Weekend Edition: Slinging satellites, H2 whoa, and not-so-forever PFAS chemicals

Getting into space isn’t cheap, but this week we learned that NASA will test a system designed to bring costs down by literally flinging satellites into orbit. Loz Blain also told us that hydrogen, a gas touted as having the potential to help the world cut carbon emissions, has a major caveat. Meanwhile, researchers have found a protein that plays a regulatory role in body weight, while an Australian team has found a way to lower levels of PFAS “forever chemicals” in the blood. Enjoy our look back at the week’s top stories. Darren Quick Managing Editor Space [NASA will test SpinLaunch's ability to fling satellites into orbit]( [SpinLaunch's kinetic launch facility at Spaceport America, new Mexico is now doing "regular" sub-orbital test launches with exit velocities over 1,000 mph]( NASA has signed up to test SpinLaunch's extraordinary whirl 'n' hurl space launch technology, which accelerates a launch vehicle to hypersonic speeds using an electric centrifuge arm instead of a rocket, hurling it skyward like a space discus. [Read more]( Special Promotion for New Atlas Readers [See why HVAC techs are nervous about these new DIY sensors]( SmartAC.com’s technology gives homeowners all the info they need to make the right AC and Heating decisions. Their affordable wireless sensors, which take just 15 minutes to set up, monitor your system temperatures and airflow 24/7. [Read more]( Environment [Hydrogen 11 times worse than CO2 for climate, says new report]( [Over a 100-year time period, a tonne of hydrogen in the atmosphere will warm the Earth some 11 times more than a tonne of CO2, with an uncertainty of ± 5]( Hydrogen will be one of humanity's key weapons in the war against carbon dioxide emissions, but it must be treated with care. New reports show how fugitive hydrogen emissions can indirectly produce warming effects 11 times worse than those of CO2. [Read more]( Health & Wellbeing [Landmark trial finds donating blood lowers PFAS “forever chemical” levels]( [New findings are the first evidence of an intervention that can reduce blood levels of toxic PFAS chemicals]( A world-first clinical trial has found blood or plasma donations can reduce levels of toxic PFAS chemicals by up to 30 percent. The trial is the first to find an effective intervention that reduces blood levels of substances known as “forever chemicals”. [Read more]( Medical [Study pinpoints a protein that's a key regulator of body weight]( [Scientists have discovered the role a protein called augmentor-alpha plays in regulating body weight]( By studying the behavior of a protein tightly linked with a wide range of cancers, scientists have uncovered the role it plays in regulating body weight, deepening our understanding of the way our bodies respond to food. [Read more]( Aircraft [Airbus hits the wind tunnel to pursue bird-inspired active wing control]( [The Airbus eXtra Performance Wing has undergone wind tunnel testing]( Airbus is moving ahead with its vision of aircraft with active wing control, working to mimic the behavior of bird flight with wings that adapt their shape on the fly to optimize aerodynamics and lower carbon footprints. [Read more]( Photography [The stunning overall winners of the 2022 Sony World Photography Awards]( [Observing Fox. "Over eight months, I spent almost every night sitting at the window of my cottage in the middle of the forest – where wild animals live almost as neighbors of the villagers. I observed her movements and behavior from the darkened room, and took the exposure remotely."]( Following several smaller announcements the Sony World Photography Awards has revealed its overall prizes. Adam Ferguson took the Photographer of the Year title with series of self-portraits of migrants waiting to cross the border into the United States. [Read more]( Good Thinking [Tiny, modular multitool capsule stacks up for everyday prep]( [A smaller, lighter breed of EDC multitool]( A multitool isn't very handy if it's not there when you need it. The new Wyn Multi-Tool Capsule is all but guaranteed to be there. It's small enough to carry anywhere and everywhere, keeping driving, cutting and prying power at one's fingertips. [Read more]( Aircraft [Lockheed Martin Stalker XVE drone claims world endurance record]( [The Stalker XVE in the air on its world-record flight attempt]( Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works advanced development programs division has set a new world flight endurance record for a Group 2 (5 to <25 kg (11 to <55 lb)) drone after the company's Stalker VXE remained aloft for 39 hours, 17 minutes, and 7 seconds. [Read more]( Bicycles [Minimalist "do-it-all" Dutch ebike gets ready to roll]( [The Polder cuts a striking minimalist pose thanks to its pressed aluminum frame and clean lines]( Mokumono was founded by twins Bob and Tom Schiller with a focus on producing ebikes using only European-sourced parts. With the Polder, the design team has almost got there – the new ebike is built in Amsterdam and made up of 90% European components. [Read more]( Energy [Liquid system stores solar energy for years and releases it on demand]( [An artist's concept of the MOST system charging a mobile device]( Back in 2017 we caught wind of an interesting energy system designed to store solar power in liquid form for years at a time. By hooking it up to an ultra-thin thermoelectric generator, the team has now demonstrated that it can produce electricity. [Read more]( Outdoors [Beauer 3XC electro-telescopic truck camper triples in size at camp]( [The Beauer 3XC floor plan grows from 4 to 12 square meters when expanded]( The latest member of the Beauer trailer family is the 3XC truck camper, a chassis cab-mounted RV pod that grows into an ultramodern camping cabin. The resulting 3XC "cell car" drives with the footprint of a normal van but lives like a large multi-room RV. [Read more]( Science [Engineered bacteria prevent antibiotics decimating the gut microbiome]( [A new engineered bacteria secretes an enzyme that breaks down antibiotics in the intestine before the drugs can harm other microbes]( A study has shown how engineered bacteria can protect the gut microbiome from the impact of antibiotic use. Mouse studies showed the bacteria breaks down antibiotics in the intestine while still allowing high levels of the drugs to enter the bloodstream. [Read more]( Military [Royal Navy tests heavy-lift drones to supply aircraft carriers]( [A UAV prepares to land at Predannack Airfied during a series of test flights]( The Royal Navy's 700X Naval Air Squadron has completed intensive testing of heavy-lift drones at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall, UK, to determine their fitness for resupplying aircraft carriers and other frontline naval operations. [Read more]( Science [New hypothesis argues leaky blood-brain barrier triggers Alzheimer's]( [A new hypothesis proposes fatty molecules in the blood stream invade the brain through a leaky blood brain barrier and this processes triggers Alzheimer's disease]( A new article has proposed a novel hypothesis for the cause of Alzheimer’s, arguing the disease is caused by a damaged blood-brain barrier allowing fatty molecules to invade the brain and trigger a cascade of events resulting in cognitive decline. [Read more]( Aircraft [DHC-515 firefighting seaplane reloads from bodies of water in 12 seconds]( [The DHC-515 dropping its load]( De Havilland Canada has introduced its latest seaplane for battling forest and wildfires, the DHC-515 Firefighter. The new plane features a number of upgrades, including the ability to take on a full load of fresh or saltwater in 12 seconds. [Read more]( Medical [mRNA vaccine boosts cancer immunotherapy in early human trial data]( [The experimental therapy is still in early phases of human trials]( Preliminary data has provided promising signs for a new cancer treatment that combines immunotherapy with an mRNA vaccine. First reports from the Phase 1 human trial indicate the treatment is safe and potentially effective against solid tumors. [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