Weekend Edition: Asteroid-based habitats, crowd-based orchestras, and Alzheimer’s linked to viral infection

[New Atlas logo]( Welcome to the year's last weekly wrap of the best stories to grace the pages of New Atlas over the last seven days. Thanks to everyone for reading our articles in 2022, a very happy festive period, and here's hoping for an even better 2023. For the last time in 2022, sit back, relax and enjoy the Weekend Edition. Darren Quick Editor-in-Chief Science [New evidence links nasal viral infections to rapid Alzheimer's progression]( [A new study has found evidence that viral infections in the olfactory system could trigger a cascade of events that can lead to Alzheimer's disease]( A new study is presenting evidence suggesting viral infections in the olfactory system can accelerate the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The research looked at the relationship between markers of infections and neurodegeneration in the hippocampus. [Read more]( Music [Jacob Collier is making orchestras out of his audiences, and it's wild]( [Jacob Collier turns a crowd of thousands into a chromatically-capable three-part insta-choir]( The world's greatest living musical genius (IMHO) is mastering an extraordinary new instrument: a dance-controlled human pipe organ with a built-in drum kit, built from scratch every night in real time, with the sonic horsepower of a football crowd. [Read more]( Space [Inside-out asteroids: A practical method for creating space habitats]( [You can't build space cities on the surface of asteroids, or even inside them, really, but you could turn them inside out to become the ground layers of spinning ring-type space stations, says a Rochester team, and it'd be a relatively cheap and easy way to build yourself a space habitat for humanity]( A University of Rochester team says it's come up with a relatively cheap and easy way to build rotating, city-sized space habitats that's technically feasible using current technologies. All you need to do, it seems, is turn an asteroid inside out. [Read more]( Medical [Common diabetes drug may help osteoarthritic joints]( [Metformin, a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, was associated with a 30% reduction in rates of joint replacement surgery]( A common diabetes drug has been linked to a reduction in the need for joint replacement surgery. The observational study suggests the drug could be helpful for patients with osteoarthritis, although further clinical work is needed to validate the association. [Read more]( Tiny Houses [MM01 tiny house makes space for work and play with clever interior layout]( [The MM01 is located near a forest in Carinthia, in the Austrian Alps, and serves as a vacation home and a base for its owners to enjoy outdoor activities]( The MM01 was commissioned by two people who use it as a vacation home in rural Austria. Its interior is very compact, but architect Christian Tonko mitigates this with a carefully designed layout that even manages to squeeze in a home office. [Read more]( Space [Ultra-light electric motor to feed Australia's first home-grown rocket]( [Gilmour plans to launch the first-ever space rocket entirely designed and built in Australia in April next year]( Equipmake says it's got the lightest and most power-dense electric motor on the market, and if there's one place where weight is critical, it's on a launch pad. The company has developed an ultra-lightweight motor for Australia's first rocket launch. [Read more]( Medical [Repurposed acne drug reverses hand osteoarthritis in animal models]( [Scientists have uncovered a potential new treatment for hand osteoarthritis by experimenting with a repurposed acne drug]( Scientists investigating new treatments for hand osteoarthritis have made promising new inroads through research on a drug originally developed for acne and psoriasis, with work now underway to ascertain its potential as a new clinical therapy. [Read more]( Aircraft [Argon GTL 915 iS could be the gyroplane you didn't know you wanted]( [The Argon GTL 915 iS will cost buyers approximately $148,557 to $191,000]( Although gyroplanes were once bare-bones open-cockpit contraptions, we're seeing an increasing number of more deluxe, fully enclosed models. The Argon GTL 915 iS is one of the latest – and certainly one of the sharpest-looking – to hit the market. [Read more]( Biology [CRISPR cuts tree flowering times from a decade to mere months]( [Flowers begin to grow on CRISPR-edited poplar trees within weeks, rather than years]( Breeding plants can give them new beneficial traits, but trees have a frustratingly long reproductive cycle. Now, scientists at the University of Georgia have used CRISPR gene-editing to make poplar trees flower within months rather than a decade. [Read more]( Energy [Rapid-deployment solar arrays cut energy cost up to 20%, says 5B]( [Three people and a forklift can put together a megawatt-scale solar farm in a week, says 5B]( Australian company 5B has developed a hinged, folding solar array for ridiculously quick and easy installation at industrial scale. In May, 5B showed just how quick: a team of 10 covered the area of a soccer field with a 1.1-MW array in a single day. [Read more]( Science [Popular red food coloring triggers gut inflammation in mice]( [Allura Red AC (also known as FD&C Red 40 or E129) was found to trigger colitis in mice]( A commonly used red food coloring has been found to promote gut inflammation in mice, according to new research. The study suggests chronic consumption of the food dye may increase susceptibility to inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's and colitis. [Read more]( Tiny Houses [Babbalucci tiny house splits the staircase to add storage inside]( [The Babbalucci's compact interior is dominated by a large split staircase that offers easy access to the bedrooms and has lots of integrated storage space]( With its modest length of 8 m, the Babbalucci doesn't have much room available. Therefore, Build Tiny designed a space-saving layout centered around a split staircase that both provides easy access to its bedrooms and offers lots of storage. [Read more]( Energy [Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell advance breaks efficiency record]( [A new perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell has set a record efficiency of 32.5%]( Perovskite and silicon are proving to be a formidable duo in the world of solar cells, and now they’ve hit a new record efficiency. A team at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) have developed solar cells with an efficiency of over 32%. [Read more]( Automotive [Solar-powered car claims new EV speed record over 1,000 km]( [The Sunswift 7 on the track]( An engineering team in Australia working at the cutting edge of electric vehicle design have laid claim to a new world record, using the Sunswift 7 solar-powered car to cover 1,000 km (621 miles) on a single charge in less than 12 hours. [Read more]( Outdoors [Awesome 2022 outdoor gear for backcountry adventures]( [Connect bike touring legs of the trip by folding the Bike Friday All Packa down and transporting it via car, train, airplane, boat, etc.]( Interest in outdoor recreation has soared since the Covid-19 pandemic. It's no wonder, then, that manufacturers launched innovative products throughout 2022 to help athletes go farther, faster and deeper into the backcountry. Here are the highlights. [Read more]( Energy [Minimum two-year setback for TerraPower's advanced nuclear demonstrator]( [The sodium fast reactor is designed to run 24/7 at its maximum 345 MWe capacity]( Russia is the only country that sells the HALEU fuel that some next-generation nuclear plants will rely on, and with sanctions now in place due to the war in Ukraine, TerraPower has now conceded its demo timeline will blow out by at least two years. [Read more]( Bicycles [S-Trax conversion kit could make yo' bike into a snowbike]( [The S-Trax Snowbike Conversion Kit sells for €2,499.99 (about US$2,652)]( As winter drags on in the Northern Hemisphere, many cyclists are starting to miss honest-to-goodness outdoor riding. Well, they could buy a fatbike, or … they could get the S-Trax kit, which lets users convert their mountain bike into a snowbike. [Read more]( Tiny Houses [Solar-powered houseboat floats benefits of tiny house design]( [When the conditions are ideal, the Fà ng Sōng is fully powered by its solar panels, which are installed on the roof and facade]( The Fà ng Sōng, by Crossboundaries, is inspired by tiny house design and features a space-saving interior layout. The houseboat gets power from solar panels, allowing it to cruise for up to 50 km per day in ideal conditions. [Read more]( Bicycles [Full-suspension fat-tire ebike built for city streets and dusty trails]( [The Ranger all-terrain ebike rolls on 4-inch fat tires, benefits from full squish and rocks a 1,200-W (peak) Bafang motor for pedal assist up to 28 mph]( Continuing its love affair with fat tires, oddly-named e-mobility company Cyrusher has recently launched a new flagship – an all-terrain ebike called the Ranger that sports full suspension, a 1,200-W Bafang motor and a 50-mile battery. [Read more]( Space [NASA's asteroid-slamming spacecraft dislodged 2 million lb of debris]( [CubeSat imagery shows the scene of the Dimorphos asteroid impact three minutes after the event]( The collision between NASA’s DART spacecraft and the asteroid Dimorphos was always going to be a spectacle. By analyzing data from telescopes and tiny satellites nearby, scientists are now piecing together some fascinating details around the event. [Read more]( Automotive [McMurtry Spéirling smashes Rimac Nevera's acceleration records]( [With a 0-60 time of 1.4 seconds, and a quarter-mile under eight seconds in the book, the McMurtry Spéirling makes all]( On a damp track, in the cold British winter, this British electric hypercar (with a huge unfair advantage) just ate the Rimac Nevera's lunch, doing a 1.4-second 0-60 mph sprint and a 7.97-second quarter mile despite being severely speed limited. [Read more]( Health & Wellbeing [World-first topical gene therapy gel heals decades-old wounds]( [In children with a rare skin disease, a new gel delivers working copies of a gene that produces a collagen protein crucial for wound healing]( A Phase 3 trial testing the world's first topical gene therapy has reported extraordinary results in children suffering from a rare blistering skin disease. The gene therapy gel was seen to completely heal wounds that had been open for years. [Read more]( Urban Transport [Mate SUV cargo ebike designed to replace its automotive namesake]( ["The first real alternative to a car is here," said Mate Bike at launch. "The Mate SUV will change the way you move, forever."]( We've seen a few pedal-assist bikes pitched as alternatives to the family car recently, including the Vanmoof V, Lectric's XPremium and the Pino Cargo from Hase Bikes. The latest to throw down the e-mobility gauntlet is the capable-looking Mate SUV. 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