All I wanted to do was get rid of my glasses, but when my local laser eye surgery clinic recommended some odd-sounding, advanced Presbyond treatment developed by Zeiss, I said sure, if that's what the cool kids are getting. Here's what's happened.
Category: Medical Innovations, Body and Mind
Tags: Reviews, Laser, Eye, Eye surgery, Optical, Optics, xxShowcase, Features, 2026 Updates
The first human Mars explorers won’t have it easy. Every additional day in deep space will increase their exposure to deadly cosmic radiation, while isolation gnaws at their minds and microgravity erodes their muscles.
Category: Space Systems, Engineering
Tags: NASA, Ion propulsion, Mars, JPL
We've become big fans of Ovrlnd Camper's innovative ultralight pickup toppers and even bigger fans of its videos. This time around, the Flagstaff builder outdoes itself on both fronts with a pop-up camping topper sized to a 1980 Mini 95 pickup, creating a camping truck that sizes comparably to a Japanese kei camper. And though it looks more like a toy at first, the rig is fully functional, offering over 6 feet (1.8 m) of standing room inside and a bed that can comfortably sleep two people. It's the cutest camper you'll see in the US this year (or probably any year).
Category: Pickup Campers, Adventure Vehicles, Outdoors
Tags: Pickup, Truck, Kei Cars, Tiny, Camping, Outdoors and Camping, RV
Tens of thousands of people rely on service dogs every day. They assist people with visual impairments, mobility disabilities, hearing loss, seizures, PTSD, and many other medical conditions. Service dogs are not just great companions – they are proven to significantly improve quality of life by helping people live more independently.
Category: Good Thinking, Technology
Tags: Dogs, Service animals, Disability
With running more popular than ever, production of running shoes has reached a new level. Global footwear manufacturing has increased significantly over the last 15 years, and the industry itself has become a form of advanced engineering. Big companies are competing to build lighter, faster, and more energy-efficient shoes using complex combinations of foams, fabrics, and plastics. While performance continues to improve, sustainability still remains a secondary concern.
Category: Materials, Engineering
Tags: Fraunhofer, Shoes, Footwear, Recycling
Whether your laptop is your main source of income or you just use it for entertainment, running out of juice just when things get interesting can be a major annoyance. The Edge power bank has been designed to alleviate such things.
Category: Consumer Tech, Technology
Tags: Kickstarter, Laptop, Battery
Volcanoes are messy things, what with all that ash, water vapor, sulfur, and greenhouse gases polluting the atmosphere.
Category: Environment, Science
Tags: volcano, Methane, Global Warming, Emissions, Atmosphere, University of Copenhagen
With its modest length of just 20 ft (6 m), the Tulsi doesn't have a whole lot of room for life's luxuries. Still, the tiny house manages to fit the essentials for downsizing into its compact towable frame – and does so at an affordable price.
Category: Tiny Houses, Outdoors
Tags: Building and Construction, Tiny Footprint, Micro-House, House, Home
A new community center is nearing completion in Vancouver's Oak Park, and it has done something quite rare. It has combined mass timber construction with hyper-efficient Passive House engineering and a LEED Gold sustainability rating. The Marpole Community Centre, which was designed by Diamond Schmitt, proves that public buildings can be kind to the planet while also being beautiful.
Category: Architecture, Engineering
Tags: Community, Building and Construction, sustainable design, Canada, Timber, Wood
Harley-Davidson has been on an interesting trajectory of late. The company seems to have put big, heavy, chrome-laden cruisers on the back burner, at least for the time being, to focus more on lightweight, entry-level motorcycles. From the surprisingly capable Pan America 1250 to the India-developed X440, Harley’s newer strategy increasingly revolves around accessibility, affordability, and broader appeal rather than pure old-school Americana.
Category: Motorcycles, Transport
Tags: Harley Davidson, Harley, livewire, V-Twin, Affordable, Roadster
Pregnancy is filled with small moments of anticipation: the first flutter of movement, the sound of a heartbeat, the quiet question of whether everything is unfolding as it should. At the same time, much of what shapes development is happening out of view, long before those milestones arrive. And even before those moments are felt, the environment surrounding pregnancy is already beginning to shape how the baby's brain develops.
Category: Mental Health, Brain Health, Body and Mind
Tags: McGill University, Pregnancy, Suicide, mental health, Infections
Stuart Thompson, University of Westminster, The Conversation
Tags: Plants, Sensory, Hearing, xxSyndication
In a land far, far away is a motorcycle brand that has been around for longer than anyone can remember, yet it has spent the better part of the last few years in the shadows. I’m talking about Hyosung, which was born in South Korea in the late 1970s, building Suzuki-derived motorcycles under license.
Category: Motorcycles, Transport
According to the folks at Colorado-based RSVR Hydration, traditional hydration packs are basically backpacks with bags of water in them. The company's new pack is claimed to be different, however, in that it's made to be sleek and light.
Tags: Kickstarter, xxKickbooster, Hydration
Living things degrade, die, and decompose. Even when we turn plant and animal material into furniture or clothes, the process is inevitable. On the other hand, left alone, plastics are practically indestructible. Scientists are rethinking this characteristic with a simple but consequential question: What if plastics were alive?
Category: Materials, Engineering
Tags: American Chemical Society, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Biodegradable, Plastics, Bacteria, Pollution
Aging in a tiny house might not be easy if you have to contend with ladders and low ceilings, but with its extra-wide, primarily single-floor layout, the Rose has been designed from the ground (or wheels) up for long-term small living.
Category: Tiny Houses, Outdoors
Tags: Tiny Footprint, Building and Construction, Micro-House, House, Home
Observations of a far-distant galaxy several times the size of the Milky Way reveal a surprising stillness overcoming the sea of early stars.
Tags: Galaxy, JWST, Big Bang Theory, University of California, UC Davis, Space exploration
Last month, a modified Robinson R44 lifted off from Roland-Désourdy Airport in Bromont, Quebec, and completed what may be the most consequential short flight in rotorcraft history. It was the first hydrogen-powered helicopter to complete a full operational circuit – takeoff, climb, pattern flight, approach, and landing – under real-world conditions.
Tags: Hydrogen-powered, Hydrogen Aviation, Helicopter, Climate Solutions: Aviation, Fuel Cell
Michelle Spear, University of Bristol, The Conversation
Tags: Fear, Neurological, Sensory, proprioception
For centuries, one of the most important numbers in physics has evaded accurate identification. The results of a recent experiment by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the US could help bring us closer to a satisfying answer.
