odd look at news on the web
Video: Beta Alia eVTOL nails first piloted heli-to-airplane transition
24 April 2024 @ 12:00 am
Ever since its launch, we thought Vermont's Beta Technologies might prove itself the real deal in an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) world dominated by renderings, concepts, prototypes and other "maybe somedays."Continue ReadingCategory: Aircraft, TransportTags: eVTOL, Trek's CarBack bike radar gives next-level warnings on what's behind you
23 April 2024 @ 8:29 pm
If you're worried about being unexpectedly overtaken by cars you while you're cycling, Trek's new CarBack may be just the ticket. It's not the only bicycle radar device on the market, but it is claimed to be the best in several ways.Continue ReadingCategory: Bicycles, TransportTags: Trek, bVideo: Ingenious EEWOC robot uses a tape measure to climb quickly
23 April 2024 @ 5:40 pm
A new wheeled robot is able to climb metal structures in a very clever and unique way – it uses an extendible tape-measure limb. Descendants of the bot may one day find use inspecting or even repairing things like towers, bridges, power stations and ships.Continue ReadingCategory: Robotics, TechnologyJohn Lennon's long-lost Help! acoustic expected to break auction records
23 April 2024 @ 4:15 pm
John Lennon's 1964 Framus 5/024 Hootenanny famously played on the title track of The Beatles' 1965 album Help! – and believed lost for more than 50 years – is heading to auction next month, where it's expected to break records.Continue ReadingCategory: Music, TechnologyTags: Auction, Sustainable learning hub embraces timber craft old and new
23 April 2024 @ 1:45 pm
High-profile studio the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has revealed plans for an ambitious new timber college building that will combine cutting-edge engineered wood with traditional Japanese joinery techniques to create a striking-looking and sustainable place of learning.Continue ReadingCategory: Architecture, LifestyleTags:Plastic RCYL bike rides the road to sustainability
23 April 2024 @ 12:47 pm
Back in 2022, the strange-looking prototype igus:bike rolled into the spotlight boasting an angular frame, funky wheels and even bearings made using recycled plastic. Now the newly-named RCYL bike is riding into production.Continue ReadingCategory: Bicycles, TransportTags: Mobility, Your doctor is prescribing antibiotics that won't help – and may harm
23 April 2024 @ 8:30 am
Much has been made of the global rise in antibiotic resistance and its impact on the delivery of effective treatment, with good reason. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials, an umbrella term for medications that kill bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi, is the main driver in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, How aspirin stops the growth and spread of colorectal cancer
23 April 2024 @ 7:36 am
Around 29 million people in the US take a daily dose of aspirin as a preventative measure for cardiovascular disease. And while an age-related increased risk of bleeding has seen it fall out of favor with medical authorities, it's now shaping up as something that might be even more beneficial in triggering the immune system to help take down certain cancers.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, ScienceChina's Hummer EV gets overhauled for aggro side-by-side off-roading
23 April 2024 @ 4:47 am
Chinese auto manufacturer Dongfeng has shoveled some heavy marketing into its M-Hero 917, the big, brawny, quad-motor luxury SUV it launched domestically last year and recently introduced in Switzerland.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: SSmartwatch AI predicts atrial fibrillation 30 minutes before it arrives
23 April 2024 @ 4:21 am
AI trained on simple heart rate data can predict an episode of the most common heart rhythm disorder, atrial fibrillation, 30 minutes in advance, new research has shown. With plans for it to be incorporated into a smartphone so it can analyze data from a smartwatch, the model would act as an early warning system.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, ScienceTags: