Stepping away momentarily from the ultralight freestanding tents that have really been having their moment in recent years, Zpacks presents its latest non-freestanding backpacking tent. Pitched with a single pole, the new Plex Solo Pro pulls out all the stops in furnishing backpackers and other deep-backcountry explorers with an ambitious blend of featherlight packability and camping convenience.

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Category: Tents, Gear, Outdoors

Tags: Tent, zpacks, Camping, Backpacking, Bikepacking, Outdoors and Camping, Lightweight, Dyneema

What sounds more terrifying than a part-cockroach, part-robot cyborg? Definitely one that can also breathe underwater. Yet, this is exactly what researchers have just created, except they are replacing “terrifying” with “useful.” Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore and Waseda University in Japan have created a soft, flexible diving suit for cyborg cockroaches. The suits are equipped with miniature oxygen generators that allow the cockroaches to survive for up to three hours underwater or in low-oxygen conditions.

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Category: Robotics, Engineering

Tags: Nanyang Technological University, Remote Control, Insect, Cyborg, Amphibious, Waseda University

From a snake's venomous fangs to the sharp spines that cover a cactus, puncture tools can be found right across the animal kingdom. While they come in all shapes and sizes, there's a fascinating force driving their diverse designs.

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Category: Biology, Science, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: University of Illinois, Animal science, Animals, Evolution, Charles Darwin, Weapon, nature, Self-defense, Resources, Energy-efficient

Engineers at Northwestern University have built a drone that vanishes without camouflage or transparent panels. Its trick is spinning so fast that your eyes simply give up trying to focus, a stealth edge that could turn surveillance into something almost invisible.

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Category: Drones, Consumer Tech, Technology

Tags: Stealth, Artificial Intelligence, Engineering, Northwestern University, Invisibility

It seems we’re living in an age of revival. Revival of old brands, motorcycles, and scooters. Now, with the Fiat Multiplina, we have the revival of the very cool bubble cars that saw peak popularity somewhere in the middle of the last century.

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Category: Automotive, Transport

Tags: Fiat, Electric Vehicles, Kei Cars, Affordable, stellantis, Concept Vehicle

Amelia Scott, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Macquarie University/The Conversation

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

Tags: Sleeping, Sleep deprivation, Insomnia, Circadian Rhythms, Biological age, Anxiety, Brain activity

There are several different kinds of VR and AR headsets and glasses on the market today. RayNeo's Air 4 Pro slots squarely into the one-trick category, and that's a good thing. Pop these on, plug them into your phone or laptop, and boom – an instant giant display for your eyes only.

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Category: Consumer Tech, Technology

Tags: Video, Smart Glasses, Glasses, TCL, Display, Head Mounted Displays, Gaming, Reviews

With its mid-size length and open interior, the Cedar Ridge manages to be towable without feeling too cramped inside. The tiny house features a farmhouse-inspired decor, plenty of storage, and two loft bedrooms, making it well-suited to full-time small living.

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Category: Tiny Houses, Outdoors

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

The Playcube was already an unusual little projector: a palm-sized, Rubik’s Cube-like device with a 360-degree rotating design, built to throw a big image onto a wall, ceiling, or whatever flat surface you have nearby. Now, TCL is adding a new layer of interaction through Google’s Gemini AI.

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Category: Home Entertainment, Consumer Tech, Technology

Tags: TCL, Projectors, Portable, Google TV, Gemini, HD

From Smokpub, makers of a compact electric cocktail and whisky smoker, comes the Doubot, a sourdough fermentation system currently on Kickstarter. They claim it's “a smarter way to proof dough” for the novice baker second-guessing their technique.

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Category: Around The Home, Consumer Tech, Technology

Tags: Kitchen, Food technology, Kickstarter, xxKickbooster

A newly developed antibody has halted the growth and spread of aggressive prostate cancer in preclinical tests, raising hopes for a more targeted way of treating metastatic disease without the side effects that have hampered earlier attempts to block the same cancer-driving pathway.

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

Tags: antibodies, Prostate cancer, Breast cancer, Chemotherapy, Immunotherapy

It looks like laser weapons are going to get a major power-up. The US government has awarded contracts worth US$86 million to develop new Joint Laser Weapon Systems (JLWS) capable of outputting up to 500 kW to take out next-generation cruise missiles.

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Category: Military, Engineering

Tags: Laser weapon, Lockheed Martin

One of the fiercest, sharpest go-anywhere teardrop trailers roaming the Outback, the Stockman Rover series has been a highly enviable hunk of RV hardware since well before it got a 2.0 update. And it remains one after what we'll call a V2.2 facelift. The newly updated 2026 camper maintains its world-leading combination of intimidating exterior construction and cushy interior comfort, taking on a new power system, new multi-awning setup, stealthy black-out look, and available entry-level trim that drops its base price by AU$10K compared to 2025.

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Category: Camping Trailers, Adventure Vehicles, Outdoors

Tags: teardrop trailers, Caravan, trailers, Trailer, RV, Off-road, Camping, Outdoors and Camping

In a rare study looking at the relationship between cultural engagement and biological aging, scientists have found a potential link between spending time at the theater, visiting museums, and watching movies on the big screen and living healthier for longer.

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

Tags: Age-Related, anti-aging, Biological age, Chronic illness, Aging, Healthy aging, Theater, Culture, Museum, Gallery

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued its first comprehensive guidance on how psychedelic drugs should best be studied in clinical trials, signalling a shift toward recognizing the potential of these therapeutics. The report also outlines what's needed to see promising compounds approved.

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Category: Psychedelics, Medical Innovations, Body and Mind, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: FDA, Psychedelic Medicine, psychiatry, Culture, clinical trials, Drug development, Experimental

Ferrari told us last September that the 849 Testarossa Spider – the convertible version of its well-lauded plug-in hybrid hypercar – was coming. It shares a powertrain and about 90% of the bodywork with its coupe sibling. What we didn't expect is just how much more mojo this variant would bring to the table.

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Category: Automotive, Transport

Tags: Ferrari, Hypercar, Plug-in Hybrid

Oliver Hamer, Edge Hill University/The Conversation

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

Tags: GLP-1 receptor agonists, Weight Loss, Obesity, Diet, Body fat

The Mediterranean is getting hotter and drier, pushing scientists to look for water even in the air itself. A German team has now scaled up a porous material that does exactly that, even when the air feels bone-dry.

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Category: Materials, Engineering

Tags: Kiel University, metal-organic frameworks, Water, Chemistry, Environment, Atmosphere

Most of us don’t have grandma for dinner. Not even when there’s nothing else in the pantry.

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

Tags: University of Wrocław, Red meat, Society, Diet

For nearly a decade, physicists have watched a steady drizzle of energetic neutrinos rain down on Earth. The IceCube Observatory, buried deep in Antarctic ice, has been catching them since 2013.

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Category: Astronomy, Science, Refractor: Science & Health

Tags: Neutrino, Quasar, Black hole, little-red-dots, James Webb Space Telescope