New VTOL cruises for 11,000 miles

Plus: ChatGPT says AI will help cure diseases and solve climate change. Dec 13, 2022 [Blueprint]( [This new VTOL]( (vertical take-off and landing) is a millionaire’s delight. Hop on board from any flat surface and cruise your way to anywhere you fancy, within an 11,000 mile (18,000 kilometer) range. You can only take four friends though, as it’s a five-seater. And you might not get there that fast, as it cruises at Mach 0.66. So think of it more like an ultra-long-range flying taxi, or a very small business jet. But before you consider investing in that, invest some time in [this video](. It shows a humanoid robot called CyberOne playing a drum set without missing a beat. Good morning. I’m Alice, an Editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s dive in. [Forget electric planes: U.S. aviation can be decarbonized using grass.]( [premium] Growing the grass Miscanthus can sustainably meet aviation fuel needs from biofuels. That's 30 billion gallons/year by 2040. [Play]VIDEO OF THE DAY [Watch a humanoid robot called CyberOne play a drum set without missing a beat.]( [Watch a humanoid robot called CyberOne play a drum set without missing a beat.]( Is this a cymbal of things to come? [Must Read]MUST READ [US-based startup claims its VTOL will have Mach 0.66 cruise speed and over 11,000 miles of range.]( [US-based startup claims its VTOL will have Mach 0.66 cruise speed and over 11,000 miles of range.]( A [new five-seater VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) Ranger]( has been developed by Aura Aerospace, a U.S.-based startup. Why is this noteworthy? Well, it claims to fly farther than any typical airliner and boasts roof-to-roof vertical takeoff and landing capability. And its design is surprisingly straightforward. It’s an octocopter system with eight 70-inch (178-cm) two-blade props that hang in front and behind its enormous main wing. Once it’s in the air and the wing has folded out to its full 75-ft (23-meter) width, a pair of turbofan jet engines then give it momentum. Not a lot of momentum, mind you – Aura says it cruises at around Mach 0.66. → According to Aura, the Ranger can fly for 22 hours non-stop or 11,185 miles (18,000 kilometers) on a full tank of sustainable aviation fuel. A normal Airbus A380 travels a maximum distance of about 9,200 miles (14,800 kilometers). [READ MORE [Arrow]]( [Facebook]( [INNOVATION]INNOVATION [ChatGPT: AI will help cure diseases and solve climate change, chatbot says.]( A [large-language chatbot called ChatGPT]( co-founded by Elon Musk, has been making headlines this week, surpassing a million users just five days after its test release by OpenAI. From writing sonnets, and drafting convincing letters of resignation to producing algorithm-generated essays capable of evading anti-plagiarism software, ChatGPT has everyone talking about it, as well as to it. When we asked it what it had to say about future technologies it was reluctant to be too forthcoming, but it did suggest that AI will both help to cure diseases and have a part to play in solving climate change. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( [SCIENCE]SCIENCE ['Massive evidence' on evolution: Extinct human species with tiny brains 'used fire' to live underground.]( [Evidence of an extinct human species]( that lived in the underground caves of modern-day South Africa has been discovered. The archeological findings reveal that the prehistoric human species in question, Homo naledi, used fires to prepare food and navigate in the darkness of underground caves. That’s according to South African paleoanthropologist and National Geographic explorer Lee Berger, anyway. Huge lumps of charcoal, thousands of burned bones, giant hearths, and baked clay were discovered. It is thought these new findings might fundamentally alter how we think about complex behaviors. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( [MAIL & MUSINGS]MAIL & MUSINGS U.S.-based startup claims its VTOL will have Mach 0.66 cruise speed and over 11,000 miles of range. Could you see yourself buying one of these VTOLs in the future? [Yes, if I could afford one]( [No thanks, not for me]( [I would use one but not buy it]( [I am unsure either way]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Yesterday, we asked you what you think the most exciting development the work on moving light back and forward through time could bring about, and 45 percent of you said a better understanding of quantum mechanics. 45% A better understanding of quantum mechanics 24% Enhanced quantum computing processing 16% A unified theory of quantum gravity 15% Something else entirely [QUOTE OF THE DAY]QUOTE OF THE DAY “There's a real opportunity to have a vertical takeoff and landing electric supersonic jet.” Elon Musk. [THINGS WE LOVE]THINGS WE LOVE [image]( [Bose Smart Speakers]( [image]( [Ulla Smart Hydration Reminder]( [image]( [Acrobat Balancing Pen]( [image]( [Dreo Space Heater]( [AND ANOTHER THING]AND ANOTHER THING - Fall from grace: Crypto's golden boy [Sam Bankman-Fried arrested]( in Bahamas. - In a breakthrough experiment, [nuclear fusion finally makes more energy than it uses](. (Science News) - Amazon hosts a [first in Quantum computing]( Aquila, a neutral-atom Quantum computer. [premium] - Sprinting reptiles may have been [forerunners of soaring pterosaurs](. (SN Explores) - [Propulsion technology]( The rise of the commercialization of space. [premium] - Food aversion: A psychologist reveals [why you hate some foods]( but could learn to love them. (BBC) - In a first, scientist discovers [fossilized cockroach sperm]( in 30-million-year-old amber. [Subscribe to IE+ today.]( Prepared by Alice Cooke Enjoy Reading? Forward this email to a friend. Was this email forwarded to you? 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