Brief exposure to near-infrared light improves deteriorating vision

Health & Wellbeing [Brief exposure to near-infrared light improves deteriorating vision]( [Dr Pardis Kaynezhad (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology) holds a deep red light over her eye, which helps stimulate the mitochondria in her retinal cells]( As we age, our eyesight naturally declines, but a new study has found just three minutes of exposure to 670-nanometer red light in the morning can help deteriorating vision, improving color contrast vision by nearly 20 percent. [Read more]( Special Promotion for New Atlas Readers [Fight travel fatigue with 40% off this leading book summary app]( While it's great to get extra R&R over the holidays, our busy minds can start to feel the travel fatigue seep in. Four Minutes App can help. Save an extra 40% off for Black Friday savings with code BFSAVE40. [Read more]( Health & Wellbeing [Starting fasting with exercise accelerates shift to fat-burning ketosis]( [A new study suggests a treadmill workout at the outset of a fasting period can accelerate a shift in metabolic states]( A new study has explored how physical activity at the outset of a dietary fasting period can accelerate a shift to ketosis, a metabolic state associated with the burning of stored fats and weight loss. [Read more]( Biology [UK report concludes crabs, octopuses and lobsters are sentient beings]( [The review of more than 300 scientific studies concluded several types of invertebrates should be classified as sentient animals]( An animal welfare bill in the UK will now include crabs, octopus, and lobsters after a review concluded they should be considered sentient beings. The review found strong evidence these invertebrates are capable of feelings such as pain and distress. [Read more]( Environment [Living walls found to drastically reduce heat loss in older buildings]( [One section of a pre-1970s building, which was covered with a living wall, lost over 30 percent less heat than an adjacent non-covered section]( Along with benefits such as air purification, "living walls" are also said to help regulate the temperature within new buildings which they're built into. A study now indicates that they have the same effect when added to older, existing structures. [Read more]( Space [Nuclear fusion startup test fires plastic waste-powered rocket]( [Pulsar Fusion successfully test fired its hybrid rocket at a UK Ministry of Defence military base in Salisbury last week]( A UK company with lofty aspirations around sustainable space travel has test-fired a rocket engine powered in part by plastic waste. Pulsar Fusion's ambitious plans also involve the development of nuclear fusion technology for high-speed propulsion. [Read more]( Materials [Ultrahard diamond glass made by crushing buckyballs]( [A molecular model of a buckyball, which researchers have now crushed into a new ultrahard diamond glass]( Researchers at Carnegie Science have developed an ultrahard diamond glass. Made entirely of crushed “soccerballs” of carbon, the new material also has high thermal conductivity and could find use in electronics. [Read more]( Architecture [ZHA extends Hollywood-inspired resort with striking hotel towers]( [Zaha Hadid Architects' Studio City Phase 2 development is currently under construction in Macau, China]( High-profile British studio Zaha Hadid Architects has unveiled a new project currently under construction in China. It consists of two eye-catching towers that are designed to mitigate their carbon footprint with sustainability features. [Read more]( Photography [Portraits of the past in the best historical photography of 2021]( [Shortlisted. Temple of Hera II, Paestum. The Temple of Hera II, is a Greek temple in Paestum, Campania, Italy. It was built around 460–450 BC, just north of the first Hera Temple.]( Encompassing thousands of years of human history the stunning 2021 Historic Photographer of the Year awards span everything from an ancient Greek temple to the only structure still standing from the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima. [Read more]( Materials [Wood waste used in renewable, recyclable thermoset plastic alternative]( [A sample of the lignin-based material, which can be thermally broken down and recycled]( Not only are most thermoset resins made from non-renewable sources, but they're also hard to recycle. Scientists have set about addressing those problems, by developing a new lignin-based, thermoset-like material that can be reused several times. [Read more]( Home Entertainment [Wemax Go Pro FHD laser projector makes cinema portable]( [Ampula says that the Wemax Go Pro is the world's thinnest cinema-grade ALPD projector]( If you want to watch blockbuster movies at a friend's house, but their living room TV is already in use, a portable projector is a good way to go. The Wemax Go Pro can throw 120-inch images, and is reported 2-3x brighter than LED-based competitors. [Read more]( Wearables [Test subjects show surprising ability to play piano with a third thumb]( [Although worn on the hand, the robotic thumb is controlled by foot movements]( Could an existing piano player adapt to playing the instrument with an extra, robotic thumb? A new study suggests that the answer is yes, and interestingly enough, even people who are new to the piano are equally adept at using the added appendage. [Read more]( Science [Spine reveals ancient human relative climbed like apes, walked like us]( [A life reconstruction of Australopithecus sediba]( A newly discovered fossil may change what we know about an ancient human relative. Vertebrae from the lower back of an Australopithecus sediba reveal it was surprisingly well adapted to walking upright like a human, while also climbing like an ape. [Read more]( Biology [Carrion-eater gut bacteria help vulture bees ditch nectar for meat]( [A vulture bee, which has been found to have a microbiome distinctly different from other bees]( A team of scientists at the University of California, Riverside is studying a species of "vulture bee" that has swapped a vegetarian diet for carrion meat by developing an extra tooth and gut bacteria similar to that found in vultures and hyenas. [Read more]( You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at [newatlas.com]( (or [gizmag.com]( before August 2016). 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