Eerie beauty and creepy-crawlies: 2024 GDT Nature Photographer of the Year

[New Atlas logo]( Photography [Eerie beauty: Winners of the 2024 GDT Nature Photographer of the Year]( [2024 GDT Nature Photographer of the Year competition. Third place, Special Category. "Frosty morning at Istein Cataracts on the Rhine"]( The German Society for Nature Photography (GDT) has announced the winners of the 2024 Nature Photographer of the Year, who’ve captured the beauty of nature – everything from the wildest panorama to the creepiest of creepy-crawlies. [Read more]( Special Promotion for New Atlas Readers [Hear clearly and stay aware with this $115 AfterShokz OpenComm headset]( Traditional headsets? So yesterday. Over-ear behemoths stifle awareness, while earbud battles are a daily struggle. Enter the AfterShokz OpenComm Headset, a game-changer that leverages bone conduction for a truly unique audio experience. [Read more]( Robotics [Video: Air-con wiring robot sets new Rubik's Cube world record]( [A robot that normally makes appliance motors has broken the world speed record for solving Rubik's Cube]( A Mitsubishi Electric robot that normally positions wires in motors for appliances like air conditioners has solved the Rubik’s Cube puzzle at a blistering speed, setting a new Guinness World Record in the process. [Read more]( Robotics [Rock-climbing robot scales rough walls with bio-inspired grippers]( [The LORIS robot, pictured here scaling a concrete wall]( Scientists have created a four-legged bio-inspired robot that climbs like no other. It clings to rough vertical surfaces utilizing a unique mechanism that is highly effective, yet at the same time relatively simple. [Read more]( Materials [More transparent than glass, new material cools rooms and self-cleans]( [A sample of the new metamaterial, which is more transparent than glass]( Lots of glass surfaces can brighten up a room, but it also lets in too much heat as well as neighbors’ prying eyes. A new metamaterial is not only more transparent to light, but adds privacy, cools the room inside, and automatically cleans itself. [Read more]( Medical [Tattoos increase your risk of cancer by 21%]( [Having a tattoo increases the risk of developing cancer]( Getting a tattoo, regardless of its size, increases the risk of developing lymphoma by 21%, according to a new study. The researchers say they’re not trying to dissuade people from getting inked, they just want to ensure the procedure is safe. [Read more]( Materials [Super-strong coffee-reinforced concrete gets real-world test]( [The first-ever coffee concrete sidewalk is now being put to the test]( In a world first, the researchers who used waste coffee grounds to make concrete that’s 30% stronger are putting their innovative material to the test by laying sidewalks made of the stuff to see how it fares when it's subjected to foot traffic. [Read more]( Automotive [The $10 million artwork that might win Le Mans]( [At left is Julie Mehretu's "Everywhen" (2021-2023), an ink and acrylic on canvas measuring 120 inches (305 cm) square. At right is the BMW M Hybrid V8 that will wear the painting in the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans on 15–16 June 2024]( Ethiopian-born American artist Julie Mehretu is on a roll. In October 2023, one of her paintings sold for $9.3 million with another fetching $10.7 million in November 2023. Though she had been "the most likely to succeed" for three decades, her work has now moved her name into the pantheon of African, womens and indeed all art. In 2024, one of her near priceless artworks might win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. [Read more]( Energy [Thermal power cell harvests electricity from heat at record efficiency]( [A small lab test of the new thermophotovoltaic cell]( A new heat-to-energy converter has reached a record efficiency of 44% – the average steam turbine manages about 35%, for comparison. This thermophotovoltaic cell is a major step on the way to sustainable, grid-scale renewable energy storage. [Read more]( Science [Greek Marines don 3,500-year-old armor to prove it's combat-capable]( [The Dendra armor has been a mystery since its discovery in 1960]( An ancient mystery may have been solved after researchers, with the help of 13 Hellenic Marines, proved that a unique 3,500-year-old suit of Greek armor wasn't necessarily just for show, but could have been used for combat at the time of the Trojan War. [Read more]( Motorcycles [2,000cc BMW boxer perfects motorcycling's Golden Ratio]( [BMW's R20 Concept is a visual feast for BMW aficionados, capturing the lines and visual cues of seemingly every boxer twin of the last century. It is a magnificent 100th anniversary model in the making.]( Concorso d’Elegenza Villa d’Este has become such an annual treasure trove of automotive delights that the headline acts can overshadow some important debuts. This is one of them. [Read more]( Automotive [Remarkable Kenworth SuperTruck 2 cuts fuel bills by 50%]( [Kenworth has unveiled its SuperTruck 2, demonstrating remarkable fuel efficiency with diesel]( Kenworth has unveiled a sleek-looking SuperTruck 2 at the Advanced Clean Transport expo in Las Vegas, attempting to squeeze the maximum possible efficiency out of a diesel powertrain. It works, too, beating the company's most efficient truck by 100%. [Read more]( Good Thinking [Modular mobile ASTRA Bridge lets highway traffic fly over roadwork]( [The ASTRA Bridge allows highway traffic (streaks of light in photo) to pass overtop of a sheltered roadwork space (lit-up area with supports)]( A new modular mobile flyover bridge allows vehicles to drive overtop of stretches of highway roadwork, instead of waiting to go around them. Known as the ASTRA Bridge, it's intended to make life easier for motorists and safer for roadway workers. [Read more]( Outdoors [Tesla Cybertruck survivalist camper is the e-RV that makes water]( [The Cybertrailer makes its first (non) appearance at Overland Expo West 2024]( Living Vehicle makes some of the most self-sustaining RVs on planet earth, so much so it named its own category - LV, not RV. Now the company is making a trailer to roll behind the Tesla Cybertruck and develop its own energy and potable water. [Read more]( Aircraft [Heavy-lifting, long-range hydraulic uUAV multirotor flies into production]( [Prototype testing for the FC100 heavy-lift utility UAV has now ended, and Flowcopter has frozen the design to enter production]( The Scottish company behind a novel heavy-lift utility UAV that uses an internal combustion engine and hydraulic motors has now frozen design plans and is preparing for production following successful flight tests in Denmark. [Read more]( Around The Home [Potato scraps and sawdust form stool that's fuel for the fire]( [Briket features a simple unpainted design]( We don't usually want our furniture to be flammable, but this stool actually encourages it. Made from potatoes and sawdust, it's designed to be thrown in a fireplace for warmth once it reaches the end of its usefulness. [Read more]( You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at [newatlas.com]( (or [gizmag.com]( before August 2016). [Update profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( Copyright New Atlas © 2022