Weekend Edition: "World's fastest electric motorcycle" uses radical big hole technology

Electric drivetrains would seem to offer some radical design possibilities, but many EVs have stuck to a conventional formula, swapping hydrocarbons for electrons but not getting too creative with the rest. Not so Rob White's innovative "big hole" WMC250EV, which has its sights set on becoming the world's fastest electric motorcycle. Elsewhere in our weekly round-up, Michael Irving reports on an intriguing visitor from the far reaches of the solar system, Bridget Borgobello looks at tiny living Oz-style, and Rich Haridy investigates the impact of the surging Delta variant. Noel McKeegan Editor-in-Chief [Motorcycles]( ["World's fastest electric motorcycle" uses radical big hole technology]( [WMC is preparing to take on the world land speed record for electric motorcycles, armed with a motorcycle built around a giant hole]( There's no motorcycle on the planet like this one. British company WMC has put land speed record holders on notice with a 2WD, hydraulically hub-steered electric motorcycle designed around a great big hole it says can reduce drag by nearly 70 percent. [Read more]( [Space]( [Extremely eccentric minor planet to visit inner solar system this decade]( [A diagram of the orbit path of 2014 UN271, which will make its closest pass in 2031]( The outskirts of our solar system is teeming with mysterious objects – and now one of them is heading our way. Astronomers have discovered a minor planet that’s about to make its closest pass to the Sun on its 600,000-year orbit. [Read more]( [Health & Wellbeing]( [What is the Delta variant and how is it altering the course of the pandemic?]( [How will the new Delta variant change the course of the global COVID-19 pandemic?]( Ninety percent of new coronavirus infections in the UK are due to the Delta variant. In the US the CDC warns the variant will become predominant in the coming months. What is the Delta variant, why is it such a problem, and will our vaccines still work? [Read more]( [Medical]( [Stress study shows graying hair is reversible]( [New research has offered intriguing new insights into the process of graying hair, and also shown how it might be reversed through alleviating stress]( A new study has produced first-of-a-kind scientific evidence of the connection between stress and graying hair, identifying proteins that seem to drive this process while also demonstrating how it might even be reversed. [Read more]( Advertisement [Exclusive VPN Plan for Just $1.92 per month]( Ultra-fast speeds, 10 multi logins, 24-hour support, a 31-day money back guarantee and no logs are just some of the benefits of PureVPN. Right now you can get 3 years of this premier VPN service for just $1.92 per month, that’s a whopping 82% saving. [Read more]( [Tiny Houses]( [Copper-clad tiny home opens up like a flower]( [Australian architectural studio Casey Brown Architecture has recently completed an unusual corrugated copper tiny homeThe unique structure resembles a two-story tower and boasts external sides that open up the home to the outdoors, while doubling as overhead verandas]( The Permanent Camping 2 two-story tiny home boasts external sides that open up the home to the outdoors. The design allows the home to completely close when not in use, while also protecting the dwelling from the harsh Australian climate. [Read more]( [Energy]( [New undersea energy storage system harnesses the power of buoyancy]( [Anyone who's held a beach ball underwater knows how powerful a force buoyancy can be. Now it's being harnessed as a grid-scale energy storage system that could be cheaper than big batteries]( This new buoyancy energy storage system harnesses a powerful force familiar to anyone who's tried to hold a beach ball underwater, and it could offer grid-scale energy storage cheaper than batteries – as well as super-cheap hydrogen compression. [Read more]( [Science]( [Pathogenic gut bacteria linked to weight loss from low-calorie diet]( [New research has shown low-calorie diets increase levels of a bacterium called Clostridioides difficile, found in high levels in patients suffering from gut inflammation]( A new study investigating how a low-calorie diet alters gut microbial populations is reporting unexpected results, finding a strange relationship between extreme caloric restriction and increased levels of a bacteria linked to inflammatory bowel disease. [Read more]( New Atlas Plus [Support New Atlas and get our ad-free, premium layout]( New Atlas has been a reliable source of inspiring science and technology stories for almost two decades. Now we’re asking for your support so we can continue to deliver no-nonsense, independent journalism – without the distraction of ads. [Read more]( [Aircraft]( [Russia has flown prototypes of its six-seat hybrid VTOL Cyclocar]( [The Cyclocar will carry six people, or up to 600 kg of cargo, up to 500 km (310 miles) thanks to a hybrid powertrain and that unconventional propulsion system]( Russia's Foundation for Advanced Research has already flown a 60-kg prototype of its Cyclocar VTOL aircraft, which uses a super-responsive cyclical propeller propulsion system. A full-size, long-range, six-seat Cyclocar is expected within a few years. [Read more]( [Science]( ["Reverse solar still" keeps its cool to wring drinking water from air]( [The pilot version of the condenser system, which cools the inside to help water condense and collect]( Engineers at ETH Zurich have designed a new device that can wring drinking water out of the air. The system works day and night, and doesn’t require any additional energy input, making it suited for use in remote or developing areas. [Read more]( [Automotive]( [Mini hammock turns even the least cooperative SUV into a poor man's RV]( [Like a cozy hammock for your head]( The easiest, cheapest way to van life – or something similar, at least – is sleeping on a hatchback's folded seats. Backseat Bivy makes sure that's possible, even in smaller vehicles, with a quick-secure sleeping platform for hammock-like rest. [Read more]( [Automotive]( [AMC x Heimplanet equals an inflatable all-electric pickup camper]( [The new AMC x Heimplanet Cloudbreak inflatable pickup camper]( Alpha previewed its Wolf electric pickup earlier this year, and this month it shows how that truck turns into a full camper to compete with options from Tesla and Rivian. With help from Heimplanet, it's created the Cloudbreak inflatable camper. [Read more]( [Physics]( [Physicists induce motionless quantum state in largest object yet]( [One of the mirrors in LIGO, which have now become the largest objects to have their atoms cooled to almost a motional ground state]( “Stationary” has very different meanings in quantum scales – an object that looks perfectly still to us is made up of bouncing atoms. Now, scientists have managed to slow down the atoms almost to a complete stop in the largest macro-scale object yet. [Read more]( [Science]( [Experimental brain implant instantly detects and relieves pain]( [New research is a very early step towards a brain implant that can detect and suppress pain in real time]( Researchers have developed a brain implant designed to detect pain sensations in real-time and deliver bursts of pain-relieving stimulation. The device is still experimental but a proof of concept study shows it working effectively in rodent models. [Read more]( [Space]( [Roll up, roll up! Get your tickets for the great space balloon ride]( [The Spaceship Neptune cabin will carry eight passengers and a pilot in luxury]( Cape Canaveral's Space Perspective has officially started selling tickets for the highest balloon ride of them all: a six-hour floating journey to the edge of space, where you can watch the sunrise. At US$125,000 a seat, flights start in 2024. [Read more]( [Aircraft]( [Omni Hoverboard takes a super-simple approach to personal flight]( [Alexandru Duru, CEO of Omni Hoverboards, running a demonstration flight at a soccer game]( Montreal's Alexandru Duru first flew his electric multirotor hoverboard back in 2015, and quickly set a Guinness World Record for distance. Now this levitating madman is working to commercialize it for sale, while performing stunt shows on the side. [Read more]( [Materials]( [New method converts carbon into graphene or diamond in a flash]( [Researchers have developed a way to use "flashes" of electricity to convert carbon into different forms such as graphene or nanodiamonds]( A new method converts carbon from a variety of sources straight into useful forms such as graphene or diamond. The technique uses a “flash” of electricity to heat the carbon, converting it into a final form determined by the length of the flash. [Read more]( [Science]( [Age-related cognitive decline may be linked to key blood cell protein]( [New research has found decreasing levels of a protein that helps deliver oxygen from red blood cells to tissues could be linked with brain aging and cognitive decline]( New research is describing the discovery of a link between cognitive decline and a protein in red blood cells. The research found mice depleted of this protein suffered from rapid cognitive decline pointing scientists to a potential novel anti-aging treatment. [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 © 2021