Weekend Edition: BAE’s new tail-sitting VTOL, dementia hope and spiral turbine towers

[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 Aircraft [BAE unveils the Strix, a fascinating, tail-sitting X-wing VTOL UAV]( [BAE Systems has unveiled a new hybrid, autonomous, military UAV with VTOL capabilities and the ability to carry heavy payloads and munitions over long range missions]( BAE Systems has unveiled a fascinating new autonomous, hybrid, VTOL UAV for military use. The STRIX, developed in Australia, folds to fit inside a shipping container, and is capable of carrying 160 kg (353 lb) of payload over 800 km (500 miles). [Read more]( Medical [Further evidence of link between vitamin D and dementia prevention]( [There's growing evidence that vitamin D supplements can protect your brain from dementia]( Vitamin D deficiency and dementia has long been linked. Now, a new study featuring more than 12,000 people has found that ongoing supplemental D dosing before cognitive decline may significantly lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. [Read more]( Energy [GE installs world's first spiral-welded wind turbine tower]( [The facilities to manufacture large-diameter pipes on-site at wind farms can be set up and ready to go within about a month, says Keystone]( Denver's Keystone Tower Systems says it can cut the cost of wind energy with tech borrowed from pipemaking. It uses spiral welding techniques to roll sheet steel into huge turbine towers on-site, stronger, faster and cheaper than current techniques. [Read more]( Environment [Paleo and keto diets bad for health and the planet, says study]( [Eating a meat-forward diet is likely not good for human or planetary health, says the new study]( The health benefits of a meat-based versus a plant-based diet are often hotly debated. A new study adds another checkmark to the plant-based column though, as it loops in the environmental impacts of choosing paleo or keto diets over veganism. [Read more]( Aircraft [Autoflight breaks Joby's world record for the longest eVTOL flight]( [Autoflight's Gen-4 Prosperity aircraft has now flown further on a single charge than any other eVTOL]( Autoflight has debuted its 4th-gen full-size eVTOL air taxi prototype with a bang, celebrating the longest-ever recorded flight of an electric VTOL aircraft. Prosperity flew 250.64 km on a single charge, relegating Joby Aviation to second place. [Read more]( Medical [Peptide breakthrough could mean dementia aid is right under your nose]( [An oral or nasal spray delivering peptides to the brain may be able to halt neurodegeneration]( In frontotemporal dementia and motor neuron disease, nerve cells are attacked and killed off, leading to the fast progression of the degenerative conditions. Now, a novel breakthrough might be able to stop this process without invasive surgery. [Read more]( Space [Hubble captures timelapse video of DART spacecraft impacting asteroid]( [The binary asteroid system, Dimorphos (left) and Didymos (right), which were the subject of the DART mission]( In September, NASA deliberately crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid to test a potential planetary defense technique. To mark the publication of four scientific papers, NASA has released a video of the impact captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. [Read more]( Military [Rolls-Royce begins testing of last engines for the US B-52 fleet]( [The F130 engines in dual-pod configuration]( At NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, Rolls-Royce has begun testing of the F130 jet dual-engine pods that will power the US Air Force's B-52H Stratofortress heavy bomber fleet for the remainder of its service life into the 2050s. [Read more]( Medical [Single shot treatment offers hope to sufferers of chronic lower back pain]( [There's hope for sufferers of degenerative disk disease in the form of a new treatment involving a one-off injection]( Sufferers of chronic lower back pain know there's no magic bullet when it comes to easing the often debilitating symptoms of degenerative disk disease. But new regenerative cell therapy delivered with a single injection is hoping to be just that. [Read more]( Outdoors [MyCanoe Solo 2 puts origami canoe tech in a smaller, lighter package]( [The MyCanoe Solo 2 is currently on Kickstarter]( Six years ago we first heard about the MyCanoe, a two-person canoe that folds up like origami for transit and storage. Its makers are now back on Kickstarter with the smaller, lighter MyCanoe Solo 2. [Read more]( Biology [Ancient protein study reveals how natural selection predates life itself]( [A form of natural selection may have been working on amino acids in the primordial soup long before life arose on Earth]( A new study suggests natural selection was at work before life itself existed on Earth. By recreating the primordial soup, scientists identified how a cocktail of specific amino acids informed the genetic code of every single lifeform on the planet. [Read more]( Energy [TAE makes world-first readings of magnetically-confined H-B fusion]( [The TAE team with their impressive fifth-generation "Norman" fusion reactor prototype]( Most current fusion power projects require tritium – an incredibly scarce and problematic fuel. TAE is targeting cheaper, safer hydrogen-boron (H-B) fusion, and it's just announced a world-first measurement of H-B fusion in magnetically confined plasma. [Read more]( Medical [Novel robotic system can 3D print cells onto organs inside the body]( [Scientists have developed a 3D bioprinter that can be used inside the human body]( The potential for 3D bioprinting has been further expanded thanks to the work of engineers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), who have developed a soft robotic arm that can print directly onto organs and tissues inside the human body. [Read more]( Good Thinking [DIY-oriented titanium multitool features oxygen wrench]( [Triangle multitiool has a keyring hole to keep it nearby]( The Triangle multitool from Disc features 14 different tools, most of which seem just right for a DIYer who encounters a lot of building projects without a proper toolbox on hand. It even has an oxygen wrench and an earbud holder you may never use. [Read more]( Medical [Strong signs for cell therapy in the fight against heart failure]( [Cell therapy has joined the fight against heart failure]( More than six million Americans suffer from chronic heart failure, and one of its key antagonizers is inflammation. Now, a landmark study has found that cell therapy can intervene, greatly reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. [Read more]( Military [BAE unveils low-cost, high-volume precision guided missile kits]( [The Razer is a low-cost system for transforming non-guided munitions into precision guided ones]( Along with its new X-winged VTOL military drone, BAE Systems has announced a new "Razer" system designed to take standard non-guided munitions and convert them into precision guided missiles, at low cost, and delivered through local manufacturing. [Read more]( Medical [This device can easily, cheaply detect cancer cells in a blood sample]( [The Static Droplet Microfluidic device]( Detecting circulating tumor cells among healthy blood cells is notoriously hard. Now an easy-to-use device can ID even a small number of cancer cells, potentially providing a huge breakthrough in non-invasive early detection, monitoring and treatment. [Read more]( Bicycles [Retro-styled Cross ebike motors through the city and beyond]( [Inspired by cafe racer motorcycles, the Cross "carries the vintage and styling shape of the legendary motorcycle back in the 1970s and embodies its core spirits: intrepid, upfront, and carefree without compromising the application of hi-tech elements in the design"]( LA-based e-mobility outfit Splach is returning to Indiegogo next month with a moto-inspired Class 3 ebike called the Cross, which rocks full suspension and air-filled fat tires, a 1-kW peak motor and 125-mile dual batteries. [Read more]( Space [20-year study watches strange, doomed object at the center of the galaxy]( [An artist's rendition of a supermassive black hole, such as the one at the center of the Milky Way]( Astronomers have been tracking a mysterious object near the center of the galaxy for decades, and now a new study has shed light on its identity – and its fate in the coming years, when it will be slurped up by the supermassive black hole there. [Read more]( Motorcycles [Zero unveils future-sexy SR-X concept]( [The Zero SR/X concept in flight]( Zero has collaborated with San Francisco's Huge Design to produce this super-futuristic take on the brand's SR/S electric sports tourer. Snub-nosed and snub-tailed with a wide slot of a headlight, the SR-X looks like it dropped out of Cyberpunk 2077. [Read more]( Materials [New quantum state boosts material's conductivity by a billion percent]( [A new material has exhibited colossal magnetoresistance, switching its electrical conductivity by a billion percent in response to a magnetic field]( Georgia Tech scientists have discovered a new quantum state in a quirky material. In a phenomenon never before seen in anything else, the team found that applying a magnetic field increased the material’s electrical conductivity by a billion percent. [Read more]( Space [Rescue ship for stranded astronauts docks with ISS]( [The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft approaching the ISS]( A Russian rescue ship has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS), allowing three stranded Russian and American astronauts to return to Earth a few months after a coolant leak disabled their own spacecraft. [Read more]( Lifestyle [Exercise could be the first line of attack in mental health treatment]( [Extensive data points to physical activity's vital role in mental health therapy]( A first-of-its-kind meta-analysis of 97 studies shows that physical activity can be as, or more effective in relieving symptoms of various mental disorders as traditional treatment, legitimizing exercise as more than just a complementary therapy. [Read more]( Military [US Marines to get Northrop Grumman NGHTS four-in-one targeting device]( [NGHTS incorporates four different targeting systems in a handheld device]( The US Marine Corps has decided to purchase Northrop Grumman's all-in-one Next Generation Handheld Targeting System (NGHTS) that packs a suite of day/night targeting sensors in a 10-lb (4.5-kg) package and can operate in GPS-denied areas. [Read more]( Marine [HydroBlade e-foil sports two batteries, two motors, and handlebars]( [The HydroBlade looks a bit like the speeder bikes from "Return of the Jedi"]( There are now quite a few electric hydrofoil (e-foil) boards on the market, and most of them are pretty similar to one another. With its handlebars, dual motors and dual external battery packs, however, the HydroBlade definitely stands out. [Read more]( Bicycles [Free Drive "bike-by-wire" system will soon be hitting the road]( [Schaeffler's Free Drive system will make its commercial debut on the mocci ebike]( Two years ago we first heard about Schaeffler's Free Drive system, which uses a generator instead of a chain or belt to propel an ebike. The technology is now entering its first commercial use, in fleets of ebikes made for commuting and cargo-hauling. [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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