Weekend Edition: Artificial wombs, an asthma breakthrough and curing the incurable

[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. Darren Quick Editor-in-Chief Medical [Womb with a view: EctoLife baby farm eliminates pregnancy and labor]( [Push-button childbirth after an out-of-body pregnancy: it's going to be an option soon, says Hashem Al-Ghaili]( The EctoLife Artificial Womb Facility envisages a controversial new way to be pregnant, with the baby growing in an idealized, but completely inhuman environment: transparent "growth pods" arranged by their hundreds in human baby farming operations. [Read more]( Medical [Asthma breakthrough uncovers key mechanism behind airway thickening]( [New research has uncovered a key immune mechanism that is responsible for the thickening of airway muscle associated with chronic asthma]( New research from the La Jolla Institute for Immunology has brought a novel, long-term treatment for severe asthma a step closer, presenting a potential way to block the thickening of airway muscle tissue seen in chronic asthma patients. [Read more]( Medical [Teenager's "incurable" leukemia cured by new base editing gene therapy]( [Alyssa was diagnosed with T cell leukemia in mid-2021, and after exhausting all current therapies was on her way to palliative care. Now, six months after the experimental treatment, she is still in full remission.]( A teenager in the UK has become the first person to be treated with a revolutionary new gene editing therapy. The patient's incurable leukemia was effectively cleared using "base-edited" immune T-cells from a donor. [Read more]( Energy [Clever device efficiently splits hydrogen and lithium out of seawater]( [A new seawater electrolyzer cleverly pulls hydrogen (and a little lithium) out of seawater as efficiently as commercial freshwater electrolyzers, using a clever evaporation technique]( Chinese researchers say they've demonstrated a seawater electrolyzer that works as efficiently as a commercial freshwater electrolyzer for months on end without corroding itself to death. It also looks like these machines could harvest lithium, too. [Read more]( Materials [New protein-based armor material can withstand supersonic impacts]( [Scientists have developed a novel material that can withstand supersonic impacts]( Researchers at the University of Kent have developed a protein-based family of synthetic materials that can withstand supersonic impacts. Called TSAMs, they see these materials one day finding use in military and space applications. [Read more]( Drones [H3 debuts all-in-one hydrogen powertrain pods for long-range flight]( [H3 Dynamics is working its way from small drones up toward manned zero-emissions aircraft, with detachable self-contain hydrogen powertrain pods that can be retrofit to existing airframes or worked into new designs]( France's H3 Dynamics has presented a self-contained hydrogen propulsion pod for drones and airplanes, delivering huge range and endurance figures without heavy batteries. It mirrors the approach Airbus and others are taking with commercial airliners. [Read more]( Mobile Technology [Latest E Ink color ePaper goes into production, first tablet launched]( [The Bigme Galy tablet is the first to launch with E Ink's new Gallery 3 ePaper technology]( Back in April, E Ink announced a new color ePaper technology with improved update times, high resolution and stylus support. Now Gallery 3 is going into mass production and the first device to launch is the Bigme Galy tablet. [Read more]( Automotive [Mitsubishi Fuso RV is ultimate mobile office for untethered enterprise]( [The Fuso NomadPro sidewall pops open into an indoor/outdoor office and observatory, complete with deck]( The Fuso NomadPro Canter elevates the idea of a mobile workspace for escaping into nature. The conceptual office-on-wheels erases the divide between indoors and out and offers an RV's worth of amenities for multi-day business road trips. [Read more]( Military [Video: Airbus launches loyal wingman combat drone out of a carrier]( [Bundeswehr, Airbus, the German Aerospace Center DLR, and German companies SFL and Geradts have jointly carried out the world’s first successful launch and operation of a Remote Carrier flight test demonstrator from a flying A400M.]( Next-generation fighter jets will go into combat with semi-autonomous wingman drones designed to act as force multipliers. Here's one in development: Airbus has just dropped its Remote Carrier demonstrator out of a cargo plane, for a mid-air launch. [Read more]( Military [US hypersonic missile makes first successful operational flight test]( [Rendering of the AGM-183A hypersonic missile]( The US Air Force has reached a major milestone, completing the first test of its All-Up-Round AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) hypersonic missile off the coast of Southern California last Friday. [Read more]( Science [New insights into the harms of taking medicines at the wrong time of day]( [New research has found surgeries performed at night using the sedative midazolam led to higher rates of heart damage compared to similar procedures during the day]( Are you on any kind of daily medication? Do you take those drugs in the morning or the evening? According to an emerging body of research, the time of day you take a medication may influence how well it works, or how much it harms. [Read more]( Outdoors [Nextool modernizes the multitool with 10-bit electric driver]( [Nextool combines classic manual tools with a battery-powered driver]( The Gemini from Nextool looks like a basic folding multitool at first blush. What sets it apart is its integrated electric screwdriver, which works with a series of 10 included driver bits to make fast work out of tightening and loosening screws. [Read more]( Energy [US Department of Energy reports first-ever achievement of fusion ignition]( [To create fusion ignition, the National Ignition Facility’s laser energy is converted into X-rays inside a capsule called a hohlraum, which then compress a fuel capsule until it implodes, creating a high-temperature, high-pressure plasma]( The US Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration have announced the first-ever achievement of fusion ignition. The breakthrough should "pave the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean power." [Read more]( Energy [High-frequency sound waves make electrolyzers produce 14x more hydrogen]( [PhD researcher Yemima Ehrnst holding a simple acoustic device used to radically boost hydrogen production during electrolysis]( RMIT researchers say they've unlocked cheaper, more energy-efficient green hydrogen production with a new electrolysis technique boosted by sound waves. With these high-frequency vibrations active, standard electrolysis produces 14x more hydrogen. [Read more]( Energy [Solid-state EV battery stays in shape to hint at huge range extensions]( [A new electrode material developed for EV batteries could unlock faster-charging and greater range]( A new solid-state battery design points to a new solution to the technology's stability issues, with researchers developing a novel electrode material that retains its volume throughout charging to enable the battery to endure hundreds of cycles. [Read more]( Outdoors [Hitch Hotel launches innovative expanding micro camping trailer]( [The Hitch Hotel Traveler expanded and ready to serve as a cozy day shelter and overnight camper]( It's been a tough few years since we last heard from Hitch Hotel in March 2020, but the company is now launching its telescoping Traveler trailer. The unique $10K camper tows smaller than most, expanding at camp to sleep two people comfortably. [Read more]( Energy [MIT's slimmed-down solar cells would add only 20 kg to a rooftop]( [If scaled up and applied to a typical rooftop , MIT's new solar cells would only weigh around 20 kg (44 lb)]( Solar cells that are thin and flexible hold unique promise, as they could be applied to all kinds of irregular or otherwise unsuitable surfaces. Thinner than a human hair, a new lightweight solar cell continues to push the envelope in this space. [Read more]( Space [Eerie "ghost light" detected emanating from within the solar system]( [The glow in the sky is what's called the zodiacal light, caused by dust in the inner solar system reflecting light from the Sun]( Astronomers have detected an eerie glow of “ghost light” that could represent a previously unknown component of the solar system. Comparing data from two distinct viewpoints – Hubble and New Horizons – researchers discovered a dim, unexplained glow. [Read more]( Health & Wellbeing [One-minute bursts of everyday activity linked to a longer life]( [Short spurts of activity, such as chasing after a bus, could help us live longer, new research suggests]( Finding time to exercise can be tricky business, but there's still a lot to gain from squeezing in short spurts. A new study highlights the effects of one-minute bouts of vigorous activity, which were linked to a longer life in thousands of subjects. [Read more]( Energy [Eco Wave Power signs concession for world's largest wave power station]( [Eco Wave Power's grid-connected demonstration plant ran in Gibraltar for six years]( Sweden's Eco Wave Power has been proving its relatively simple, jetty-mounted wave energy devices for at least 10 years now, and has now inked a conditional deal for a 77-megawatt installation in Turkey - the world's largest wave power plant. [Read more]( Health & Wellbeing [New blood cancer therapy successful in three-quarters of trial patients]( [The new treatment is currently under application for review by the FDA]( Data from a Phase 1/2 trial has revealed an experimental immunotherapy led to successful response rates in 73% of patients suffering multiple myeloma, a deadly form of blood cancer. An application to the FDA has been filed to bring the drug to market. [Read more]( Marine [The 10 most tantalizing electric water toys of 2022]( [Seeking out some pretty color]( This year, all-electric water toys took on many shapes and styles, from powerful add-on e-drives to hydrofoil submersibles. Before swapping the calendar out, take a look back at the hardest charging, deepest diving electric water toys of 2022. [Read more]( Outdoors [Video: Bruder deep-dives its biggest, baddest off-road camper trailer]( [The Bruder EXP-8 puts its dual-axle air suspension system to work]( When we looked at the Bruder EXP-8 in 2021, Bruder had yet to create a video of the camper. It took a while, but Bruder has now published an EXP-8 video, showing the trailer explore remote parts of the world while detailing its impressive features. [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