back the disease that caused 429,000 deaths in 2015.   Read more URBAN TRANSPORT There's a new player in the Hyperloop game Student engineering teams from around the world are crafting prototype Hyperloop pods, but there are also startups building businesses on the back of the transport system. This contingent has just grown by one with the emergence of Arrivo, a new firm headed up by former SpaceX engineers. ​  Read more SMARTWATCHES LG Watch Sport vs. Samsung Gear S3 ​LG has two new smartwatches that mark the arrival of the long-delayed Android Wear 2.0​. Let's see how the more powerful of the two, the LG Watch Sport​, stacks up next to its most obvious rival, the Samsung Gear S3​.   Read more MUSIC Dual channel Jam Buddy puts a practice rig at your feet ​China's budget music hardware maker Joyo Technology has launched the Jam Buddy ultra portable practice rig that's aimed squarely at players who practice a lot, but don't want to lug around a small combo amp, mess around with smart device interfaces or only listen through headphones.   Read more