Weekend Edition: Tinnitus treatment, “cocaine hippos”, and VW upsizes the ID. Buzz

[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 [Ring-busting tinnitus treatment combines sound and touch stimulation]( [A: The treatment device, with earphones and electrodes. B: A patient's treatment audio signal, set to replicate their tinnitus signal at 40 dB above the subject's hearing threshold. C: A sample treatment waveform, beginning with a somatosensory pulse, followed by an audio signal]( A "bi-sensory" treatment combining precisely timed sound and touch has shown impressive results in reducing people's experience of tinnitus, a common and debilitating form of hearing damage that presents as an incessant ringing sound in the ears. [Read more]( Biology [The "cocaine hippos" have become a huge headache for Colombia]( [The world's most aggressive herbivore is now a Colombian menace]( Drug lord Pablo Escobar may be long gone, however he’s still wreaking havoc on his native Colombia thanks to his escaped hippos. Scientists have now discovered there are twice as many as previously thought, and they don't know what to do about it. [Read more]( Automotive [The camper bus is back – VW ID. Buzz stretches to American proportions]( [The VW bus returns to America ... now as an electric]( Since the ID. Buzz's debut as a concept so many years ago, Americans have waited patiently. Now, it's their time. The new long-wheelbase ID. Buzz marks the Microbus' American return, bringing along 3 rows of seats, AWD and the latest VW tech. [Read more]( Bicycles [Binary Gear doubles an MTB's gear ratios, without a front derailleur]( [Designed primarily with mountain bikes and gravel bikes in mind, the Binary Gear is compatible with third-party chainrings and pedals]( Even though almost all new mountain bikes now have just one chainring and no front derailleur, it would still be nice to have all those other gear ratios again. The Binary Gear is designed to bring them back, without reintroducing a front derailleur. [Read more]( Aircraft [CycloTech reveals outdoor noise level from its CycloRotor propellers]( [Voith-Schneider CycloRotors are capable of vectoring thrust nearly instantly in 360 degrees, while rotating at a constant rate]( Having received permission from Austrian authorities to begin outdoor flight testing on its remarkable CycloRotor-propelled technology demonstrator, CycloTech has announced noise testing results for its 360-degree thrust vectoring propulsion barrels. [Read more]( Space [NASA gives go for launch of mission to $10-quadrillion asteroid]( [Artist's concept of the Psyche spacecraft]( NASA has given the okay to its long-delayed US$985 million Psyche deep-space mission to explore a metal-rich asteroid, also called Psyche, that may be worth as much as $10 quadrillion, or 90 times the world's entire $110-trillion economy. [Read more]( Outdoors [Space Acacia system combines a tent, tarp and wall-to-wall air mattress]( [The Space Acacia system can reportedly be packed up and carried in a mid-size car]( Many campers will put up a tarp, pitch a tent underneath that tarp, then put an inflatable mattress inside the tent. Space Acacia is designed to makes things simpler, by combining all three components in one camping system. [Read more]( Energy ["Walking" anchor and plasma drill promise cheap, deep geothermal power]( [GA Drilling has demonstrated its Anchorbit technology, a walking anchor system designed to stabilize and accelerate super-deep drilling]( Slovakia's GA Drilling has demonstrated a pair of new technologies it says could unlock geothermal power generation more or less anywhere on the planet. Anchorbit and Plasmabit promise much faster and cheaper drilling into hot rock 10 km underground. [Read more]( Materials [Architects collaborate with nature for fungus-based building material]( [PLP Labs, the in-house research group of PLP Architecture, have created renewable, biodegradable building blocks using fungus mycelium]( Focused on creating a greener future, the UK’s PLP Architects have collaborated with nature to create a renewable, biodegradable fungus-based modular block with the potential to become a new building material with minimal environmental impact. [Read more]( Biology [Contraceptive gene therapy injections in cats replaces surgical spaying]( [Some of the cats involved in a trial of a new gene therapy contraceptive that could reduce the need for surgical spaying]( Getting your cat spayed is a normal part of pet ownership, but it can be expensive, invasive and not very practical on strays. Now scientists have tested a new method that renders female cats permanently sterile with a single gene therapy injection. [Read more]( Biology [‘World’s most painful insect sting’ found to target nerves in unique way]( [Researchers have discovered the unique way toxins in the venom of the bullet ant, pictured, targets the body's nerves to produce severe, long-lasting pain]( Researchers have discovered that some of the most painful ant stings are caused by neurotoxins that affect the body in a way that's never been seen before. Their findings further our understanding of how pain works and how it might be treated. [Read more]( Urban Transport [Kawasaki leans into electric mobility with Noslisu e-trikes]( [The Noslisu electric trikes feature Kawasaki's own synchronized steering system and tilting mechanism]( Kawasaki has ridden into the electric mobility space with three new models – sadly not the Ninja BEV previewed at last year's EICMA expo, but with the launch of the Noslisu series electric tilting three-wheelers on its home turf. [Read more]( Aircraft [MC One personal eVTOL rocks a Monaco-grade price tag]( [Manned flight testing in 2022. We're not sure what that mini roll bar behind the pilot's head would achieve in a crash]( Monégasque aerial photography and drone show company McClic has successfully test-flown its MC One personal eVTOL, a simple but nice-looking coaxial octacopter with a pilot's seat on top. Anyone can fly it, given about 10 minutes' training. [Read more]( Space [German govt awards contract to develop Linear AeroSpike rocket engine]( [Artist's concept of a Polaris spaceplane]( Aerospace startup Polaris Raumflugzeuge has been awarded a contract by the German government to develop and fly a revolutionary Linear AeroSpike (LAS) engine that replaces the conventional rocket nozzle with curving wall-shaped plug. [Read more]( Energy [World-first space solar demonstration beams power from orbit to Earth]( [How the DOLCE array will look once unfurled]( A Caltech team is celebrating the world's first space-based wireless power transmission, and the first time detectable levels of power have been beamed down to Earth. The Space Solar Power Project aims to unlock huge orbital clean energy resources. [Read more]( Medical [Magnetically controlled pill cam can be ‘driven’ to where it's needed]( [Researchers have developed a magnetically controlled video capsule that can be 'driven' around the stomach using joysticks]( Researchers have created a magnetically controlled capsule that is ‘driven’ around the stomach using joysticks, taking images of areas of interest. It's unlike other pill cams that rely on the gut's motility and gravity to get around. [Read more]( Military [DARPA launches program in quest for "Red October" silent submarine drive]( [An MHD drive could make submarines silently stealthy]( Taking a plot point from the 1990 Sean Connery movie thriller The Hunt for Red October, DARPA is working on a super-silent submarine drive that has no moving parts and provides propulsion through the water using magnets and electricity. [Read more]( Materials [New treatment makes steel alloys both stronger and more flexible]( [A new treatment can boost the strength and ductility of steel alloys dramatically]( Strength and flexibility are two opposites that usually need to be balanced in steel. But now engineers at Purdue University and Sandia Labs have developed a new treatment that can be applied to steel alloys to boost both strength and ductility. [Read more]( Medical [Microparticle therapy reverses MS in 100% of mice, cures one third]( [Researchers have used microparticle therapy to reverse the breakdown of the nerve cells' protective sheath in mice with multiple sclerosis]( Researchers have used microparticle therapy to boost the number of ‘good’ immune cells, reversing nerve cell damage in mice with MS-like symptoms. The finding may to lead to new treatments for multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. [Read more]( Automotive [ARGO Sasquatch pickup aims to be king of amphibious off-road vehicles]( [The ARGO Sasquatch carries tools and supplies with 71-in roll-over-anything tires]( On the tip of a multi-vehicle offensive meant to fill in some market gaps, ARGO is launching the all-new Sasquatch XTX. The high-riding amphibious swamp machine rolls and swims with 71-inch tires, carrying a full pickup box for maximum utility. [Read more]( Medical [High-tech pen paints healing gel right into wounds]( [There is currently no word on when human trials of the PAINT pen may commence]( Most wound dressings simply cover the injury and perhaps also kill harmful bacteria. The PAINT system goes much further, as it incorporates a pen that could one day allow doctors to paint a gelatinous healing ink right into wounds. [Read more]( Tiny Houses [20-ft-long Chicorée tiny house packs in plenty of flexibility]( [The Chicorée's compact space-saving interior includes a kitchen table that doubles as both a dining and work space]( This latest tiny house by Baluchon is just as small as we've come to expect from the French firm, but nonetheless squeezes in a surprisingly flexible interior, including sleeping space for up to five and two work areas. [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