Weekend Edition: Brain tissue in a chip, a ride-on eyebrow, and the world’s most powerful V12

[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 Computers [Computer chip with built-in human brain tissue gets military funding]( ["DishBrain" computer chips fusing human brain cells with electronic circuits and AI intelligence could underpin the next generation of learning robots]( Last year, Monash University scientists created the "DishBrain" – a semi-biological computer chip with some 800,000 human and mouse brain cells lab-grown into its electrodes. Demonstrating something like sentience, it learned to play Pong within five minutes. [Read more]( Automotive [18-wheel-drive electric ATV: Ride the flying eyebrow]( [18 Wheels. 18 Motors. 18 springy suspension legs. You do the math.]( Finnish company 18 Wheels has prototyped one of the most bizarre off-roaders we've encountered: an electric all-terrain vehicle with ... well, the perfect number of wheels for a company with that name. Which is lucky, really. Imagine if it only had 16! [Read more]( Automotive [1,250-hp quad-turbo modular engine will be world's most powerful V12]( [Zenvo and Mahle are working on the world's most powerful V12, which will find itself at the center of an even more powerful hybrid drive]( Zenvo is known for building some of the world's most exotic, powerful hypercars, and it's about to step its game up. It is teaming with Mahle to create the world's most powerful road-going V12 engine to feature in an 1,850-hp hybrid powertrain. [Read more]( Energy [Cheap proton batteries compete with lithium on energy density]( [The experimental prototype]( RMIT engineers say they've tripled the energy density of cheap, rechargeable, recyclable proton flow batteries, which can now challenge commercially available lithium-ion batteries for capacity with a specific energy density of 245 Wh/kg. [Read more]( Bicycles [Tiny electric bike pump ensures you're never left with a flat]( Pumping up deflated tires has to be one of the most cumbersome tasks on two wheels. The electronic Mini Pump, pitched as the world’s lightest tire inflator, is just the kind of handy gadget that you’ll want to take along for the ride. [Read more]( Automotive [Gorgeous roadster breathes '60s motorsport cachet into supercar market]( [Nichols reveals the sub-2,000-lb 650-hp N1A]( F1 engineer Steve Nichols made his mark in the 1980s and 90s, but he's looking back to the '60s to help make a mark on the streets. His N1A supercar brings dramatic curves and sharp edges from the race cars of the past to the roadways of today. [Read more]( Tiny Houses [Tiny houses that transform to overcome limits of small living]( [Transforming tiny houses: The ANNA Stay 2.0 is one of 10 amazing models we feature in our look at innovative tiny house designs]( Squeezing a comfortable interior into a tiny house is a challenge given the size constraints. However, some firms attempt to overcome this with clever design that allows them to transform in size and shape. We look at 10 of the best examples. [Read more]( Medical [Discovery holds promise for pausing age-related cognitive decline]( [A promising discovery might make age-related cognitive decline treatable]( Cognitive decline is, sadly, a normal part of aging. But now scientists have uncovered a mechanism in this gradual process, which affects functions such as memory and reasoning, and believe it's key to developing drugs to stop it in its tracks. [Read more]( Health & Wellbeing [Want to lower your blood pressure? Try a plank]( [Researchers are calling for a review of exercise guidelines to factor in isometric workouts]( When you think exercise, holding your body still in a pose for a minute hardly springs to mind as a workout. But scientists have found that isometric moves such as wall sits and planks may be even better for your heart than both weights and cardio. [Read more]( Materials [Glass-coated DNA material boasts 4x strength of steel]( [Scientists have created new strong, lightweight materials out of DNA coated in glass]( In a fight against Iron Man, you might be better off betting on Glass DNA Nanolattice Man instead. Engineers have developed a very strong and lightweight new material out of DNA that self-assembles into lattices, and is then coated in glass. [Read more]( Outdoors [Dirtbox camper turns Jeep or F-150 into adaptable adventure multitool]( [Dirtbox Jeep at Overland Expo West 2023]( A rugged, Aussie-style canopy born in America, the Dirtbox Expedition Series flatbed system is a fast-modding, adaptable adventure box. It easily builds a basic full or midsize pickup into an adventure RV with pop-up tent, shower, kitchen and more. [Read more]( Marine [CudaJet moves your personal jetpack fantasies underwater]( [Pricing for the CudaJet starts at about US$18,000]( While we've seen a number of wearable underwater propulsion systems, they've typically been strapped to the user's arms or legs. The CudaJet is different, in that it's a true backpack-style underwater jetpack. [Read more]( Marine [This compact underwater scooter can even power your kayak]( [You can mount the scooter on a range of water vessels]( Scooters have become one of the most popular gadgets for watersport enthusiasts, and the latest out to do the paddling for you is a compact pocket rocket from Japanese makers Surando Tech. Despite its size, it punches above its weight in the water. [Read more]( Electronics [Wireless charging technique boosts long-distance efficiency to 80%]( [Researchers set up two coils, with a diameter of 7.2 cm (2.8 in) each, and got them to transmit power over a distance of 18 cm (7 in) at 80% efficiency]( Adoption of wireless charging has been fairly slow, but it could pick up if it worked over longer distances. Now Aalto University engineers have developed a new system that can allow more efficient wireless power transmission over longer distances. [Read more]( Medical [Super killer T-cells discovered in patients who beat cancer]( [In patients that successfully beat cancer, scientists have discovered new "superior" T cells that can attack multiple cancer targets]( Scientists have discovered an unknown type of immune cell in people who've successfully beat cancer. These home in on multiple targets at once, preventing new tumors forming for up to a year later and could lead to more effective cancer therapies. [Read more]( Space [Unexplained cosmic radio signal repeats every 21 minutes for 35 years]( [An artist's impression of a magnetar, the leading candidate for a bizarre radio signal that repeats every 21 minutes]( Astronomers have detected a radio signal that blares for several minutes at a time, every 21 minutes, and has been doing so for at least 35 years. This bizarre signal doesn’t fit any known object without some major revisions to current physics. [Read more]( Aircraft [Push-button flying car now authorized by both FAA and DMV]( [Fully unfolded into aircraft mode, the Aska A5 is less of a visual calamity than it is on the road]( When most folk think about flying cars, we think of machines that seamlessly convert from street to air mode, that can take off and land vertically, and that can cruise in the air and on the highway. The US$789,000 Aska A5 promises to do it all. [Read more]( Medical [Transplant of fresh brain cells replaces diseased and aged ones]( [A new study has found that a transplant of progenitor glial cells, which differentiate into specialized brain support cells like the astrocyte pictured here, can replace unhealthy and aged cells]( Researchers have transplanted specialized brain support cells into mice and found that they replaced unhealthy and aged cells. The findings open the door to developing an effective treatment for a range of neurological conditions. [Read more]( Materials [Cambridge 3D prints game-changing smart concrete structure]( [The 3D-printed headwall structure]( Working with private industry, the University of Cambridge has gone one step beyond 3D printing with a concrete infrastructure unit that was not only made in an hour, but incorporates sensors to make it self-monitoring and, one day, self repairing. [Read more]( Space [NASA probe knocked boulders from asteroid after cosmic collision]( [This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image of the asteroid Dimorphos was taken on 19 December 2022, nearly four months after the asteroid was impacted by NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission]( After focussing on an asteroid that was struck in 2022 by a half-tonne NASA robotic probe traveling over seven times faster than a bullet, the Hubble Space Telescope has detected a swarm of 37 boulders that were dislodged by the impact. [Read more]( Automotive [Isuzu concept camper pickup with spin-out ARB kitchen becomes a reality]( [More than just a SEMA-style show truck, the new Isuzu D-Max Expedition Edition is now available to build at select Isuzu UK dealerships]( Isuzu showed the light, versatile AT35 Basecamp truck a year ago, and it follows up with the D-Max "Expedition Edition." Unlike the Basecamp, the new camper pickup is a dealership-ready reality, complete with expanding kitchen and rooftop tent. [Read more]( Automotive [Winnebago's entry camper van gains 3-day off-grid power & multi lounge]( [Winnebago previews the newest member of the Solis Pocket family, its most affordable camper van offering]( Two years ago, Winnebago elated aspiring camper van adventurers by introducing the Solis Pocket, its most affordable camper van. Now, it adds the 36B floor plan, which brings a wet bathroom, EcoFlow off-grid power and an 8-in-1 sofa lounge. [Read more]( Architecture [World's largest 3D-printed housing development reveals completed model home]( [Wolf Ranch's first residents are expected to start arriving in September]( An ambitious development of a hundred 3D-printed homes named Wolf Ranch is under construction near Austin, Texas. Led by BIG and Icon, the project's first model home has now been revealed ahead of residents arriving in September. [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