Weekend Edition: Head-butting orcas, regrowing teeth and new SuperTruck

[New Atlas logo]( Welcome to our weekly wrap of the best stories to grace the pages of New Atlas over the last seven days. Sit back, relax and enjoy the Weekend Edition. Biology [Orcas are still smashing up boats – and we've finally worked out why]( [This orca gave a team competing in The Ocean Race a scare]( For four years, orcas have been ramming and sinking luxury yachts, and scientists finally have an idea why. No, it's not their anticapitalist 'eat the rich' agenda, nor is it to do with territory and aggression. The truth is, well, it's child's play. [Read more]( Medical [World-first tooth-regrowing drug will be given to humans in September]( [Scientists are about to start growing new teeth in humans]( The world's first human trial of a drug that can regenerate teeth will begin in a few months, less than a year on from news of its success in animals. This paves the way for the medicine to be commercially available as early as 2030. [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]( Automotive [1,300 miles to a tank – BYD's new hybrids don't care about your bladder]( [BYD's Qin L DM-i hybrid]( Yes, you read that correctly, 1,300 miles (nearly 2,100 km) before you have to refuel or charge it. BYD – the world's leader in EV car sales having recently surpassed Tesla – released its 5th-generation "DM" Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles. [Read more]( Health & Wellbeing [Common dietary supplement found to reduce aggression by 30%]( [A common dietary supplement reduces aggression by 30%]( Fish oil supplements containing omega-3 have long been touted as good for heart health. A new study has found they also reduce aggression. Researchers say the safe, common supplements should be used everywhere from the playground to the prison system. [Read more]( Outdoors [Sleek Nordic toy-hauler camping trailer hides a secret bathroom]( [The Karoo Adventure camper measures 5 meters long]( The new Karoo Adventure trailer looks to minimize the compromises of 2-in-1 toy-hauler camper design, serving as a dual-purpose towable with a completely empty floor for carrying gear and a cushier living pod with modular panoramic design. [Read more]( Technology [DARPA intends to wirelessly charge drones while in flight by power-beaming]( [That would be a long way to power-beam some juice into an EV drone's battery pack. The MQ9-Reaper – which uses an internal combustion engine currently –]( DARPA has committed further funding for far-field wireless power transfer – or power-beaming – to wirelessly charge drones in flight without them ever having to abandon mission to recharge or swap out dead batteries, potentially saving critical missions. [Read more]( Computers [Living brain-cell biocomputers are now training on dopamine]( [Four human brain organoids, each with around 10,000 living human brain cells, wired into a biocomputing array]( Current AI training methods burn colossal amounts of energy to learn, but the human brain sips just 20 W. Swiss startup FinalSpark is now selling access to cyborg biocomputers, running up to four living human brain organoids wired into silicon chips. [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]( 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]( Medical [Tattoos increase the risk of cancer by 21%, regardless of size]( [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]( 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]( 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]( Outdoors [MutiFlex multitool packs a swack of features into a proper-sized flashlight]( [The MutiFlex 13-in-1 Flashlight is presently on Kickstarter]( Although many multitools include flashlights, they're often puny penlight-like things. The MutiFlex 13-in-1 Flashlight is different, in that it features a big ol' 1,000-lumen torch along with 12 (ish) other functions. [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]( 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]( 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]( 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